DII data shows how much domestic institutions such as mutual funds, insurers, banks and pension funds bought and sold in the Indian share market each day. Exchanges publish it after market close, and investors read the net figure to see whether home-grown money is supporting the market or selling into it. This guide explains the columns, a simple method to read them, and a worked example with made-up numbers.
Key Takeaways
- DII data lists the buying, selling and net trading of Indian institutions in the cash market, in rupees crore.
- A positive net figure means net buying and a negative net figure means net selling.
- NSE provisional figures usually appear after 6 PM IST on trading days, so they are an end-of-day record.
- Read the numbers next to FII figures and the price move, never on their own.
- Treat the flows as context for a trend, not as a signal to buy or sell.
- What Is DII Data?
- Why It Matters for Indian Investors
- Where to Find the Figures and When They Are Published
- How to Read Buy, Sell and Net Values
- Worked Example: Reading a Week of Figures
- A Daily Checklist for Using the Numbers
- Common Mistakes When Reading the Figures
- Pros and Cons
- FAQ
- The Bottom Line
What Is DII Data?
DII stands for Domestic Institutional Investor. These are Indian institutions that invest money pooled from savers, policyholders and members. DII data is the daily record of what the whole group bought and sold on the exchanges. It is a total for the group and not a list of each fund or company.
Because institutions manage savings of millions of people, their orders are large. When they buy or sell together, prices can feel it. That is why traders follow the group figure every evening. If you want the full story of what domestic institutions do, read our guide to the role of DII in the Indian stock market.
Who Is Counted in DII Data?
Four broad groups make up the domestic institutional category. Each one gets its money from a different source, which explains why their behaviour differs.
| Group | Where the money comes from | Usual behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Mutual funds | SIPs and lump sums from individuals | Must invest fresh inflows, so they trade often |
| Insurance companies, including LIC | Premiums from policyholders | Long horizon, mostly large and liquid shares |
| Banks and financial institutions | Deposits and own funds | Put part of their money in equity |
| Pension and provident fund trusts | Retirement contributions | Steady, rule-based allocation |
Does DII Data Include Retail Investors?
No. Retail investors who trade from their own demat accounts are reported separately. Their money reaches DII data only indirectly, when a mutual fund receives their SIP and then invests it in shares. This is one reason monthly SIP inflows are watched so closely.
Why DII Data Matters for Indian Investors
Foreign investors, called FIIs or FPIs, sell and buy India for global reasons such as the US dollar, global interest rates and returns in other countries. Domestic institutions answer to Indian savers instead. Looking at both sides of the trade gives a fuller picture of who is driving a day.
- Domestic support: steady DII buying can soften a fall when FIIs are selling.
- Trend clue: a run of net buying days suggests SIP money is still being invested.
- Context for price moves: a quiet index can hide heavy selling by one group and buying by another.
- Ownership shift: NSE ownership data cited in our guide showed domestic institutions holding 19.5% of NSE-listed companies in June 2026, against 15.1% for FPIs.
For a side-by-side comparison of the two groups, see the difference between FII and DII. To see how the two have moved against each other this year, open our tracker on FII selling vs DII buying in 2026. Next, let us see where the figures are published.
Where to Find DII Data and When It Is Published
The NSE website carries a provisional report of FII and DII trading activity in the cash market. At the time of writing it sits under the Reports section, and menu names can change, so check the NSE India website for the current path. The figures are normally posted after 6 PM IST on every trading day. Final settlement-based numbers can differ slightly and may appear later.
Because this is an end-of-day record, it cannot tell you what institutions are doing during the session. If you want the numbers already arranged for you, our FII and DII data home page, the daily cash market summary and the monthly FII DII figures page present them in one place.
What the Columns Mean in DII Data
The report typically shows a buy value, a sell value and a net value in rupees crore for each group. Column names and layout may vary, so check the official site when in doubt. The report covers the cash market. Positions in futures and options are reported in other data sets, so a cash market figure does not describe derivative bets.
How to Read DII Data: Buy, Sell and Net
The headline number is the net value. It tells you whether the group bought more than it sold. Use these six steps whenever you open the report.
- Note the buy value and the sell value. Large values on both sides mean heavy turnover, even if the net is small.
- Work out the net. Subtract the sell value from the buy value.
- Compare with the FII net for the same day. The two groups often lean in opposite directions.
- Find the absorption ratio. When FIIs are net sellers and DIIs are net buyers, divide the DII net by the FII net selling and multiply by 100.
- Look at a five-day and a monthly total. One day is noisy, a trend is more useful.
- Check what the index did. Strong buying with a falling index means selling pressure was heavier.
The Net Value Formula
The formula has only one line: Net value = Buy value − Sell value. Suppose the buy value is ₹12,500 crore and the sell value is ₹9,800 crore. The net value is 12,500 − 9,800 = ₹2,700 crore, which means net buying. If the numbers were reversed, the result would be −₹2,700 crore, which means net selling. The absorption ratio then adds one more step, shown below.
