Stock Market News: Sensex, Nifty 50 Close Flat Amid Weekly Derivatives Expiry – Here’s What To Watch Next

Benchmark indices traded in a tight range for most of the session and eventually closed flat on December 30, as market participants stayed cautious amid the weekly Nifty futures and options (F&O) expiry.

Sensex slipped 20.48 points, or 0.02 per cent, to close at 84,675.08, while Nifty 50 closed 3.25 points, or 0.01 per cent, at 25,938.85.

The broader market indices also closed lower. Nifty Midcap 100 declined 0.15 per cent, Nifty Smallcap 100 ended 0.28 per cent lower, and Nifty 500 settled 0.06 per cent down.

Metal, PSU Bank, Auto Outperform

Among sectoral indices, Metal, PSU Bank, and Auto outperformed. Nifty Metal gained 2.03 per cent, Nifty Auto rose 1.08 per cent, and Nifty PSU Bank closed 1.69 per cent higher.

Nifty Bank, which tracks the 12 most valuable and actively traded banking stocks, closed 0.41 per cent higher at 59,171.25. Nifty indices of Financial Services and Private Banks also closed in the green.

On the other hand, Nifty IT, Nifty Realty, Nifty Consumer Durables, Nifty FMCG, Nifty Chemicals and the remaining sectoral indices remained under pressure, closing in the red.

Nifty 50: Top Gainers & Losers

Among Nifty 50 constituents, Bajaj Auto gained 2.32 per cent, Hindalco rose 2.12 per cent, Shriram Finance gained 1.99 per cent, Tata Steel advanced 1.96 per cent, Mahindra & Mahindra surged 1.89 per cent, JSW Steel gained 1.59 per cent, Bajaj Finserv ascended 1.40 per cent, and Axis Bank rose 1.14 per cent.

On the other hand, Eternal (formerly Zomato) lost 2.21 per cent, Eicher Motors tumbled 1.92 per cent, Tata Consumer Products fell 1.79 per cent, and Max Healthcare declined 1.64 per cent. InterGlobe Aviation, Apollo Hospitals, Infosys also declined between 1.29 per cent, and 1.52 per cent.

Stock Market Outlook: What To Watch Next

On December 31, the US Department of Labor is set to release initial jobless claims data for the week ended December 27. In the previous week ended December 20, claims fell by 10,000 to 214,000, marking the lowest level since January this year. The data is closely tracked by global markets, including India, for cues on US labour market strength and US Federal Reserve’s (US Fed) interest rate expectations.

The US Fed is set to release its rate-setting panel Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) December 9-10 meeting minutes. Market participants will be parsing FOMC minutes for signals on the US Fed’s rate trajectory, inflation outlook, and policy stance.

China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is set to release December 2025 manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data December 31. China’s manufacturing PMI data will be watched for cues on the health of the world’s second-largest economy, which could influence global growth sentiment.