Sensex and Nifty: Following conflicting global signals and muted year-end activity, Indian benchmark indexes opened Monday’s trading session flat with a little upward tilt.

The Sensex increased 40 points, or 0.04 percent, to 85,081 as of 9.30 am, while the Nifty gained 14 points, or 0.05 percent, to 26,057.

The Nifty Midcap 100 increased by 0.14 percent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 increased by 0.18 percent, reflecting the main broad-cap indexes’ performance in line with benchmark indices.

Major winners in the Nifty Pack included Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, and NTPC; losses included Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Tata Consumer.

The best-performing sector was the Nifty Metal index, which increased by 1.11 percent. Nifty Auto and Nifty Realty followed with gains of 0.26 and 0.25 percent, respectively.

Analysts say that the 25,850–25,900 zone provides immediate support, but the 26,150–26,200 range is still a critical resistance area. Sharp declines are kept at bay by underlying support provided by stable petroleum prices and a comparatively stable currency.

They said that India’s 2025 underperformance in comparison to the majority of developed and developing markets is expected to improve in 2026 since the country’s macroeconomic are in the “Goldilocks” zone, with strong economic growth and a rebound in profitability from Q3 FY26.

But according to market observers, these elements are insufficient to cause a rebound in the near future. For India to recover, the market needs a trade agreement between the US and India that includes surprises. “In the absence of such surprises, a consolidation phase is likely in the near term,” they said.

As investors began the last trading week of the year, Asia-Pacific markets saw uneven morning activity.

Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.31 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index increased 0.39 percent, and China’s Shanghai index increased 0.31 percent. Shenzhen also saw a little increase of 0.03 percent. Kospi of South Korea contributed 1.52 percent.

The past trading day saw the US markets close in the red zone, with the Dow down 0.04 percent, the S&P 500 down 0.03 percent, and the Nasdaq down 0.09 percent.

On December 26, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net purchasers of stocks valued at Rs 1,772 crore, while foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold stocks valued at Rs 317 crore.