Mumbai. The eight-day winning streak for Indian equity benchmarks came to an end this Sunday, as the indices closed flat during the special 'Muhurat Trading' session held on the occasion of Diwali. The 30-share BSE Sensex opened over 400 points higher at 81,406; however, it subsequently shed 28.62 points to close at 80,999.40. Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty opened with a gain of approximately 79.15 points at 25,109.40, but ultimately fell by 43.95 points to close at 24,986.40.
With this, the nine-year streak of gains during 'Muhurat Trading' has also come to an end. In contrast, the broader markets showed strength, with the Nifty Smallcap 250 rising by 1.15% and the Nifty Microcap 250 gaining 1.40%. Pharma and media stocks led the gains, while banking and financial shares exerted downward pressure on the indices. Sun Pharma was the top performer on the Sensex, climbing nearly 3%. The India VIX rose by 6.05% to reach 18.52.
By the close of the 'Muhurat Trading' session, Indian equity benchmarks had surrendered most of the gains they had recorded earlier in the day. The Sensex was trading about 80 points higher, while the Nifty 50 slipped below the 25,050 mark, suggesting a subdued tone for this special Diwali session. Among individual stocks, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries performed remarkably well, surging nearly 3% to emerge as one of the top gainers within the Sensex pack. Investors are now awaiting the final closing levels as Dalal Street prepares to conclude its first trading session of Samvat 2083.
