The number of new investor additions to Indian stock markets declined in August as registrations fell 18.3 per cent month-on-month according to a report by the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The exchange added just 12.3 lakh new investors during the monthwhich is the third-lowest monthly addition in the current financial year. It stated While 12.3 lakh new investors were added during the month the pace of additions moderated declining 18.3 per cent MoM. NSE Overall Investors Base Despite the slowdown the NSEs overall registered investor base expanded to 11.9 crore by the end of August 2025 closer to the 12-crore milestone. The moderation in new registrations comes against the backdrop of broader macroeconomic headwinds. The report mentioned that tariff-related shocks and foreign capital outflows and heightened global uncertainties have weighed on investor sentiment in recent months. Since the start of calendar year 2025 the number of investor additions has been on a downward trend except for the May to July period. Augusts figure further extended this slowdown showing the cautious mood in the equity markets. How Investors Registration Fell Down? The report shows that the momentum in expanding the investor base has gone down compared to last year. Between February and August 2025 the average number of new investors added per month stood at 11.9 lakh lower than the average monthly addition of 19.2 lakh investors recorded during the same period in 2024. The growth trajectory of the market in the past two years was noteworthy. It crossed the 9-crore investor mark in February 2024 the NSEs registered base expanded to 10 crore by August 2024 and further crossed 11 crore by January 2025. (With Inputs From ANI)