Worked Example: Reading a Week of DII Data
All figures below are made up to show the method. They are not real market data. Suppose a trading week produced the following numbers, all in ₹ crore.
| Day | DII buy | DII sell | DII net | FII net | Combined net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 12,500 | 9,800 | +2,700 | −4,000 | −1,300 |
| Tuesday | 8,200 | 10,100 | −1,900 | +1,200 | −700 |
| Wednesday | 11,000 | 9,400 | +1,600 | −2,500 | −900 |
| Thursday | 9,300 | 9,900 | −600 | −1,000 | −1,600 |
| Friday | 10,600 | 8,700 | +1,900 | −3,000 | −1,100 |
| Week | 51,600 | 47,900 | +3,700 | −9,300 | −5,600 |
Step 1: Add the Week
Total buying is 12,500 + 8,200 + 11,000 + 9,300 + 10,600 = ₹51,600 crore. Total selling is 9,800 + 10,100 + 9,400 + 9,900 + 8,700 = ₹47,900 crore. The weekly net is 51,600 − 47,900 = +₹3,700 crore. You can check this against the daily nets: 2,700 − 1,900 + 1,600 − 600 + 1,900 = 3,700.
Step 2: Compare With FII Flows
FII net over the week is −4,000 + 1,200 − 2,500 − 1,000 − 3,000 = −₹9,300 crore. The combined net is 3,700 − 9,300 = −₹5,600 crore. Both groups together were net sellers, so someone else, such as retail investors or proprietary traders, had to take the other side of ₹5,600 crore.
Step 3: Find the Absorption Ratio
For the week, 3,700 ÷ 9,300 × 100 = 39.8%. Domestic institutions absorbed roughly 40% of the net foreign selling. On single days the ratio was higher: Monday 2,700 ÷ 4,000 = 67.5%, Wednesday 1,600 ÷ 2,500 = 64.0% and Friday 1,900 ÷ 3,000 = 63.3%.
Step 4: Draw a Cautious Reading
Tuesday and Thursday show DIIs as net sellers, and Thursday was the weakest day, with both groups selling. The data alone cannot say how the index moved. You would need the Nifty close for each day. A fair summary is that domestic buying cushioned the week but did not fully offset foreign selling.
A Daily Checklist for Using the Numbers
A short routine keeps you from over-reading a single evening. Spend five minutes on it after the NSE report is posted.
- Write down the DII buy, sell and net, and the FII net.
- Mark whether the day was a DII buying day or a selling day.
- Add the five-day total to your log and compare it with the previous five days.
- Note the Nifty close beside each entry.
- At month end, compare your log with the official monthly totals and note any gap.
Rising monthly SIP inflows, published by AMFI, add background on how much money mutual funds have to invest. To understand who owns a single company, read our guide on the shareholding pattern, where DII holdings appear for each stock.
Common Mistakes When Reading DII Data
- Treating DII buying as a floor under the market. It can slow a fall, but heavy selling can still win.
- Reading DII selling as bearish by default. Funds also sell to rebalance, to meet redemptions or to supply shares to foreign buyers.
- Judging one day. A single figure is noise. Look at the weekly and monthly trend.
- Ignoring the sector picture. A group total can hide heavy buying in one sector and selling in another.
- Expecting intraday updates. The report is an end-of-day record published after the close.
- Mixing cash and derivatives. The cash market report does not show futures and options positions.
Pros and Cons of DII Data
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free and published by the exchange after every trading day | Available only after the close, so it is always a day behind the action |
| Shows whether domestic money is supporting or selling into the market | Group totals hide which funds or sectors made the trades |
| Easy to calculate with one subtraction | Provisional figures can differ from final settlement numbers |
| Works well beside FII data to show who absorbed the pressure | Does not cover futures and options positions |
| Helps you spot trends in SIP-fed buying | Does not say why institutions traded, or what happens next |
FAQ
What is DII data?
DII data is the daily record of what domestic institutions such as mutual funds, insurers, banks and pension funds bought and sold in the Indian cash market. It shows buy value, sell value and net value in rupees crore.
Where can I check DII data?
The NSE website publishes a provisional FII and DII trading activity report. You can also see the figures arranged by day and month on FIIAndDIIData.com. Menu paths on the exchange site may change, so check the official site.
When is the data published?
NSE provisional figures are normally posted after 6 PM IST on trading days. Final settlement-based numbers can appear later and may differ slightly.
Does positive net DII buying mean the market will rise?
No. Net buying shows what institutions did that day. Prices depend on all buyers and sellers, so the index can fall even when domestic institutions buy.
How is DII data different from FII data?
DII data covers Indian institutions investing pooled domestic savings. FII data covers foreign investors, now formally called FPIs. The two often move in opposite directions, so they are best read together.
The Bottom Line
DII data is a simple, free way to see what Indian institutions did in the market each day. The skill is in the reading: use the net value, compare it with the FII figure, look at the weekly trend and check what the index did. Remember that the report is an end-of-day record and that it covers only the cash market.
Your next step: for the next ten trading days, log the buy, sell and net values in a notebook and work out the absorption ratio on days when FIIs sell. That small habit will teach you more about DII data than any single day’s headline. For more explainers, browse our blog guides.
Sources: NSE India (FII and DII trading activity report); SEBI; AMFI; NSE ownership data for June 2026 as cited in our earlier guide. Always check the official sites for the latest figures.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice. All figures in the worked example are hypothetical. Please consult a SEBI-registered advisor before making investment decisions.
