Dalal Street welcomed 2026 with a cheerful start on Thursday morning. The BSE Sensex rang the first opening bell of the new year above 85,370, climbing more than 150 points, while the NSE Nifty50 started the day near 26,200, jumping a little over 50 points, as of 9:15 AM.
In the pre-open session, the Sensex inched up 35 points to cross 85,250, and the Nifty rose almost 50 points and touched 26,173, around 9:10 AM.
On the 30-share Sensex, IndiGo, M&M, Eternal, Reliance, and L&T stood among the early gainers. Meanwhile, the laggards included ITC, BEL, Bajaj Finance, TMPV, and Trent. In the broader markets, indices across the board traded on a nearly flat note. Sectorally, the Media index rallied 0.93 per cent, while the FMCG index tanked 1.19 per cent.
Notably, both equity benchmarks staged a strong rebound on Wednesday, the final trading session of 2025, snapping recent losing streaks as sustained domestic institutional buying and sharp gains in heavyweight stocks lifted market sentiment.
After several sessions of decline, investors returned to value buying across energy, PSU banks, metals and consumer durables, helping the benchmarks close sharply higher, traders said. The Sensex surged 545.52 points, or 0.64 per cent, to settle at 85,220.60, ending a five-day losing run. During the session, the index climbed as much as 762.09 points, or 0.90 per cent, to touch an intra-day high of 85,437.17. The Nifty also rebounded after four consecutive days of losses, gaining 190.75 points, or 0.74 per cent, to close at 26,129.60.
Thin Global Cues As Markets Open On New Year’s Day
Global cues remained limited as several major international markets, including those in Asia, Europe and the US, were shut for the New Year holiday. US equities had ended lower in the previous session, while Asian markets remained closed on Thursday, resulting in subdued early liquidity.
Indian equity markets entered the first trading session of 2026 with a cautiously optimistic undertone, aided largely by domestic participation rather than overseas triggers.
“With the US, Europe and several Asian markets shut, global cues are limited and early liquidity is expected to remain thin. As the session progresses, domestic participation is likely to improve, supported by steady DII inflows and the renewed optimism that typically accompanies the start of a new calendar year,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth-tech firm.
On the institutional front, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued to pare exposure, selling equities worth Rs 3,597.38 crore on Wednesday. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), however, remained strong buyers, purchasing shares worth Rs 6,759.64 crore, as per exchange data.
In the commodities market, Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, slipped 0.78 per cent to $60.85 per barrel, offering some relief on the inflation front.
2025 In Review: Benchmarks End Year With Solid Gains
For calendar year 2025, the Sensex rallied 7,081.59 points, or 9 per cent, while the Nifty climbed 2,484.80 points, or 10.50 per cent.
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms rose by Rs 33.84 lakh crore during the year to Rs 4,75,79,238.11 crore ($5.29 trillion).
However, the broader market showed mixed performance. The BSE midcap index rose 509.68 points, or 1.09 per cent, in 2025, while the smallcap gauge declined 3,655.14 points, or 6.62 per cent.
Indian equity markets closed the year on a positive note, with sentiment turning constructive but without aggressive risk-taking, analysts said.
“The session reflected a gradual improvement in risk appetite into year-end, driven largely by short covering and selective buying rather than strong fresh positioning,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm.