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Business & Market
Muhurat Trading 2026: Sensex, Nifty End Lower as Samvat 2083 Begins
The Sensex closed at 80,999.40 and the Nifty at 24,986.40 in Sunday's special Diwali session, the first Muhurat close in the red since 2017, as Samvat 2083 began.
⚡Key Highlights
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The Sensex closed at 80,999.40 and the Nifty at 24,986.40 in Sunday's special Diwali session, the first Muhurat close in the red since 2017, as Samvat 2083 began.
Special coverage and in-depth reporting from the Business & Market desk.
Key analysis, background details, and full reporting below.
The Sensex slipped 28.62 points to 80,999.40 and the Nifty fell 43.95 points to 24,986.40 in Sunday's special Diwali session, the first Muhurat close in the red since 2017.
By StoryTimesNow Business Desk — 08 November 2026, 5:03 PM IST
The Sensex and Nifty gave up early gains to end the Muhurat session lower on Sunday, 8 November 2026, as Samvat 2083 began. (Illustration: StoryTimesNow)
Key Takeaways
What happened: In the 70-minute Muhurat session on Sunday, 8 November 2026, the Sensex closed at 80,999.40, down 28.62 points or 0.04%, and the Nifty ended at 24,986.40, down 43.95 points or 0.18%.
Who is affected: It is the first Muhurat session to close lower since 2017, ending eight straight years of Diwali gains. Sun Pharma and Tata Steel led the gainers; Mahindra & Mahindra and SBI Life were among the biggest losers.
What next: Markets are closed on Monday, 9 November, for Diwali-Balipratipada; regular trading resumes on Tuesday, 10 November.
Introduction
The Sensex and the Nifty gave up strong early gains to finish lower in the special Muhurat trading session on Sunday, 8 November 2026, the first Diwali close in the red since 2017. The 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm session marked the start of Samvat 2083.
What Happened?
Trading opened firmly. The Sensex started at 81,299.34, up 271.32 points or 0.33%, and the Nifty opened at 25,070.45, up 40.10 points or 0.16%. Within minutes the Sensex had climbed nearly 400 points to 81,422.51, and the Nifty crossed 25,100, touching an intraday high of 25,132.
The rally faded through the afternoon. By the close, the Sensex had settled at 80,999.40, down 28.62 points or 0.04%, slipping below the 81,000 mark, and the Nifty ended at 24,986.40, down 43.95 points or 0.18%, below 25,000. It breaks a long Diwali run: both benchmarks had ended every Muhurat session higher since 2018, eight straight years of gains.
Why Does This Matter?
Muhurat trading is the short session the BSE and NSE hold every Diwali, timed to Lakshmi Puja, to mark the start of the new Samvat year. Investors treat it as an auspicious moment to make their first trades of the year, and its tone is watched as a signal for sentiment into the new year.
A lower close does not set the course for Samvat 2083, but it tempers the mood after a powerful week. On Friday the Sensex had surged 1,718.01 points, or 2.17%, to 81,028.02, and the Nifty had jumped 493.75 points, or 2.01%, to 25,030.35. Sunday's fade suggests traders were happy to book profits after that rally rather than chase prices higher in a 70-minute session.
Important Details
Sensex: 80,999.40, down 28.62 points or 0.04%; opened at 81,299.34; intraday high 81,422.51.
Nifty 50: 24,986.40, down 43.95 points or 0.18%; opened at 25,070.45; intraday high 25,132.
Previous close (Friday, 6 November): Sensex 81,028.02, up 1,718.01 points or 2.17%; Nifty 25,030.35, up 493.75 points or 2.01%.
Session timings: Block deal window 1:50 pm to 2:05 pm; pre-open from 2:05 pm; continuous trading 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm.
Top gainers: Sun Pharma rose 2.96% to about Rs 1,919; Tata Steel gained 2.09% to about Rs 190.20 after a 16% year-on-year rise in quarterly profit to nearly Rs 3,700 crore. ONGC added 1.31% and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles 1.13%. Finolex Cables jumped 17.31% in the broader market.
Biggest losers: Mahindra & Mahindra fell 0.92%, the biggest Sensex laggard; SBI Life dropped 1.11%, followed by IndiGo, down 0.88%, and Trent, down 0.81%. Nifty Pharma rose 1.74%, the best-performing sectoral index.
Background and Context
Muhurat trading is a long-standing BSE tradition, later adopted by the NSE, in which the exchanges open for a short session on Diwali even when it falls on a weekend. The word muhurat means an auspicious moment, and the session coincides with Lakshmi Puja, when many trading families begin their new account books.
The Samvat year that ended on Sunday was a weak one for equities. Samvat 2082 closed with the Sensex down 4.0%, the weakest Samvat for the benchmarks in 15 years, since 2011, according to NDTV Profit.
What Happens Next?
The exchanges are closed on Monday, 9 November, for Diwali-Balipratipada. Regular trading resumes on Tuesday, 10 November, with the usual 9:15 am to 3:30 pm session. Market watchers quoted by Moneycontrol stayed optimistic about Samvat 2083, while urging caution after the week's sharp gains.
What Readers Should Know
Muhurat trading is a symbolic session, not a forecast. The 70-minute window has low volumes, so small moves can look larger than they are, and a red close has not stopped strong years before. Trades executed on Sunday carry normal settlement obligations.
FAQs
What is Muhurat trading?
A special, shortened session the BSE and NSE hold every Diwali to mark the start of the new Samvat year. In 2026 it ran on Sunday, 8 November, from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm, after a pre-open from 2:05 pm.
How did the Sensex and Nifty end in Muhurat trading 2026?
The Sensex closed at 80,999.40, down 28.62 points or 0.04%, and the Nifty ended at 24,986.40, down 43.95 points or 0.18%. It was the first Muhurat session to close lower since 2017.
Which stocks gained and which fell?
Sun Pharma rose 2.96% and Tata Steel 2.09%, with Finolex Cables up 17.31% in the broader market. Mahindra & Mahindra fell 0.92% and SBI Life 1.11%.
When does the market reopen?
Markets are closed on Monday, 9 November, for Diwali-Balipratipada. Regular trading resumes on Tuesday, 10 November.
Sources and Verification
The Times of India, 8 November 2026.
Financial Express, 8 November 2026.
NDTV Profit, 8 November 2026.
Moneycontrol, 8 November 2026.
Economic Times, 8 November 2026.
Zee Business, 8 November 2026.
DD India, 8 November 2026.
Outlook Money, 8 November 2026.
Google Trends India, 8 November 2026, 4:58 PM IST.
Closing levels, the open, the intraday highs and the eight-year streak were cross-checked across the Times of India, Financial Express, NDTV Profit and Moneycontrol, which all reported identical figures. Gainers and losers are from the Financial Express closing summary; the Samvat 2082 report card is from NDTV Profit and the Monday holiday from the NSE holiday calendar.
Closing levels, opening levels, intraday highs, gainers and losers are cross-checked across the Times of India, Financial Express, NDTV Profit and Moneycontrol, all reporting on 8 November 2026; every source agrees on the closing figures. The session ended at 3:30 pm IST, so the figures in this article are final. No investment advice is offered. Correction, 8 November 2026: an earlier version of this article gave the wrong dates for the market holiday, saying markets were closed on Monday, 10 November and reopened on Tuesday, 11 November. Markets are closed on Monday, 9 November for Diwali-Balipratipada and regular trading resumes on Tuesday, 10 November. It also said nine straight years of Diwali gains; the correct count is eight.
