Nifty ends near 25,300, Sensex up 32 points as financials offset auto drag

Indian equity benchmarks finished a volatile session with marginal gains on Thursday, 12 November 2026, extending their winning streak to a third consecutive session. The Sensex rose 31.61 points (0.04%) to 81,911.01, while the Nifty 50 settled at 25,299.35, up 44.30 points (0.18%) [citation:6][citation:14].

The indices had surged over 0.5% intraday, with the Sensex touching a high of 82,325.61 and the Nifty reaching 25,384.80, before profit booking in heavyweight stocks capped the upside [citation:14]. The broader markets significantly outperformed the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 rising 0.85% and the Nifty Smallcap 100 gaining 1.12% [citation:14].

Sector Gainers: Nifty Realty emerged as the top gainer, surging 4.51%, followed by Nifty Media (up 2.46%) and Nifty PSU Bank (up 1.51%) [citation:5].

Sector Losers: Nifty FMCG, Nifty Oil & Gas, and Nifty IT underperformed, declining up to 0.74% [citation:6].

Realty, media, PSU banks lead; IT, FMCG, oil & gas drag

The realty sector was the standout performer, with the Nifty Realty index surging 4.51% [citation:5]. Media and PSU Bank indices followed, gaining 2.46% and 1.51% respectively. Banking stocks also contributed to the rally, with HDFC Life, Shriram Finance, and Bajaj Finance emerging among the top Nifty gainers [citation:6].

On the losing side, Nifty IT, Nifty FMCG, and Nifty Oil & Gas underperformed, declining up to 0.74%. Nestle India and Mahindra & Mahindra were among the major laggards [citation:6].

Broader market sentiment remained upbeat, with 2,377 shares advancing against 1,878 declining on the NSE, while 195 shares remained unchanged [citation:10].

Rupee falls 33 paise to 94.04; VIX crashes 5.47% to 16.59

The Indian rupee depreciated 33 paise to close at 94.04 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday, weighed down by a strong American currency [citation:3][citation:8]. The rupee had opened at 93.73 and touched an intraday high of 93.62 before sliding to a low of 94.06 [citation:3].

India VIX, the volatility gauge, crashed 5.47% to 16.59 from the previous close of 17.56, reflecting a sharp easing of near-term fear as markets stabilised [citation:2].

FII/DII Flows: Foreign institutional investors remained aggressive buyers, purchasing equities worth ₹12,563 crore on Wednesday. Domestic institutional investors also bought shares, providing broad-based support [citation:6].