Markets Swing Ahead Of Budget, Exchanges Open On Rare Sunday

The Indian markets swing marginally after having opened slightly lower ahead of Union Budget 2026, reflecting a cautious approach among investors as the markets stay open on a Sunday.

Sensex, the 30-share pack of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), fell 100 points at open but quickly went up in green. Nifty, representing the top 50 stocks by market value in the National Stock Exchange (NSE), remains in the red at 9:40 am.

The major gainers in the Sensex pack include Sun Pharma, Bharat Electronics, Power Grid, NTPC and HDFC Bank, whereas Infosys, Tata Steel, Eternal, and Tech Mahindra are among the laggards.

High volatility will continue in the markets with sharp moves possible in either direction, say experts.

Both stock exchanges had announced a special trading session this Sunday in view of the ninth consecutive budget presentation by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at 11 am. However, debt and foreign exchange markets are shut. Check the Budget live updates here

Since the last budget, Nifty50 has gone up just 7.8%, underperforming in comparison with its Asian peers as record foreign outflows and muted corporate earnings hit investor sentiments.

However, policy measures like GST cuts and interest rate cuts since the last budget have improved earnings and consumption demand since.

Meanwhile, gold and silver futures have crashed about 6% each after an overnight sell-off as speculations over import duties hit jewellery traders.

The Economic Survey, released on Thursday, projects India's GDP growth in the ongoing financial year at 7.4% and between 6.8% and 7.2% in the next financial year (2026-27).