Indian equity benchmarks closed Wedensday’s trade on a higher note, bidding goodbye to 2025. The Nifty 50 ended the day 190 points or 0.74% higher at 26,130, while the BSE Sensex surged 545 points or 0.64% to end at 85,220.
However, the Nifty Bank settled 410 points or 0.69% higher at 59,582, in line with benchmarks. The mid- and small-cap stocks also closed the trade in the green. The BSE Midcap finished 468 points or 1.01% higher at 46,954.34. However, the BSE Smallcap finished 604 points or 1.19% higher at 51,525.46.
“Markets ended 2025 on a strong note, posting a broad-based recovery. Looking ahead, expectations are rising for a constructive rebound in 2026, supported by improving demand conditions. Investor sentiment is likely to hinge on corporate earnings and a potential uptick in nominal GDP growth. Metal stocks led gains today after the government announced import tariffs on steel products. Meanwhile, the oil & gas sector outperformed on the back of anticipated stable demand and stronger refining margins,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments.
“Market sentiment was primarily driven by domestic policy developments and stock-specific action. The government’s decision to impose safeguard duties on select steel imports boosted sentiment in the metal space, enhancing earnings visibility for domestic producers. Additionally, notable strength in heavyweight stocks across sectors provided further support to the market. These positives helped offset the impact of continued foreign institutional investor outflows, which otherwise kept overall sentiment cautious,” said Ajit Mishra, Senior Vice President of Research at Religare Broking.
“From a technical standpoint, the Nifty has once again approached the upper end of its prevailing consolidation range near 26,200. A decisive breakout above this level could trigger the next leg of upward momentum, while failure to do so may lead to renewed profit-taking. We maintain a positive yet cautious outlook on the index and recommend a sector-specific approach, with a preference for banking, auto and metal stocks, while remaining selective in other sectors,” added Mishra.
Big highlights from today’s market action-
Indices in intraday trade
The indices closed the trade on a lower note. During the session, out of 3,250 trading stocks, 2,222 advanced, while 936 declined, and 92 remained unchanged. Today, 68 stocks hit a fresh 52-week high. Meanwhile, 83 stocks touched a new 52-week low.
Top gainers
JSW Steel was the top gainer in the Nifty 50 in Wednesday’s session, closing 4.88% higher. It was followed by ONGC, Tata Steel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Reliance Industries.
Top losers
Tata Consultancy Services shares were the biggest losers in today’s trade, rising 1.13%. It was followed by Tech Mahindra, Grasim Industries, Bajaj Finance, and Infosys were the only losers.