Muhurat Trading 2026: Sensex ends flat, Nifty slips below 25,000; Nifty Smallcap surges 1%

Indian equity benchmarks ended the special Muhurat Trading session for Samvat 2083 on a subdued note on Sunday, with the Sensex and Nifty closing marginally lower amid mixed sectoral trends. While buying in pharmaceutical, healthcare and media stocks supported the broader market, weakness in banking, IT, realty and FMCG shares weighed on the frontline indices.

The BSE Sensex closed 28.62 points, or 0.04%, lower at 80,999.40, against its previous close of 81,028.02. The 30-share index opened at 81,299.34 and touched an intraday high of 81,442.11 before slipping to a low of 80,932.42.

The NSE Nifty 50 settled at 24,986.40, down 43.95 points, or 0.18%, from its previous close. The index opened at 25,070.45, touched an intraday high of 25,131.85 and slipped to an intraday low of 24,985.30, ending below the psychologically important 25,000 mark.

The broader market indices outperformed the frontline benchmarks during the special trading session. The Nifty Midcap 100 rose 0.13% to 60,688.15, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 advanced 1.01% to 19,166.40.

Meanwhile, the India VIX, a measure of expected market volatility, climbed 5.38% to 18.41, indicating an increase in near-term volatility expectations.

Pharma, healthcare, media stocks lead

Sectorally, the Nifty Pharma index emerged as the top performer, rising 1.74%, followed by the Nifty Media index, which gained 1.71%. The Nifty Healthcare index advanced 1.48%, while the Nifty Metal index rose 0.35%.

The Nifty Auto and Oil & Gas indices also ended marginally higher, gaining 0.11% and 0.16%, respectively.

On the other hand, the Nifty Realty index declined 0.65%, making it the worst-performing sectoral index. The Nifty Financial Services 25/50 index fell 0.40%, while the Nifty Private Bank index dropped 0.39%. The Nifty IT index slipped 0.33%, and the PSU Bank index declined 0.32%.

The Nifty FMCG and Consumer Durables indices also ended in the red, falling 0.12% and 0.25%, respectively.

Sun Pharma, Tata Steel top Sensex gainers

Among Sensex constituents, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries was the top gainer, rising 2.96%, followed by Tata Steel, which advanced 1.88%. Maruti Suzuki, Power Grid Corporation and Adani Ports also ended higher, gaining 0.79%, 0.77% and 0.72%, respectively.

On the losing side, Mahindra & Mahindra declined 0.92%, making it the biggest laggard in the Sensex pack. InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) fell 0.88%, while Trent declined 0.81%. Infosys and Bharti Airtel shed 0.73% and 0.62%, respectively.

Muhurat Trading marks beginning of Samvat 2083

The special 70-minute trading session, held from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm, marked the beginning of Samvat 2083, the Hindu accounting year. The annual Muhurat Trading session is considered auspicious by investors, with many participating in token purchases and fresh investments to mark the occasion.

Despite the subdued close during the Muhurat session, market experts remain optimistic about the prospects for Indian equities in Samvat 2083, citing attractive valuations, earnings growth and the possibility of foreign investor inflows returning.

Raamdeo Agrawal, Chairman and Co-Founder of Motilal Oswal Financial Services, sees the potential for strong market returns over the coming year after two years of stagnation.

“After two years of stagnation, market has the potential to give investors bumper returns by next Diwali, because of confluence of low valuation and high earnings growth. Potential crash in oil prices, stable currency, return of foreign investors, moderation of AI hype and broadbased earnings growth will support higher valuation multiples,” Agrawal said.

Avinash Agarwal, Senior Vice President and Head of Equity at Bandhan Life, expects the new Samvat to begin on a constructive note, although returns could be moderate and more selective.

“Earnings growth, rather than valuation expansion, is likely to be the primary driver of market performance going forward,” Agarwal said.

He pointed to the underperformance of large-cap stocks amid foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows and the relatively strong growth in midcaps, adding that both segments could perform well when foreign investors return.

Agarwal expects market leadership to increasingly favour companies with strong fundamentals, consistent cash-flow generation, healthy balance sheets and sustainable earnings visibility.