INDIA STOCKS-India's benchmarks set to open lower tracking Asian peers

Feb 20 (Reuters) - India's benchmark indexes are likely to open lower on Thursday, tracking other Asian peers as uncertainty about U.S. tariff measures and worries over their inflationary impact dented investor sentiment.

The GIFT Nifty futures GIFc1 were trading at 22,887.50 as of 08:10 a.m. IST, indicating that blue-chip Nifty 50 .NSEI will open below Wednesday's closing level of 22,932.90.

Asian markets fell in early trades, with the MSCI Asia ex Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS down 1%, as investors fretted over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats.

Japan's Nikkei 225 .N225 fell 1.6% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng .HSI lost 2%. The South Korean Kospi .KS11 was down 0.6%.

Trump said on Tuesday he will introduce tariffs of 25% and above on autos, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

Among Asian countries, South Korea and Japan have the highest U.S. exposure to auto exports while India has extensive pharma exposure, according to HSBC Global Research.

Trump's tariff threats could add to the risk-off sentiment in the markets, according to brokerages.

Meanwhile, the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's January policy meeting showed the central bank officials were also concerned about the potential impact of Trump's tariff policies on inflation, signalling the likelihood of higher rates in the U.S. for longer.

Higher rates in the U.S. make emerging markets such as India unattractive for foreign investors.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have sold about $12.31 billion worth of equities so far in 2025, as per provisional data. On Wednesday, they sold shares worth 18.81 billion rupees ($216.5 million).

Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) have bought shares worth $14.09 billion so far, including $225.3 million on Wednesday.

Indian benchmark indexes are down more than 3% in 2025 and as much as 13% from their record highs hit in late September.

The broader mid-cap .NIFMDCP100 and small-cap .NIFSMCP100 indexes are down 17% and 21%, respectively, from their record highs.

Concerns over slowing earnings growth, lofty valuations and uncertain U.S. trade policies have fuelled a selling in equities.

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Goldman Sachs (Singapore) PTE buys stake in BSE BSEL.NS on Wednesday at 5,504.42 rupees apiece.