The Muhurat trading session marking the start of Vikram Samvat 2082 turned out to be a quiet affair, with the benchmark indices ending only marginally higher. The Nifty closed up by 25.40 points, while the Sensex gained 62.97 points.
Trading opened with enthusiasm in the afternoon as equities rose sharply in the initial minutes, but the rally soon fizzled out. The Sensex, which climbed to 84,665.44, later fell to 84,286. The Nifty touched an intraday high of 25,934.35 before slipping to 25,825.80. Despite the loss of momentum, both indices managed to end the session in positive territory, signalling a technically stable close.
Market movements mirrored Monday’s pattern, with global headlines weighing heavily on sentiment. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had reiterated that Washington would not reduce tariffs unless India halts import of Russian oil, which led to a late dip in Monday’s market. On Tuesday, Trump’s renewed warning of imposing 100% additional tariffs on Chinese goods pushed US futures lower, casting a shadow over the Muhurat session.
Among major stocks, Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, TCS, ICICI Bank, ITC, Maruti Suzuki, Hindustan Unilever, and State Bank of India closed weaker.
South Indian Bank, which had surged nearly 20% on Monday after posting strong quarterly results, extended gains by another 4% at the start of the session. Federal Bank shares, which had climbed over 7% in the previous session, rose by about 1% today after the bank announced plans to offer a 10% stake to a private equity investor on a preferential basis, aiming to strengthen its capital base and raise ₹6,000 crore.
Apollo Tyres, which gained 3.4% on Monday, rose by over 1.5% today, while Ceat, which had jumped 12% in the previous session, added another 2.3%. Cochin Shipyard, FSTC, and Kitex also advanced, while Muthoot Finance saw declines.
The realty index ended slightly lower, but metal, auto, pharma, and healthcare stocks finished in the green, providing some support to the broader market.
