Indian stocks fell for the eighth session amid escalating trade tensions after Trump proposed reciprocal tariffs. Concerns about the impact on India kept investors cautious despite Modi's discussions on easing tariffs and increasing U.

The Nifty 50 and Sensex ended 1.32% each. This is the sharpest fall since Jan. 21. The NSE Nifty Realty declined the most, followed by Nifty Media and Nifty Auto.

In the past five days, the BSE bellwether gauge has slumped 2,290.21 points or 2.91 per cent, while the Nifty tanked 667.45 points or 2.81 per cent.

The trends on Gift Nifty also indicate a mildly positive start for the Indian benchmark index. The Gift Nifty was trading around 23,187 level, a premium of nearly 35 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close.

The Nifty 50 has dropped 4.4 per cent since the last policy meeting in December, impacted by weak corporate earnings and a slowing economy.

The Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty surged in the first half of Thursday driven by India's better-than-expected inflation data, which sparked optimism for a potential rate cut by the RBI. However,

Indian frontline indices fell for the seventh straight session on February 13, with Nifty 50 and Sensex closing in the red due to mid-session selling. Selling pressure has decreased in the last two trading sessions.