Sensex, Nifty open lower over Donald Trump's tariffs on pharma imports

MUMBAI — The Indian benchmark indices opened lower on Friday, following US President Donald Trump's announcement of tariffs on pharma imports and sustained selling by foreign institutional investors.

As of 9.25 am, Sensex was down 388 points, or 0.48 per cent at 80,771 and Nifty was down 119 points, or 0.48 per cent at 24,771.

Shares of Indian and other Asian pharmaceutical companies fell after Trump announced tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports of branded and patented pharmaceutical drugs, starting October 1, 2025.

Apart from drugs, President Trump announced a 50 per cent duty on imports of kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30 per cent on upholstered furniture, and 25 per cent on heavy trucks.

America is India’s largest export market for pharmaceutical goods, absorbing 31 per cent of the country's pharma exports.

Analysts said that India, as an exporter of generic drugs, is unlikely to be affected by Trump's actions; however, they noted that a sentimental impact on pharmaceutical stocks is likely, since the US President may target generic drugs next.

The broad cap indices, Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100, dipped by 0.18 and 0.20 per cent, respectively. Cipla, Dr Reddy's Labs, Titan Company, Asian Paints and Bajaj Finance were among major losers on the Nifty, while gainers were L&T, Hero MotoCorp, Hindalco, Tata Steel and ONGC.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty pharma, the top loser, lost 2.39 per cent. Nifty PSU Bank (down 1.11 per cent) and Nifty Healthcare Index (down 2.20 per cent) were other major losers.

On the technical front, Nifty decisively closed below the 25,000 mark, signalling a growing downside bias. Resistance is now placed around 25,000–25,050, while immediate support is seen near 24,700–24,750 zone.

The US markets ended in the red zone overnight, as Nasdaq dipped 0.50 per cent, the S&P 500 dropped 0.50 per cent, and the Dow lost 0.38 per cent in the last trading session.

All the Asian markets were trading in the red during the morning session. While China's Shanghai index lost 0.18 per cent, and Shenzhen dropped 0.79 per cent, Japan's Nikkei declined 0.43 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dipped 0.79 per cent. South Korea's Kospi lost 2.52 per cent.

Market participants said that the global backdrop is turning more challenging as the US economy edges toward stagflation, with growth momentum slowing, unemployment inching higher, and inflation trending upward from its trough.

On Thursday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 4,995 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 5,000 crore.