Bulls seized Dalal Street. The Nifty 50 ripped past the 25,000 mark ahead of today's special Muhurat trading session, capping a relentless seven-day rally from the 22,500 zone. After scraping nine-month lows in early October, the benchmark index reversed sharply to trade at its highest level in nine months as institutional money poured back into dormant large caps.
Two giants did the heavy lifting. Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank both vaulted between 13% and 14% over the past week, anchoring the turnaround and accounting for the bulk of the index's sudden surge. Broad participation accompanied the move—14 Nifty constituents notched gains of 10% or more during the five-day stretch.
Cash market desks report that the index had faced relentless foreign outflows earlier in October, but local liquidity absorbed the float and triggered short-covering across financial and energy desks. While Wall Street flashed mixed signals on Friday—the Dow Jones dropped under persistent selling pressure even as the Nasdaq staged a mild bounce—domestic sentiment decoupled decisively.
| Index / Heavyweight Metric | Recent Level / Weekly Performance | 7-Day Context |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 Benchmark | Reclaimed 25,000+ | Surged from 22,500 (9-month high) |
| Reliance Industries | Gained 13% to 14% | Top index contributor |
| HDFC Bank | Gained 13% to 14% | Outperformed banking sector basket |
| 10%+ Weekly Gainers | 14 Nifty constituents | Broadened beyond twin heavyweights |
Analysts mapped their top speculative and investment plays for the festival bell. Anand Rathi singled out Ashok Leyland, Swiggy, and Punjab National Bank (PNB) as key picks under the ₹200 threshold for the new year. For sub-₹100 value hunters, market strategist Sumeet Bagadia tagged green-energy supplier Suzlon, state-run NHPC, and South Indian Bank as tactical accumulators.
The special Diwali Muhurat session opens at 2:15 PM and runs until 3:30 PM. Once the ceremonial token trading closes, all eyes shift back to crude oil volatility, Federal Reserve rate paths, and global geopolitical crosscurrents.