Sensex and Nifty 50 gained in eight of the 10 Muhurat trading sessions between 2016 and 2025. During the latest session on October 21, 2025, the Sensex closed at 84,426, while the Nifty 50 ended at 25,869. These special sessions often show positive trends, though gains remain measured and thin.

The performance in the month following Muhurat trading has been less consistent than the session-day trend

Heena Ojha

Listen to This Article

The special Muhurat trading session has, more often than not, ended on a positive note for the domestic equity benchmarks over the past decade. The Sensex and Nifty 50 gained on eight of the 10 Muhurat sessions between 2016 and 2025, according to an analysis of historical market data by BS Research. The two indices declined on only two occasions during this period.

The gains, however, have generally been measured rather than sharp, as trading volumes generally remain thin. The Sensex’s average return on the day across the 10 sessions stood at around 0.34 per cent, while the Nifty 50 averaged 0.31 per cent. Both indices recorded their strongest Muhurat-day gain in 2022, rising 0.88 per cent each on October 24. The weakest session was in 2017, when the Sensex fell 0.60 per cent, and the Nifty declined 0.63 per cent.

The pattern suggests that the Muhurat session has tended to be positive, but has not been immune to the broader market mood. After two consecutive losses in 2016 and 2017, the benchmarks returned to positive territory in 2018 and have risen in each Muhurat session since then.ALSO READ: NSE, BSE to hold Diwali Muhurat Trading on Nov 8; check timings

The latest session held on October 21, 2025, saw the Sensex close at 84,426, up 0.07 per cent, while the Nifty 50 ended at 25,869, gaining 0.10 per cent. Both indices traded in a narrow range during the special session. The Sensex moved between 84,286 and 84,665, while the Nifty touched an intraday low of 25,826 and a high of 25,934.

Gains during Muhurat sessions have not always carried forward

The performance in the month following Muhurat trading has been less consistent than the session-day trend. The Sensex was higher one month later in eight of the 10 sessions between 2016 and 2025, while the Nifty 50 posted gains in seven instances. The average one-month return worked out to 1.69 per cent for the Sensex and 1.43 per cent for the Nifty.

The strongest post-session performance came after the 2023 Muhurat trading session. The Sensex advanced 6.58 per cent over the following month, while the Nifty gained 7.07 per cent. The one-month period after the 2020 session also saw gains of 5.99 per cent for the Sensex and 6.09 per cent for the Nifty.

There were, however, periods when the initial optimism did not sustain. Following the 2021 Muhurat session, the Sensex declined 5.53 per cent over the next month, and the Nifty fell 5.61 per cent. The month after the 2016 session also saw both indices lose more than 4.5 per cent. The data therefore points to a positive bias during the special session, but does not suggest that the direction of trading on Muhurat day reliably signals the market’s performance in the weeks that follow.

Muhurat trading 2026 date and time

Stock exchanges NSE and BSE will hold a special Muhurat trading session on November 8 (Sunday) to mark Diwali. The special trading session will be held from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM. A 15-minute pre-opening session will take place from 2:05 PM to 2:20 PM.

Muhurat trading strategy

Abhinav Tiwari, senior research analyst at Bonanza said that Muhurat trading is a good occasion for investors to begin their investment journey with a long-term approach rather than chase short-term gains. “For Samvat 2083, we remain positive on banking, financial services, capital goods, power transmission, defence and select consumption stocks, supported by India's economic growth, infrastructure spending and improving domestic demand,” he added.

Sunny Agrawal, head, fundamental research at SBI Securities added that Going forward, “we believe wealth creators are likely to emerge from the following sectors Auto OEMs and Auto Anc.,Capital Goods/Engineering (Defence, Aerospace Engineering, Railway Safety, Power Equipment/Ancillary, Pharma ancillary, Import substitution like CNC machine etc.), BFSI (select Banks, Capital Market Plays & NBFCs), EMS, Recycling, New age platform businesses, Pharma- CDMO & Chemicals, Structural Steel Tubes, Discretionary Consumption (Hotels, Jewellery, Alcoholic Beverages etc.) and Metals/Mining.”Disclaimer: Views and outlook in this report belong to the brokerages and analysts cited. They do not reflect the views of Business Standard. Readers are advised to exercise discretion.