Indian equity markets opened on a steady note on Christmas Eve, with trading volumes remaining light amid a global holiday mood. Despite muted overseas cues, selective early buying in frontline stocks including Coal India, ITC, Trent, Jio Financial Services and NTPC kept the Nifty 50 trading above the key 26,200 level in morning trade.
Market Snapshot at the Open
As of early trade on December 24, benchmark indices were holding mild gains.
- NIFTY 50 stood at 26,205.90, up 28.75 points or 0.11 percent at 9:21 AM IST.
- BSE Sensex was trading at 85,612.81, higher by 87.97 points or 0.10 percent at 9:22 AM IST.
On Tuesday, the Nifty traded in a narrow range. Although it crossed the December 5 intraday highs, the index failed to sustain those levels and did not close above 26,200. Bulls are now watching closely to see whether the index can hold above this level during the holiday-shortened session.
(Source: NSE, BSE)
Top Nifty Gainers in Early Trade
Buying interest was visible in select stocks across energy, financials and consumption themes. Coal India emerged as the top gainer in early trade.
| Stock Name | Open (₹) | LTP (₹) | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal India | 403.80 | 410.00 | 2.40% |
| Shriram Finance | 958.00 | 969.45 | 1.22% |
| Trent | 4,209.00 | 4,226.00 | 0.87% |
| Jio Financial | 298.70 | 301.30 | 0.87% |
| NTPC | 323.90 | 325.70 | 0.76% |
(Source: NSE as of 9.25 AM)
Coal India also remained in the spotlight after its board granted in-principle approval for the listing of subsidiaries South Eastern Coalfields and Mahanadi Coalfields, subject to regulatory clearances.
Currency and Commodity Check
The Indian rupee opened firmer at 89.54 per US dollar, compared with the previous close of 89.66, tracking stable domestic cues.
Oil prices edged higher, supported by strong US economic growth data and concerns over supply disruptions from Venezuela and Russia.
- Brent crude rose 4 cents to $62.42 per barrel
- WTI crude gained 3 cents to $58.41 per barrel
Earlier this week, oil prices surged more than 2 percent, marking their strongest daily rise in nearly two months.
(Source: CNBC TV-18)
Key Corporate and Regulatory Developments
- TV Today Network saw promoter entity Living Media India acquire 4.5 lakh shares, representing a 0.75 percent stake, for ₹6.04 crore at ₹134.4 per share.
- Marc Technocrats and Global Ocean Logistics India are set to list on the SME platform today.
- SEBI cleared IPO draft papers of ESDS Software Solution, BLS Polymers and Dhariwal Buildtech, with total issue size exceeding ₹1,700 crore.
(Source: Moneycontrol)
RBI Liquidity Boost
The Reserve Bank of India announced fresh liquidity measures worth ₹2 lakh crore on December 23. These include open market purchases of government securities and USD INR buy sell swap auctions to inject durable liquidity into the banking system.
Sector and Stock Highlights
- GAIL India signed an MoU with the Government of Chhattisgarh for a greenfield gas-based fertiliser project, supporting energy and fertiliser self-sufficiency.
- Zydus Lifesciences partnered with Swiss firm Bioeq to commercialise biosimilar Nufymco in the US market, with USFDA approval.
- GPT Infraprojects bagged a contract worth ₹199.2 crore from North Eastern Railway for bridge construction over the River Rapti.
- SBI Mutual Fund and BlackRock acquired over 6.5 percent stake in Belrise Industries for nearly ₹897 crore.
- Ola Electric Mobility approved a ₹100 crore preference share allotment to its subsidiary.
- Adani Ports approved equity allotment for acquiring Abbot Point Port Holdings.
- Ajanta Pharma entered an in-licensing agreement with Biocon for Semaglutide across 26 countries.
- Vikran Engineering secured a massive work order of ₹2,035.26 crore for 600 MW solar power projects in Maharashtra.
(Source: Moneycontrol, CNBC TV-18)
Other Notable Developments
- PhysicsWallah: Its subsidiary acquired 1.76 acres of land in Ranchi for ₹69.5 crore to facilitate business expansion.
- Endurance Technologies: Reported a cybersecurity incident on its IT infrastructure. The company stated there is no material impact on core operations.
- Emcure Pharmaceuticals: Received a “No Action Indicated” (NAI) status from the US FDA for its Lakhtar facility in Gujarat.
(Source: Moneycontrol)
The Bottom Line
The Indian market is currently in a consolidation-to-bullish phase, supported by a strong domestic macro environment and a proactive central bank. While global participation remains thin due to the holidays, the 26,200 level for Nifty acts as a crucial “pivot” point. If the index sustains this level through the monthly expiry, it sets a positive technical stage for the start of 2026.
Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing. This content is purely for information purpose only and in no way to be considered as an advice or recommendation. The securities are quoted as an example and not as a recommendation.
Investors are requested to do their own due diligence before investing. Paytm Money Ltd SEBI Reg No. Broking – INZ000240532, Depository Participant – IN – DP – 416 – 2019, Depository Participant Number: CDSL – 12088800, NSE (90165), BSE (6707) Regd Office: 136, 1st Floor, Devika Tower, Nehru Place, Delhi – 110019. For complete Terms & Conditions and Disclaimers visit: https://www.paytmmoney.com/stocks/policies/terms .
