BENGALURU, Jan 14 (Reuters) - India's equity benchmarks inched lower on Wednesday, as foreign investor selling continued unabated on worries over trade tensions, higher crude prices and geopolitical concerns, while metal stocks surged tracking the rise in global metal prices.
The Nifty 50 fell 0.11% to 25,704 and the Sensex shed 0.16% to 83,474.55 as of 10:11 a.m. IST.
Ten of the 16 major sectors logged losses. The broader small-caps and mid-caps traded flat
Global risk sentiment weakened after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranian protesters to "take over" institutions, saying "help is on its way", pushing safe-haven gold to record highs and sending oil prices surging more than 2% to a seven-week high on Tuesday. [O/R]
Trump's threat of additional 25% tariffs on countries trading with Iran also worried investors, adding to existing concerns about the lack of trade deal between the India and the United States.
The Nifty and the Sensex have fallen in six of the past seven sessions, down 2.3% and 2.5%, respectively. Foreign outflows totalled $2 billion so far in January, following a record $19 billion selling in 2025.
"Near-term market action will reflect the interplay between earnings-related reactions and global uncertainty," said Ajit Mishra, senior vice president of research at Religare Broking.
The metal index advanced 1.9%, with 11 of the 15 constituents logging gains.
Hindustan Copper rose 4% and Hindustan Zinc added 6% tracking a rise in copper and silver prices to record high levels on lingering supply concerns. [MET/L]
Vedanta climbed 5.2% after Nuvama Institutional Equities reiterated "buy" rating and raised price target to 806 rupees from 686 rupees, citing potential value unlocking from the proposed demerger.
Tata Elxsi fell 3% after reporting a profit drop in the December quarter on a one-time charge tied to increased employee benefit provisions.
Indian Hotels gained 2% after Nomura initiated coverage with a "buy" rating.
(Reporting by Vivek Kumar M and Bharath Rajeswaran; Editing by Sumana Nandy, Rashmi Aich and Janane Venkatraman)
By Bharath Rajeswaran and Vivek Kumar M
