Indian markets are set for a positive start to 2026, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50 expected to open at record highs despite thin trading on New Year’s Day. Early signals from the Gift Nifty indicate continued optimism following a strong finish to 2025.
The Gift Nifty was at 26,341, reflecting an increase of 66 points or 0.25% in contrast to the last Nifty futures close, which indicated a favorable start for Indian stocks. The previous year concluded positively, with the Sensex gaining 546 points (0.64%) and reaching 85,220.60 and the Nifty 50 going up by 191 points (0.74%) to 26,129.60, which was made possible by strong purchasing and short-covering activities.
“Markets ended 2025 on a broad-based recovery,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments. “Expectations are becoming more positive, especially for 2026 and the main reason behind it is the improvement of demand conditions. Corporate profits and potential GDP growth will affect investors’ moods.” Metal stocks led gains today after the government announced import tariffs on steel, while oil & gas performed strongly due to stable demand and better refining margins.”
1. Asian Markets
Hong Kong stocks wrapped up 2025 with another year of profits, marking the second year in a row, all thanks to the AI rally that took the Hang Seng Index up by 28% for the year—the best performance since 2017. Mainland Chinese stocks also saw good yoke of the Shanghai Composite, which went up 18%, the Shenzhen Composite climbed 29%, and the tech-heavy ChiNext Index soared 50%. The majority of Asian stock markets are still shut down because of the New Year holidays.
2. Gift Nifty Today
According to the first signals from Gift Nifty, the Indian stock market is likely to open flat-to-positive. The index hit a new high of 26,341, which is indicative of the investors’ positive mood right at the start of the year.
3. Wall Street
Wall Street concluded the year 2025 with a mixed response, registering a small decline for the fourth consecutive day. The S&P 500 was down by 0.7%, the Dow Jones lost 0.6%, and Nasdaq dropped by 0.8% during the day when many traders were closing their positions amid very light pre-holiday trading. All the main US indexes, however, ended the year with good gains, even though there was a very small pullback immediately after Christmas.
4. US Sanctions on Venezuela
The US Treasury has put sanctions on four Venezuelan oil companies and four associated tankers, which is one of President Donald Trump’s steps to further pressure President Nicolas Maduro. Such a decision could impact the supply of oil and energy markets on a global scale.
5. US Dollar
The US dollar had a slight gain on Thursday, the gain being 0.01% which pushed it up to 98.25 on the dollar index, while the euro rose by 0.02% and got to $1.1748. The dollar gained 0.17% against the yen and reached 156.65. However, the dollar’s gain in the near term is to be attributed to the main factors that will result in its loss in value over the year.
6. Gold and Silver Prices
In 2025, the price of gold went up approximately 80%, which was the highest annual gain since 1979, and all this was due to lower US interest rates, conflicts in certain areas, and heavy purchases made by the central banks. The price of silver jumped 178% due to the factors of industrial use, lack of availability, and growing Asian market impact. Traders booking profits has somewhat moderated the prices after a margin increase by CME.
7. Oil Prices
In 2025, oil experienced the biggest annual fall since 2020. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) closed at $57.42 per barrel indicating around a 20% drop from the start of the year price. The market is very concerned about the forthcoming OPEC meetings as well as the US government’s dealings with the main oil suppliers, particularly Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, which will all have an impact on the price of oil in 2026.
