Stock Market Highlights 1 January 2026: Sensex, Nifty close flat on first trading day of new year

Sensex, Nifty, Share Prices updates: After a positive opening, the benchmark indices ended the first day of the new year flat. Sensex dipped by 32 points or 0.04% to end at 85,188.60. Nifty 50 inched up by 16.95 points or 0.06% to 26,146.55 India’s equity benchmarks trade listlessly in a narrow range at noon on Thursday. At 2.50 p.m., the BSE Sensex is up 54 points at 85,275, while the NSE Nifty has added 27 points to 26,157.

The Nifty 50 rose 0.7% on Wednesday, snapping a four-session losing streak in a broad-based rally led by metal stocks after the government imposed tariffs on select steel products to curb cheap imports. The rebound helped the index pare December losses.

The Nifty ended 2025 with a 10.5% gain, emerging as the best-performing major NSE index, though it underperformed several global peers. Other indices delivered modest returns, while smallcaps declined.