Diwali Muhurat trading 2026: Sensex ends flat, first red close since 2017

What happened. On Sunday, November 8, NSE and BSE ran their special Diwali session. Trading started higher, but the indices slipped into the red by the end. The Sensex closed at 80,999.40, down 28.62 points, or 0.04%. The Nifty 50 also ended lower. Mint says it is the first red close since 2017 and ends an eight-year winning run. Last year the Sensex gained 63 points to close at 84,426.

What Muhurat trading is. It is a short special session on the day of Diwali. It coincides with Lakshmi Puja and is seen as an auspicious time. It marks the start of Vikram Samvat, the Hindu financial year. The new one is Samvat 2083. Trades in this session are symbolic. Mint says trading in the 'auspicious hour' is traditionally believed to bring prosperity.

Schedule. On NSE and BSE the pre-open session ran from 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm India time (IST), with market and limit orders accepted from 2:05 pm to 2:10 pm. Main trading ran from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm. On MCX, the commodity exchange, the special session ran from 2:05 pm to 2:19 pm and the main session from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm. By our conversion that is 9:50 pm to 11:00 pm in New Zealand, 8:50 am to 10:00 am in London, 12:50 pm to 2:00 pm in Dubai and 3:50 am to 5:00 am in New York.

Under the surface. Business Standard reports that 14 NSE 500 stocks hit record highs, including ICICI Bank, Divi's Labs and MCX India. Divi's Labs rose 6% to a high of ₹10,950 after the company reported Q2 net profit up 63.6% to ₹1,127 crore (a crore is 10 million). The Nifty Midcap index gained 0.13%, per Mint. Mint lists the Middle East conflict, costly oil, foreign selling, a weaker rupee and higher US bond yields as pressure on the market. Over all of Samvat 2082 the Sensex fell 4%.

How to read it. Indian press notes that over the last 20 sessions the Nifty rose 15 times, but 19 of the 20 moves stayed within 1%. One hour of thin trading says almost nothing about the year. Regular sessions matter more, and they return on Wednesday after Tuesday's holiday.

What we don't know. The exact Nifty 50 close: Mint gives 25,023.70 and the Times of India gives 24,986.40, so we quote neither. How the market will behave in Samvat 2083 is unknown.

Confirmed facts

• Muhurat trading is a special truncated session on Diwali; it coincides with Lakshmi Puja and marks the start of Vikram Samvat, the Hindu financial year.^[4]
• On NSE and BSE the pre-open session ran from 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm IST and main trading from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm.^[3][4]
• In the pre-open session, market and limit orders were accepted from 2:05 pm to 2:10 pm.^[3]
• Per MCX's October 19 circular, its special session ran from 2:05 pm to 2:19 pm and the main session from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm.^[3]
• The Sensex closed 28.62 points lower at 80,999.40.^[2][5]
• The Sensex and Nifty 50 ended the session in the red. Per Mint, it is the first red close since 2017, ending an eight-year winning run.^[2]
• In the previous Muhurat session the Sensex gained 63 points to close at 84,426.^[2]
• Over the last 20 sessions the Nifty closed higher 15 times, and 19 of 20 moves were within 1% either way (Anand Rathi's estimate).^[4]
• 14 NSE 500 stocks hit new life-time highs on NSE, including ICICI Bank, Divi's Labs and MCX India.^[1]
• Divi's Labs rose 6% to a high of ₹10,950 after Q2 net profit rose 63.6% to ₹1,127 crore.^[1]
• The Nifty Midcap index ended 0.13% higher.^[2]
• Trading started on a positive note, and by the close the Sensex and Nifty 50 had slipped into the red.^[5]
• Over Samvat 2082 the Sensex fell 3,398.32 points, or 4%.^[2]
• Regular trading resumes on Wednesday; the market is shut on Tuesday for the Balipratipada holiday.^[4]

Implications

• ConfirmedMuhurat trading is symbolic: the session is thin and most buying is token buying.
• Our readingOne hour of trading says little about the whole year. This is our inference.
• Our readingReaders outside India should check which index and source a report uses, because outlets differ on the Nifty 50 close.

Still unknown

• The exact Nifty 50 close: Mint and the Times of India give different figures
• How India's market behaves in Wednesday's first regular session
• What Samvat 2083 will bring for Indian stocks

Who it affects

India, New Zealand, UK, US, Gulf. Indian diaspora and anyone following India's market

Sources

1. Business Standard: ICICI Bank, Divi's among 14 NSE 500 stocks hit new highs in Muhurat session November 8, 2026 · media
2. Mint: Muhurat Trading 2026: Samvat 2082 ends, Samvat 2083 begins - Sensex, Nifty end in red first time after 2017 November 8, 2026 · media
3. Mint (via TradingView): MCX Diwali Muhurat Trading schedule 2026, session wise time today November 8, 2026 · media
4. The Indian Express: What is Muhurat trading, and how will stock markets perform in Sunday's session? November 7, 2026 · media
5. The Times of India: Muhurat Trading 2026 Highlights: BSE Sensex ends below 81,000; Nifty50 closes below 25,100 on Diwali November 8, 2026 · media