Final Trade: Indices end higher on first trading session of CY 2025; Nifty settles at 23,742.9, Sensex adds 368 pts

Indian equities on the first trading session of calendar year ended higher amid broad-based buying, nonetheless losses in the realty and metal stocks capped the gains. At the close, Sensex endd higher by 0.47 per cent or 368.4 points at 78,507.41, while the Nifty50 index settled with gains of 0.41 per cent or 98.1 points at 23,742.9.

Sectorally, auto pack led the gains after posting better-than-expected monthly sales for December month. Within the pack, passenger vehicle major Maruti Suzuki led with gains of over 3 per cent. 

Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services said, "The market started on a positive note on the first day of 2025. The recovery was broad-based, while the sustainability of the trend will depend on the earnings growth in Q3, where the expectation is positive on a QoQ basis"

An uptick in core sector data and prospect of ramp-up in capex spending by the government in the remaining part of the fiscal aided sectors like capital goods, industrials, auto, and power, added Nair.

The markets opened tad higher and continued added to the morning gains through the day. Sensex opened at 78,235.89, up 96.88 points or 0.12 per cent, while the Nifty began at 23,663.25, gaining 18.45 points or 0.08 per cent. The Nifty Bank index started at 50,941.60, registering a slight rise of 81.40 points or 0.16 per cent in early trade.

Top gainers and losers
Among major gainers, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra led the charge with over 2 per cent gains. Other notable performers included Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bajaj Finance, which rose by over 1.5 per cent. Hercules, a small-cap stock, achieved a remarkable 20 per cent surge.

On the downside, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, Zomato, and HCL Tech were the top losers during the session, witnessing moderate declines.

Asian market snapshot
While major Asian markets were closed for New Year’s Day, previous trading sessions reflected mixed trends. Japan's Nikkei ended December 30 with a loss of 0.96 per cent at 39,894.54, while the TOPIX fell 0.60 per cent to 2,784.92. Hong Kong's Hang Seng saw a marginal rise of 0.092 per cent on December 31 to close at 20,059.95.  South Korea's KOSPI also dipped by 0.22 per cent, finishing at 2,399.49 on December 30.

Indian markets have started the year with optimism, boosted by gains across key sectors and significant activity from large-cap stocks.