Sensex Falls 385 Points, Nifty Opens Lower Amid Global Market Jitters and Greenland Tariff Row

The markets didn't get off to a great start on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Both the Sensex and Nifty slipped right out of the gate, dragged down by weak global cues. Traders across the world got jittery after President Trump ramped up tariff threats against some European countries pushing back on US moves in Greenland. That set off another round of global selling.

The Sensex dropped 385 points to open at 81,794.65, while the Nifty lost 91 points to start at 25,141. Just a day earlier, the Sensex closed at 82,180.47 and the Nifty finished at 25,232.50, so it's a noticeable dip. Broader indices weren't spared either. The BSE Midcap slipped 66 points, down 0.15%, and the Smallcap index fell by 235 points, or nearly half a percent, trading at 47,483.38 in early hours.

Gift Nifty-often a sneak peek at how the Nifty 50 will open-also pointed to a weak start. It opened 37 points lower at 25,218 compared to its previous close.

On the investment front, Foreign Institutional Investors pulled out Rs 2,938 crore worth of equities on January 20, while Domestic Institutional Investors kept buying, picking up stocks worth Rs 3,665 crore.