Mumbai: Indian stock markets opened with a strong rally on Thursday, the first full trading session after Diwali 2025. Buying interest was visible across most indices early in the day, driving major benchmarks sharply higher. However, heavy profit booking in the final hours erased much of the gains, leaving the market flat by the closing bell.
The Sensex ended 130 points or 0.15 percent higher at 84,556.40, while the Nifty 50 gained 23 points or 0.09 percent to close at 25,891.40.
New 52-Week Highs for Sensex and Nifty
At the opening bell, the Sensex surged over 700 points to touch 85,154.15, while the Nifty opened at 26,057.20. Both indices went on to hit new 52-week highs, with the Sensex climbing to 85,290.06 and the Nifty peaking at 26,104.20 before retreating later in the session due to profit-taking.
IT Stocks Lead the Rally, Auto and Pharma Lag
Among sectoral indices, the Nifty IT index emerged as the top performer, rising 2.21 percent as investors showed strong buying interest in tech majors such as Infosys and HCL Tech. The Nifty FMCG gained 0.29 percent, and Nifty Metal ended 0.09 percent higher. Bank Nifty added 0.12 percent, showing marginal strength.
On the downside, Nifty Auto slipped 0.04 percent, and Nifty Pharma declined 0.15 percent, reflecting mild weakness in those segments.
Top Gainers and Losers of the Day
Out of the 30 Sensex stocks, 22 closed in green, while 8 ended in red. Infosys led the gainers with a jump of 3.86 percent, followed by HCL Tech (up 2.43 percent) and TCS (up 2.24 percent). Axis Bank gained 1.37 percent, and Kotak Bank rose 1.24 percent.
Among the top losers, ITC fell 2.88 percent, Ultratech Cement slipped 1.75 percent, and Bharti Airtel lost 1.63 percent. Adani Ports and ICICI Bank also saw declines of 1.41 percent and 1.35 percent, respectively.
Despite the late profit booking, the overall sentiment in the market remains positive, supported by strong corporate earnings and festive demand.
