Market Opening Bell: Sensex drops 475 points, Nifty slips below 25,300, IT stocks drag on H-1B visa changes

Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, started on a negative note on Monday, September 22, 2025, amid widespread selling in the IT stocks after US President Donald Trump imposed a steep USD 100,000 fee for each H1-B visa. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 475.16 points to start the session at 82,151.07; the Nifty was down by 88.95 points to open at 25,238.10. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 82,626.23 and the Nifty 50 at 25,327.05. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap was down 262.45 points, or 0.56 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap index dropped 193.76 points, or 0.35 per cent, to trade at 54,428.28. 

From the Sensex pack, Eternal, Bajaj Finance, Adani Ports, Power Grid, and UltraTech Cement were among the major gainers, with Adani Ports leading the pack by jumping over 0.91 per cent in the early trade today. On the other hand, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech and Bharti Airtel were among the laggards, with Tech Mahindra shedding over 5.30 per cent in the opening trade. 

In early trade, 1,421 stocks in the Nifty pack were trading in the green, while 1,142 were trading in the red. One hundred nine stocks remained unchanged. 

What did Gift Nifty indicate?

Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative start as it opened in the red, falling 75 points to 25,360, compared to its previous close of 25,435.00. 

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net buyers for the second consecutive day, purchasing equities worth Rs 390 crore on September 19, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought equities worth Rs 2,105 crore on the same day. 

Asian Markets Today

Meanwhile, Asian shares traded mixed on Monday, as  US President Donald Trump’s steep fee for H1-B visas kept sentiment in check. Nikkei 225 gained 629.19 points or 1.39 per cent at 45,671. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 206.10 points or 0.78 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi traded in the green with a gain of 33.50 points. Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was up by 2.50 points or 0.07 per cent.