Sensex, Nifty end marginally lower ahead of Christmas; Trent, Shriram Finance gain

Equity benchmark indices ended marginally lower on Wednesday, after a flat opening, as investors remained cautious ahead of the Christmas holiday amid mixed global cues. Persistent FII selling continued to limit aggressive upside in the market.

The stock markets will remain closed on Thursday, December 25, 2025, for Christmas. Trading will resume on Friday, December 26, 2025, on the BSE, NSE and the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX).

Commenting on the market mood, Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited, said Indian equities moved largely sideways in the holiday-shortened week with subdued trading volumes, a trend reflected across broader Asian markets.

RBI had said it will purchase government securities worth ₹2 lakh crore and conduct a ₹10 billion buy/sell dollar-rupee swap auction to inject liquidity in the banking system. The OMO (Open Market Operations) purchase and swap auctions will be conducted between December 29, 2025 and January 22, 2026.

“RBI’s recently announced liquidity initiatives, including OMOs and a dollar/rupee buy–sell swap, are expected to improve systemic liquidity and help stabilise currency volatility, he said.

Nair added that while stronger-than-expected US GDP data signalled economic resilience, rising unemployment tempered global risk appetite. He also noted that a softer dollar, elevated geopolitical risks and expectations of continued US Federal Reserve policy easing supported gold prices, while Brent crude hovering near multi-year lows reinforced a benign global inflation outlook.

After climbing nearly 396 points intraday, Sensex settled with 116.14 points or 0.14 per cent loss at 85,408.70. Nifty 50 dipped 35.05 points or 0.13 per cent to close at 26,142.10, hitting an intraday high of 26,236.40.

Smallcap index outperformed and settled with nearly 0.28 per cent gains, while the midcap index shed 0.60 per cent. The former has registered a fresh high in each of the last four sessions, stressed Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities.

On the sectoral front, most ended in the red. Nifty Media ended as the top sectoral gainer, followed by Nifty Realty. Nifty oil & gas, chemicals, and IT emerged as the top sectoral losers.

Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, observed buying in selective financial stocks, while the capital market index shed nearly 1 per cent.

Bank Nifty also witnessed significant selling pressure.

In the derivatives segment, a notable open interest build-up was observed in stocks such as Manappuram, Syngene, Coal India, Nuvama, and Coforge.

Looking ahead, market activity is likely to remain muted, though investors will be closely tracking developments on the trade front,” Nair said.

Trent, Shriram Finance lead Nifty 50

Among the Nifty 50 constituents, Trent, Shriram Finance, Apollo Hospitals, Bajaj Auto and UltraTech Cement emerged as major gainers, while InterGlobe Aviation, Adani Enterprises, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Wipro and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) were major laggards.

IT stocks underperformed for the second straight session after the US administration announced changes to the H-1B visa framework, noted Gaurav Garg, Research Analyst, Lemonn Markets Desk. Coforge, Persistent Systems, Mphasis, Wipro and LTIMindtree led the losses.

The market breadth was weak, reflecting cautious sentiment. Out of 4,332 stocks traded on the BSE, 2,343 stocks declined, outpacing 1,843 advances, while 146 stocks remained unchanged. A total of 115 stocks hit their 52-week highs, while 102 hit 52-week lows. On the circuit front, 198 stocks hit the upper circuit, while 124 stocks were locked in the lower circuit, indicating selective buying amid broader selling pressure.

Midcap and smallcap movers

Under the midcap segment, Bharat Dynamics, NTPC Green, Indus Towers, National Aluminium and 360 One WAM gained 1-3 per cent, while Coforge, BSE, Cummins India, Persistent Systems, HDFC AMC and Mphasis depreciated nearly 2 per cent.

Smallcap stocks JBM Auto, Manappuram Finance, Hindustan Copper, IIFL and Reliance Power zoomed 5-10 per cent, while Kajaria Ceramics, Gland Pharma, Cyient, IEX and Whirlpool fell 2-4 per cent.

On the BSE, VIP Industries, JBM Auto and Websol Energy rallied 10-12 per cent, while Prism Johnson, HCC, Avanti Feeds and Kajaria Ceramics depreciated 4-6 per cent.

Global markets

Asian markets witnessed mixed performance.

European markets were trading marginally higher. US markets ended higher on Tuesday.

FIIs sold equities worth ₹1,794.80 crore on Tuesday. DIIs remained buyers for equities worth ₹3,812.37 crore.

BSE Sensex slipped by 42.64 points or 0.05 per cent to 85,524.84 on Tuesday, snapping the two-day surge. NSE Nifty 50 inched up by 4.75 points or 0.02 per cent to 26,177.15.

Published on December 24, 2025