Muhurat Trading 2026: Samvat 2082 ends, Samvat 2083 begins - Sensex, Nifty end in red first time after 2017 | Reasons
Muhurat Trading: Indian equity markets began Samvat 2083 on a weak note on Sunday, November 8, 2026, as the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 ended the special Diwali Muhurat Trading session in the red, snapping an eight-year winning streak.
The 30-share Sensex closed 28.62 points lower at 80,999.40, while the Nifty 50 settled 6.65 points down at 25,023.70. This marked the first Muhurat Trading session to end in negative territory since 2017. However, broader markets outperformed, with the Nifty Midcap index ending 0.13% higher and the Nifty Smallcap index gaining 1%.
Among Sensex constituents, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, Power Grid and Adani Ports were among the biggest gainers. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), IndiGo, Trent, Infosys and Bharti Airtel were among the biggest losers.
Muhurat Trading is a special symbolic market session held on Diwali, marking the beginning of the new Hindu calendar year. Trading during the 'Muhurat', or auspicious hour, is traditionally believed to bring prosperity and financial growth to investors and other market participants.
Unlike regular trading sessions, when equity markets operate from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm, Muhurat Trading is conducted for a shorter duration.
During the previous Samvat year, Samvat 2082, the BSE benchmark Sensex declined 3,398.32 points, or 4%, while the Nifty fell 838.25 points, or 3.24%.
In the previous Muhurat Trading session in 2025, the Sensex had gained 63 points to close at 84,426, while the Nifty 50 advanced 25 points to settle at 25,868.
The escalating conflict in the Middle East, particularly heightened military tensions between the US and Iran and security threats around the Strait of Hormuz, kept global markets on edge through 2026.
Geopolitical uncertainty has prompted global investors to adopt a risk-off approach, triggering sudden selloffs in emerging markets such as India whenever regional tensions intensify.
The Middle East crisis also contributed to a sharp rise in global crude oil prices, which crossed the $100-per-barrel mark. Since India imports more than 80% of its crude oil requirements, higher oil prices widen the country's trade deficit, fuel domestic inflation and squeeze profit margins across sectors such as aviation, paints, chemicals and FMCG.
Brent crude began 2026 at around $61 per barrel in January before surging 126% to a peak of $138.21 on April 7. It was still hovering around $107 per barrel in early November, up 62.7% year-on-year. The average price for 2026 stood at $96.46, compared with $69.14 in 2025.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have withdrawn billions of dollars from Indian equities through much of 2026. Elevated domestic valuations and moderating corporate earnings encouraged overseas investors to book profits and shift capital towards global artificial intelligence hubs in the US, Taiwan and South Korea.
While domestic mutual fund inflows through systematic investment plans (SIPs) helped cushion the decline, persistent foreign selling limited market rallies.
FIIs sold approximately ₹4 lakh crore, or $42-45 billion, worth of Indian equities in 2026, marking the sixth consecutive year of net FII outflows.
Rising US Treasury yields, which crossed 5% amid persistent global inflation, encouraged foreign investors to move towards safer, dollar-denominated assets. The stronger US dollar put additional pressure on the Indian rupee, reducing dollar-adjusted returns for overseas investors in Indian equities.
The rupee opened 2026 at 89.97 against the US dollar before weakening 7.9% to an all-time low of 97.12 on May 20, 2026. It was trading near 94.04 in early November, down 4.5% year-to-date.
Meanwhile, persistent US inflation pushed the 10-year Treasury yield to as high as 5.30% in October. It currently stands at 4.87%, up 0.76 percentage points from a year ago, making relatively safer US dollar bonds more attractive than emerging-market equities.
As the new Samvat begins, the focus is expected to shift towards companies with sustainable earnings, strong balance sheets and consistent cash-flow generation. Avinash Agarwal, Senior Vice President and Head of Equity at Bandhan Life, said the market outlook remained constructive, but returns were likely to be moderate and selective.
"Earnings growth, rather than valuation expansion, is likely to be the primary driver of market performance going forward. Given the underperformance of large caps driven by FII outflows and the strong growth in midcaps, we expect the large- and midcap segments to do well," Agarwal said.
He expects large- and midcap stocks to benefit when FIIs return, given the wider choice of industries and the investment scale available in these segments.
Pranati Deva is a seasoned financial journalist with over a decade of experience in high-pressure newsroom environments, currently working as a Senior Sub Editor at LiveMint. Over the years, she has developed a reputation for sharp editorial judgement, a strong grasp of market dynamics, and the ability to translate complex financial developments into clear, engaging stories for a wide audience. <br><br> Her core areas of coverage include stock markets, leading listed companies, currencies, and commodities, with a particular strength in fast-paced, real-time market reporting. She is known for handling breaking market news, earnings-driven stock movements, and macroeconomic developments with speed, accuracy, and context—qualities that are essential in financial journalism. <br><br> Pranati has built a diverse and credible professional track record across some of India’s most respected news organisations, including MintGenie, CNBC-TV18, Business Standard and EconomicTimes.com. During her stints at these platforms, she produced data-driven market stories, curated and steered live blogs during volatile trading sessions, and conducted interviews with market veterans, fund managers, economists, and industry experts. Her work often combines on-ground reporting with analytical depth, helping readers make sense of daily market fluctuations and longer-term trends. An alumnus of the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communications and Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Pranati brings a strong academic foundation to her journalism. She specialises in real-time financial reporting, with a keen focus on precision, balance, and insight, aiming to decode market movements in a way that is both informative and accessible to readers across experience levels.
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HomeMarketsStock MarketsMuhurat Trading 2026: Samvat 2082 ends, Samvat 2083 begins - Sensex, Nifty end in red first time after 2017 | Reasons
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