staged a sharp recovery from intraday lows on Friday, with the Nifty 50 recouping over 200 points from the day’s bottom as bargain hunters and short-covering drove a late-session turnaround. The closed at 25,492.30, down just 17.40 points or 0.07 per cent, while the settled at 83,216.28, lower by 94.73 points or 0.11 per cent, after opening with a gap-down at 83,150.15.
The recovery came after the Nifty found support near its 50-day exponential moving average around the 25,300 level, triggering fresh buying interest in financials, metals and banking stocks. Market breadth remained balanced with 2,069 stocks advancing against 2,105 declines on the , where 4,315 stocks were traded. Notably, 132 stocks hit 52-week highs while 209 touched 52-week lows, reflecting the underlying volatility.
Financial stocks led the charge, with emerging as the top Nifty gainer, surging 3.81 per cent to ₹817.70. followed with a 2.66 per cent gain to ₹1,069.60, while added 2.27 per cent to close at ₹2,110.00. jumped 2.61 per cent to ₹2,374.80, and rose 2.39 per cent to ₹181.50, supporting the metal sector’s 1.4 per cent rally.
On the losing side, suffered the steepest decline, falling 4.46 per cent to ₹2,001.50 amid weakness in the . dropped 1.97 per cent to ₹1,167.00, declined 1.87 per cent to ₹1,387.20, slipped 1.80 per cent to ₹7,642.00, and lost 1.55 per cent to ₹5,604.50.
Sectoral performance was mixed, with Nifty Financial Services advancing 0.76 per cent and gaining 0.56 per cent to close at 57,876.80. The banking index showed particular resilience, bouncing from its 20-day EMA around 57,300. “Bank Nifty displayed relative strength throughout the session and ended firm at 57,878, maintaining its structure within a rising parallel channel,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money. The broader Nifty Midcap 100 outperformed with a 0.63 per cent gain to 59,843.15, while IT and FMCG sectors lagged with losses of around 0.5 per cent each.
“Domestic equities rebounded from early losses as buying emerged at key support levels, though it may be premature to call this a trend reversal amid mixed earnings, cautious global cues, and persistent FII outflows,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited. The recovery was supported by speculation around an FDI cap hike in PSU banks, which rallied 0.9 per cent on the day.
Technical analysts noted the significance of Friday’s price action. “The Nifty index swiftly recovered intraday lows, filling the morning gap, but was unable to sustain momentum at higher levels,” said Sudeep Shah, Head of Technical Research at SBI Securities. “On the daily chart, Nifty formed a high-wave candle with long wicks on both ends, indicating heightened intraday volatility.”
Abhinav Tiwari, Research Analyst at Bonanza, highlighted external factors weighing on sentiment. “The flat closing was mainly due to mixed investor sentiment amid ongoing FII selling, coupled with cautious DII support that limited the downside. Weak global cues, especially from softened technology and AI stocks in US markets, also contributed to subdued trading activity,” he said.
The traded in a volatile range during the week, with Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst at LKP Securities, noting, “Rupee traded in a volatile range between 88.40–88.75 during the week, staying near its lower levels as selling pressure from FIIs persisted.” Going into next week, rupee movement is expected to remain volatile between 88.25 and 88.90. Gold prices held steady near ₹1,21,111 per 10 grams, supported by a weak dollar hovering around the 100 mark. “In the coming week, gold is expected to remain range-bound and volatile between ₹1,18,500 and ₹1,24,000,” Trivedi added.
Market sentiment also received a boost from positive developments on the trade front. “Market sentiments improved after US President indicated that trade talks with India were progressing well,” said Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services. The primary market witnessed strong investor interest, with Billionbrains Garage Ventures’ ₹6,600 crore IPO receiving over 15 times oversubscription. Relief also came from SEBI’s indication that weekly options expiry would not be abruptly shut down, supporting capital market stocks.
Looking ahead, analysts expect continued volatility with key support and resistance levels in focus. “The 25,600–25,620 zone will act as a crucial resistance, and only a sustained move above this band could reignite upward momentum,” said Shah. Ajit Mishra of Religare Broking maintained a cautious outlook. “Stability above the 25,600 level could help rebuild trader confidence and pave the way for a move towards the 25,800–26,000 zone. On the downside, 25,300 will continue to act as key support,” he said.
Next week, market participants will closely monitor developments around potential US government shutdown, tariff-related news, updates on US–India and US–China trade talks, alongside domestic corporate earnings and RBI’s policy stance to gauge the durability of the current momentum.