Mumbai, January 1, 2026 – Indian stock markets commenced the new year on a positive trajectory, defying the trend of global markets that remained closed for the New Year holiday. Both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty displayed early gains, reflecting investor confidence as the calendar year begins.
The BSE Sensex opened at 85,255.55, a rise of 35 points, or 0.04 percent. Shortly after, it surged over 200 points, reaching an intraday high of 85,444.14. Ultimately, the Sensex rose by approximately 110 points. The NSE Nifty 50 also saw a positive start, opening at 26,173.30, up 0.17%. The Nifty continued to maintain its position above the 26,150 mark.
Market activity was driven by selective buying in key index heavyweights and quality stocks. Several sectors demonstrated strong performance in early trade. The Nifty Auto index was up by 0.35 percent, while Nifty IT gained 0.32 percent. The Nifty Media index led the sectoral gains, rising over 1 percent. Financial stocks presented a mixed performance, with the Nifty Bank index showing marginal gains of 0.02 percent. Other sectors contributing to the positive sentiment included Nifty Metal, Nifty Realty, Nifty Consumer Durables, and Nifty Oil & Gas.
Conversely, some sectors faced downward pressure. The Nifty FMCG index experienced a sharp decline of 1.29 percent, emerging as the top laggard. The Nifty Pharma index also fell, dropping 0.49 percent, while Nifty Healthcare and Nifty500 Healthcare slipped 0.40 percent and 0.44 percent, respectively.
Despite the overall positive market sentiment, trading activity is expected to be somewhat muted due to the absence of many global institutional investors who are observing the New Year holiday.
In terms of individual stock performance from the previous session, JSW Steel Ltd surged to a closing price of 1164.8, marking a gain of 4.79%. Tata Steel Ltd advanced to 180.08, up 2.43%, and Oil & Natural Gas Corpn Ltd rose 2.43% to close at 240.38. Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd increased by 2.25% to 2201.1. On the other hand, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd retreated to 3206.2, down 1.25%, and Tech Mahindra Ltd slipped 0.85% to 1590.9.
The Indian stock market's positive opening on New Year's Day reflects underlying strength and optimism as investors look forward to the year ahead. While global markets are closed, India's exchanges remain open for trading, albeit with potentially thinner volumes. The Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) and the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) are open during the first trading session between 9 am and 5 pm; however, the evening session will remain closed for the day. The NSE has released a list of fifteen trading holidays for 2026.
