opened the second trading session of 2026 on a positive note, with the rising 334.31 points or 0.39 per cent to ₹85,522.91 and the gaining 101.60 points or 0.39 per cent to 26,248.15 as of 9.45 am on Friday.
The Sensex had closed at ₹85,188.60 in the previous session and opened at ₹85,259.36 today, while the Nifty opened at ₹85,259.36 against its previous close of ₹85,188.60.
“Indian equity markets are set to begin the second trading session of 2026 on a cautiously positive and stable note,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.
“With the Q3 earnings season approaching, investors are positioning for resilient results in consumer-oriented sectors, underpinned by GST rationalisation tailwinds and robust festive-season demand.”
with notable gainers and losers emerging across sectors. Hindalco led the gainers on the Nifty50, surging 1.64 per cent to ₹909.60, followed by Asian Paints which climbed 1.48 per cent to ₹2,792.60.
Coal India advanced 1.41 per cent to ₹406.10, while Bharat Electronics gained 1.24 per cent to ₹402.65 and Jio Financial Services rose 1.22 per cent to ₹299.30.
On the losing side, ITC witnessed the steepest decline, plunging 3.92 per cent to ₹349.60, following the imposition of higher cigarette excise duty.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories fell 1.00 per cent to ₹1,240.90 on USFDA-related concerns, while Titan slipped 0.92 per cent to ₹4,012.20. Bajaj Auto declined 0.71 per cent to ₹9,490.00 and Eicher Motors dropped 0.43 per cent to ₹7,316.50.
“Markets opened the second trading day of 2026 on a steady note, with Nifty closing marginally higher at 26,147 and Bank Nifty outperforming,” noted Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research) at Mehta Equities. “L&T, Hindalco, TVS Motor, Titan, Shriram Finance and BPCL touched fresh all-time highs, while Reliance Industries, Bajaj Auto and Indus Towers scaled 52-week highs.”
The auto sector emerged as the top performer, rallying 1 per cent, buoyed by strong sales data. “The impressive 25.8 per cent YoY increase in passenger vehicles sales in December bodes well for the auto industry,” said Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments. “More importantly, this data confirms the growth momentum in the economy.”
However, the FMCG sector corrected sharply, shedding over 3 per cent, primarily dragged by ITC’s significant decline.
“A sector that lagged last year was the consumer durables industry, which has the potential to catch up, going forward,” Dr Vijayakumar added. “The beneficial impact of the interest rate cuts and GST cuts are yet to reflect in the demand for consumer durables.”
“From a technical perspective, the Nifty 50 is expected to hold its recent consolidation zone with support around 26,000–26,050 and resistance near 26,250–26,300,” said Aakash Shah, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Equity Broking. “A decisive breakout above resistance may pave the way to 26,400–26,500.”
Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research at Kotak Securities, observed that “the short-term texture of the market is upward, but a fresh uptrend rally is only possible after the dismissal of 26,200/85500.”