BSE, NSE Closed Today for Diwali Balipratipada; Trading to Resume Tomorrow.
The stock market remains on an extended break following the special Diwali Muhurat trading session. Both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) are closed on Wednesday, October 22, for Diwali Balipratipada, with regular trading set to resume on Thursday, October 23.
This closure follows the Diwali holiday on Tuesday, leaving only two more market holidays this year: Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 5 and Christmas on December 25.
Muhurat Trading Highlights
The market’s brief Muhurat trading session on Tuesday, held between 1:45 pm and 2:45 pm to mark the beginning of Samvat 2082, saw enthusiastic participation from investors seeking auspicious beginnings. The one-hour session witnessed a sharp opening rally, with the Sensex jumping over 270 points and the Nifty briefly crossing the 25,900 mark. Large-cap stocks like Infosys, HDFC Bank, and Mahindra & Mahindra drove early gains.
However, profit-taking towards the end of the session trimmed the indices, leaving both slightly higher by the close. Despite modest volumes, the session was marked by symbolic trades across financial, auto, and energy sectors, reflecting optimism for the new financial year.
Significance of Diwali Balipratipada
Diwali Balipratipada, also called Govardhan Puja or Padwa, is celebrated the day after Diwali. The festival honors King Bali, known for his generosity and devotion. According to legend, Lord Vishnu, in his Vamana avatar, granted Bali the boon to visit his people annually. The day symbolizes renewal, prosperity, and the triumph of humility and good governance over arrogance.
For investors, the day is considered auspicious for starting fresh investments and marking the beginning of a new financial cycle.
Market Outlook for Samvat 2082
Experts are optimistic about the start of Samvat 2082, expecting stronger corporate earnings and renewed investor confidence. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, noted that “despite a robust pre-Diwali rally, Samvat 2081 was largely a consolidation year, with earnings growth slowing to around 5%.”
Brokerage firm Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd highlighted that policy support and improved liquidity are underpinning the positive market sentiment. “Samvat 2082 begins on a strong footing thanks to fiscal and monetary tailwinds. The RBI’s repo rate cut of 100 bps and CRR reduction of 150 bps, along with income tax relief measures, are boosting liquidity and demand, supporting corporate earnings,” the firm said.
Motilal Oswal also pointed to controlled inflation, the rollout of GST 2.0, and improving consumer sentiment as factors likely to drive a domestic growth revival. They anticipate a pickup in private capital expenditure and consumption-led growth, with Nifty earnings expected to grow by 8% in FY26 and 16% in FY27, up from just 1% in FY25.
The brokerage expects cyclical and structural growth sectors—banking and financial services, capital markets, consumption, manufacturing (including defence, industrials, and electronics), and digital businesses—to perform well in the new Samvat year. While valuations for Nifty stocks remain reasonable at about 20x FY26 earnings, mid and small-cap stocks trade at a slight premium, prompting a selective approach to investing.
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