Indian equity markets closed lower today, December 26. The Sensex ended the session at 85,081.12, down 0.38%, while the Nifty closed at 26,042.30, slipping 0.38%. The Nifty Bank index also settled lower at 59,011, down 0.29%. . Large‑cap stocks underperformed mid and smallcap counterparts, though selective strength persisted in metals and consumer durable stocks, while IT, autos, and banks witnessed sustained selling pressure.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) net sold equities worth Rs 1,721.26 crore on Wednesday. With this, FIIs have net sold over Rs 20,000 lakh crore in December and net outflow in 2025 to close to Rs 3 lakh crore. However, it is important to note that during this period FIIs bought/invested in equity for Rs 73,106 crores through the primary market.
In terms of FII equity holdings, banking, financial services and insurance, automobiles, information technology, oil and gas, and pharmaceuticals continued to be the top five sectors. Together, these sectors account for around 60% of FII assets in India. Among them, banking, financial services and insurance and oil and gas saw a sequential increase in holdings, pharmaceutical exposure declined, while automobiles and information technology remained largely unchanged.
“Domestic equities ended lower today as thin year‑end trading volumes and a cautious mood ahead of upcoming earnings prompted broad-based profit booking. The optimism around the Santa Claus rally has diminished amid the absence of fresh catalysts, such as progress on a possible US‑India trade agreement, while continued FII outflows weighed on the Indian rupee. Large‑cap stocks underperformed mid- and small-cap counterparts, though selective strength persisted in metals and consumer durable stocks, while IT, autos, and banks, witnessed sustained selling pressure,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments.
Let’s take a look at the key highlights of today’s trading session –
Top gainers
Within the Sensex pack, Titan, UltraTech Cement, NTPC and Reliance Industries were among the notable gainers in today’s trade.
Key losers
On the downside, several frontline stocks came under pressure during the session. Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, Tata Consultancy Services, Eternal and Tech Mahindra were among the key laggards, contributing to the decline in benchmark indices.
Midday movers
Activity in the broader market remained stock-specific. Hindustan Copper continued its strong upward momentum, surging nearly 8% during intraday trade.
Railway stocks also saw sharp moves. Rail Vikas Nigam surged nearly 12% to emerge as a standout performer, while Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation gained close to 3%.
Tech stocks
Technology stocks remained under pressure throughout the session. Heavyweights such as Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra and HCL Technologies traded lower, dragging the Nifty IT index down by around 1%.
All ten constituents of the Nifty IT index ended the day in the red. Coforge was the worst performer within the pack, falling over 3%.