Sensex, Nifty end lower ahead of Christmas holiday

Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty closed marginally lower Wednesday as declines in oil & gas, pharmaceutical, and IT stocks outweighed other sector movements.

Market participation remained subdued amid cautious investor sentiment preceding Thursday’s Christmas holiday closure.

The Sensex settled at 85,408.70, down 116.14 points (0.14%), while the Nifty concluded at 26,142.10, declining 35.05 points (0.13%).

“The index hovered near the 26,100–26,130 support range, attracting limited buying interest that lacked momentum for a significant recovery,” market analysts observed.

“Unless the Nifty sustainably surpasses 26,200, the near-term bias leans cautious with potential downside targets near 26,100 and below,” they added.

On the BSE, Trent, UltraTech Cement, and Maruti Suzuki led gains through selective buying. Conversely, declines in Tata Motors’ passenger vehicle segment, Sun Pharma, and Asian Paints pressured the index downward.

The NSE saw Trent, Shriram Finance, and Apollo Hospitals among top performers, while IndiGo and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories weighed on the exchange.

Broader markets exhibited divergence: the Nifty SmallCap 100 rose 0.28% while the Nifty MidCap 100 declined 0.60%. Sectorally, Nifty Oil & Gas fell most sharply (-0.76%), trailed by Nifty Metal and Pharma (both -0.51%).

Nifty Media (+0.44%) outperformed, followed by marginal gains in Realty and Metal sectors. Analysts noted range-bound trading as holiday anticipation kept activity muted, with stock-specific movements dominating the session.

“Market participation may stay limited near-term, though trade-related developments will remain in focus,” market observers noted.

(With inputs from IANS)