On Monday, the Indian stock market witnessed a significant decline following US President Trump's decision to increase H-1B visa fees. The Sensex fell by 475 points in two minutes, and the Nifty dropped by 115 points, resulting in a loss of ₹1.56 lakh crore for investors. Shares of IT companies, in particular, saw the sharpest decline.
Stock market today: On September 22, 2025, the stock market showed a negative trend after US President Donald Trump announced an increase in H-1B visa fees. Immediately after, the Sensex dropped 475 points to 82,151 within two minutes, and the Nifty fell 115 points to 25,211. This led to a loss of approximately ₹1.56 lakh crore for investors. The decision primarily impacted IT companies such as TCS, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and HCL Tech, while Reliance remained flat. The market is slowly recovering, but the initial jolt was significant.
Initial Decline in the Stock Market
On Monday, at 9:17 AM, the Sensex plunged by 475 points to 82,151.07. A slight recovery was then observed, and at 9:32 AM, the Sensex was trading at 82,450.52, down by 175.71 points. The Nifty, the National Stock Exchange's benchmark index, also traded in negative territory. Within two minutes, the Nifty fell by 115.45 points to 25,211.60, but it showed some recovery by 9:35 AM and was trading at 25,301.85.
Impact of H-1B Visa Fee Hike
The US government has decided to increase fees for H-1B visas. Under this decision, Indian IT companies will have to pay more for employees on US soil. This will increase companies' costs and affect their profitability. This is why shares of the country's major IT companies were observed trading in negative territory.
TCS shares were trading down by 2.23 percent. Infosys shares saw a decline of 2.07 percent. Tech Mahindra shares recorded a drop of more than 4 percent. HCL Tech shares also appeared to be trading with a 2 percent decline. Meanwhile, Reliance Industries shares remained flat.
Significant Loss for Investors
Due to the sharp decline in the stock market during the initial two minutes, investors suffered significant losses. BSE's market capitalization decreased from ₹4,66,32,723.37 crore to ₹4,64,76,608.46 crore. This means investors incurred a loss of ₹1,56,114.91 crore in just two minutes.
Impact on Other Sectors and Companies
Besides the IT sector, a slight pressure was also observed in other sectors. The market continued to trade in the red during the initial session. However, gradually, the Sensex and Nifty began to recover to some extent. Investors are now keenly watching for market stability in the upcoming trading sessions.
Anticipation and Contradiction of GST 2.0 Impact
GST 2.0 has been implemented in the country since September 22. Under this new tax structure, prices of several household goods, cars, and insurance policies have decreased. The market had hoped for a positive impact from GST 2.0. However, Trump's H-1B visa decision completely changed the market's mood on the very first day of Navratri.
Initial Losses and Future Outlook
This initial jolt to the stock market sent a b message to investors. Although there was some recovery during the rest of the day's session, the initial losses heightened investors' concerns. Increased foreign costs for IT companies may continue to exert pressure on prices.
