Sensex slips 54 points, Nifty 50 ends at 26,027; mid, small-caps outperform— 10 key highlights from Indian stock market

Snapping their two-session winning run, the Indian stock market benchmarks- the Sensex and the Nifty 50, ended in the red on Monday, December 15, amid mixed global cues. The Sensex ended 54 points, or 0.06%, lower at 85,213.36, while the Nifty 50 closed at 26,027.30, down 20 points, or 0.08%.

The mid and small-cap indices, however, ended higher, outperforming the benchmarks. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ended 0.16% and 0.41% higher, respectively.

Thanks to gains in the mid and small-cap segments, the overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies remained stable at nearly ₹470.4 lakh crore, unchanged from ₹470.3 lakh crore in the previous session.

On a monthly scale, the Sensex and the Nifty 50 are in the red so far in December after three consecutive months of gains. Year-to-date, the Nifty 50 is 9.6% up, while the Sensex has gained 8.5%.

Indian stock market: 10 key highlights from the day

1. Why did the market benchmarks end flat

The Sensex remained in the red for most of the session. At one point during the session, it was 427 points, or 0.50%, down. However, the index pared losses significantly and ended with minor losses, supported by gains in select heavyweights, such as Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, and Larsen and Toubro.

The domestic market sentiment is weak due to weakness in the Indian rupee, continuous foreign capital outflow, and persisting uncertainty over an India-US trade deal.

The rupee hit a record low of 90.75 against the US dollar in intraday trade on Monday.

"Persistent foreign fund outflows and a weak rupee have kept markets in a narrow range, with currency volatility likely to continue until clarity emerges on the India–US trade deal," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments, noted.

"Expectations of an earnings recovery in H2FY26, supported by monetary and fiscal growth drivers, are helping stabilise sentiment. Going forward, market momentum is expected to be earnings-led rather than valuation-driven," Nair said.

2. Top gainers in the Nifty 50 index

Shares of InterGlobe Aviation (up 2.05%), Trent (up 1.22%), and Hindustan Unilever (up 1.21%) ended as the top gainers in the Nifty 50 index.

3. Top losers in the Nifty 50 index

Shares of Mahindra & Mahindra (down 1.90%), Eicher Motors (down 1.56%), and ONGC (down 1.18%) ended as the top losers in the index.

4. Sectoral indices today

Most indies ended higher. Nifty Media jumped 1.79%, while FMCG (up 0.69%) and Consumer Durables (up 0.52%) also clocked decent gains. Nifty Bank rose 0.12%.

On the other hand, the Nifty Auto index (down 0.91%) lost significantly.

5. Most active stocks in terms of volume

Vodafone Idea (117.3 crore shares), SEPC (12.6 crore shares), and Geojit Financial Services (9.6 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume on the NSE.

6. 15 stocks jump more than 15% on BSE

Shakti Pumps India, Refex Industries, Kridhan Infra, Baid Finserv, Maha Rashtra Apex Corporation, Tainwala Chemicals and Plastics (India), and TV Vision were among the 15 stocks that jumped more than 15% on the BSE.

7. Advance-decline ratio

Out of 4,444 stocks traded on the BSE, 2,237 advanced, while 2,029 declined. Some 178 stocks remained unchanged.

8. 132 stocks hit 52-week highs

Some 132 stocks, including Vedanta, Muthoot Finance, IDFC First Bank, Hindustan Zinc, Federal Bank, and Ashok Leyland, hit their 52-week highs in intraday trade on the BSE.

9. 150 stocks hit 52-week lows

Sheela Foam, Ramkrishna Forgings, and Petronet LNG were among the 150 stocks that hit their 52-week lows on the BSE.

10. Nifty's technical outlook

According to Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, the previous swing high zone of 26,050–26,100 may act as an immediate resistance zone for the Nifty 50.

"A sustained move above this recent swing high of 26,100 could lead to Nifty extending its pullback towards 26,200, followed by 26,300. On the downside, the zone of 25,950-25,900 is likely to act as a strong support for the index," said Shah.

As per Shrikant Chouhan, the head of equity research at Kotak Securities, 25,900 and 25,850 would act as key support zones. Positive sentiment is likely to continue as long the index remains above these key levels.

On the higher side, 26,100 would be the immediate resistance zone for day traders. A breach of 26,100 could push the market up to 26,200-26,250. However, below 25,850, the uptrend would become vulnerable, said Chouhan.

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