Sensex jumps over 600 points, investors earn ₹4 lakh crore in a day— 10 key highlights from Indian stock market today

The Indian stock market finished with significant gains on Monday, December 22, amid a rebound in the Indian rupee and positive global cues. Extending gains to the second consecutive session, the Sensex ended 638 points, or 0.75%, higher at 85,567.48, while the Nifty 50 closed at 26,172.40, gaining 206 points, or 0.79%. The BSE Midcap index rose by 0.86% and the Smallcap index jumped 1.12%. Investors earned about ₹4 lakh crore in a single session as the market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms rose to ₹475 lakh crore from ₹471 lakh crore in the previous session.

Infosys, Bharti Airtel, and ICICI Bank were among the top contributors to the gains in the benchmarks.

Only three stocks- SBI, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Larsen and Toubro- ended in the red in the Sensex index.

Indian stock market: 10 key highlights from the day

1. Why did the market rise?

The market rebound has been driven by a recovery in the rupee and fresh foreign capital inflows. The Indian rupee, which fell to a record low breaching the 91 mark against the US dollar last week, ended 3 paise lower at 89.70 per dollar on Monday.

Positive global cues amid rising expectations of additional rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve next year also boosted sentiment.

"Indian markets extended their year-end rally, supported by strong liquidity and global cues, as expectations of further Fed easing in 2026 continue to underpin growth. FIIs turned net buyers, reinforcing the positive tone, with IT and metals leading gains," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.

2. Top gainers in the Nifty 50 index

As many as 38 stocks ended higher in the Nifty 50 index, among which Trent (up 3.86%), Shriram Finance (up 3.67%), and Wipro (up 3.10%) ended as the top gainers in the index.

3. Top losers in the Nifty 50 index

HDFC Life Insurance Company (down 0.71%), Tata Consumer (down 0.64%), and SBI (down 0.59%) ended as the top losers in the index.

4. Sectoral indices today

Barring Nifty Consumer Durables (down 0.16%), all sectoral indices ended higher, with Nifty IT jumping 2.06%, followed by Nifty Metal (up 1.41%).

Nifty Bank ended 0.40% higher at 59,304, while the Financial Services index climbed 0.37%.

5. Most active stocks in terms of volume

Vodafone Idea (104.3 crore shares), Davangere Sugar Company (21.20 crore shares), and Groww (16 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume on the NSE.

6. 18 stocks jump more than 15% on BSE

Quadrant Future Tek, Jupiter Wagons, Bharat Immunologicals, Ideaforge Technology, Sadbhav Engineering, and Niraj Cement Structurals were among the 18 stocks that surged more than 15% on the BSE.

7. Advance-decline ratio

Out of 4,501 stocks traded on the BSE, 2,794 advanced, while 1,515 declined. Some 192 stocks remained unchanged.

8. 143 stocks hit 52-week highs

Vedanta, Maruti Suzuki India, Hindalco Industries, TVS Motor Company, Shriram Finance, Samvardhana Motherson International, and IDFC First Bank were among the 143 stocks that hit their 52-week highs in intraday trade on the BSE.

9. 129 stocks hit 52-week lows

Concord Biotech, Epigral, GTL Infrastructure, and ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company were among the 129 stocks that hit their 52-week lows on the BSE.

10. Nifty's technical outlook

Shrikant Chouhan, head of equity research at Kotak Securities, said on the downside, 26,100 and 26,050 would act as key support zones, while 26,200 would serve as an immediate resistance zone for the bulls.

"A successful breakout above 26,200 could push the market towards 26,320–26,350. However, below 26,050, the uptrend would become vulnerable," said Chouhan.

As per Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, the Nifty 50 continues to move higher following a falling wedge breakout, indicating improving bullish sentiment in the short term.

"The RSI has delivered a downward consolidation breakout on the daily timeframe, signalling strong positive momentum in the market. The trend is likely to favour the bulls as long as the index remains above 25,900, making a buy-on-dips strategy favourable. On the higher end, 26,315 may act as immediate resistance, above which a further rally could unfold," said De.

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