Muhurat trading 2025: Stock markets open strong, Sensex rises 235 points
Special Diwali session sees broad-based gains across sectors as investor sentiment remains upbeat; Infosys and Adani Ports among top performers
Indian equity markets opened on a strong note during the special Muhurat trading session on Tuesday, October 21, with both benchmark indices showing notable gains in early trade.
By 1.47 pm, the S&P BSE SENSEX climbed 235.98 points, or 0.28%, to reach 84,599.35, while the NSE NIFTY50 stood at 25,920.80, marking an increase of 77.65 points or 0.3%.
The broader market mirrored this positive sentiment. The Nifty Midcap 100 rose by 0.42%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 saw an even stronger gain of 0.71%, indicating widespread investor optimism beyond large-cap stocks.
Sectoral indices
All major sectoral indices showed a bullish trend. Nifty Media emerged as the top performer with a gain of 0.93%, followed by Nifty IT, which increased by 0.56%, and Nifty Auto, which rose by 0.45%.
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Market breadth on the NSE was also tilted in favor of the bulls. Out of 2,720 stocks that were actively traded, 2,244 were rising, 381 were falling, and 95 remained unchanged. This reflects a strong overall market sentiment during the session.
Moreover, a total of 95 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while 22 hit their 52-week lows. Twelve stocks reached their upper circuit limits, and fifty-three were locked in their lower circuits, highlighting significant price movements across segments.
Top gainers
On the NIFTY50 index, 43 stocks registered gains, while 7 stocks were in the red. Among the top gainers, Infosys led the pack with a 1.10% increase, followed by Adani Ports, which rose 0.82%. Other notable performers included Mahindra & Mahindra (0.69%), Tech Mahindra (0.63%), and JSW Steel (0.63%).
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Conversely, the top losers on the NIFTY50 were Kotak Mahindra Bank, which declined by 0.84%, followed by ICICI Bank (-0.54%), Shriram Finance (-0.31%), ONGC (-0.24%), and Bharti Airtel (-0.21%).
In terms of institutional participation, data from Monday indicated that Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) made net purchases of equities worth ₹790.45 crore. Meanwhile, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) were more aggressive, buying equities worth ₹2,485.46 crore.
Global cues
Global cues also supported the upbeat mood in Indian markets. Most Asian markets were trading higher on hopes of reduced trade tensions between the United States and China. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.86%, Singapore’s Straits Times advanced 1.29%, and Japan’s Nikkei moved up 0.15%.
Overnight, US markets closed with solid gains, buoyed by a rally in Apple shares amid strong demand for its latest iPhone design. The S&P 500 rose by 1.1%, coming within 0.3% of its record high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 515 points (or 1.1%), while the Nasdaq Composite added 1.4%.
Back home, the India VIX, which measures market volatility, was up 1.76%, trading at 11.56, indicating a slight uptick in expected market fluctuations.