Indian shares ended lower on Tuesday in the run-up to domestic inflation data that was expected to reinforce bets of further policy tightening by the central bank, while the rupee plumbed a fresh low amid the dollar surge.
The NSE Nifty 50 index ended 0.97% lower at 16,058.30, while the S&P BSE Sensex fell 0.94% to 53,886.61.
India's retail inflation reading due later in the day is expected to hold above the top end of the central bank's tolerance band, according to a Reuters poll, cementing the case for a rate hike at the next policy meeting in August.
Focus was also on the U.S. consumer price index on Wednesday as investors brace for another super-sized interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.
Global markets have turned a little volatile due to COVID-19-led shutdowns in some Chinese cities and better-than-expected U.S. jobs data last week, which means that the Fed will continue on its aggressive tightening path, said Gaurav Dua, head of capital market strategy at Sharekhan.
"Now markets will be waiting for inflation numbers (and) that's why we are seeing negative to range-bound moves across equity markets," Dua said.
The Indian rupee, meanwhile, fell to a record low amid continued foreign portfolio outflows from domestic stock markets and weakness in Asian currencies on fears of a global recession.
Among individual shares, Ahluwalia Contracts rose 7.2% after getting an order worth 1.50 billion rupees ($18.84 million), while Techno Electric & Engineering Co dropped 5.3% despite approving a share buyback.
