Indian equity benchmarks, NIFTY50 and SENSEX, were expected to open with cautious to negative sentiment on January 14, 2026, primarily due to weak global cues and persistent foreign institutional investor (FII) selling. On January 13, Wall Street's major indices, including the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq, closed lower, impacted by a mixed start to the corporate earnings season, notably weaker-than-expected results from JPMorgan Chase, and ongoing concerns regarding potential U.S. tariffs. In the Indian market, FIIs continued their selling trend, offloading equities worth approximately ₹1,499.81 crore on January 13. Conversely, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) offered a cushion, emerging as net buyers with purchases amounting to around ₹1,181.78 crore on the same day. This institutional activity highlighted a clear divergence, with domestic players attempting to counterbalance foreign outflows. Asian markets presented a mixed picture in early trading on January 14, with Japan's Nikkei experiencing a notable surge while China's Shanghai Composite eased. European markets also traded with mixed results. Geopolitical tensions, including Iran protests and uncertainty surrounding the India-US trade deal, were cited as key factors contributing to investor caution. Crude oil prices and the US dollar's movement also remained influential. Amidst this global backdrop, Indian markets eventually closed lower on January 14, with the Sensex slipping 0.29% to 83,382.71 and the Nifty 50 declining 0.26% to 25,665.60. Sectorally, metal and PSU stocks demonstrated resilience and outperformed, while IT and FMCG sectors faced selling pressure. Broader markets, specifically the Nifty SmallCap and MidCap indices, managed to close higher, indicating selective buying.