The benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50 are expected to start on Wednesday, December 31, the last trading day of 2025, on a flat note amid light trading volumes and weak overnight signals, as several Asian markets, including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, remain shut for New Year’s Eve.

Indian equities closed almost unchanged on Tuesday, December 30, with investors largely avoiding fresh positions due to a lack of domestic triggers and mixed overnight cues from global markets.

Domestic Market Recap

On Tuesday, Indian indices closed in the red:

• Sensex down by 20 points (0.02%) to close at 84,675.08
• Nifty 50 moved down by 3 points (0.01%) to settle at 25,938.85

Gift Nifty

Gift Nifty was trading near 26,127, around 24 points higher than the previous Nifty futures close, hinting at a muted start for Indian markets.

Overnight Wall Street Performance

Wall Street stocks slipped marginally on Tuesday as the final stretch of 2025 approached, with just one trading session left in the year. Most large investors had already wrapped up their positions, leading to low trading volumes, even as all major indices remained on track for double-digit annual gains.

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped by 94.87 points (0.20%) to close at 48,367.06.
• S&P 500 down by 9.50 points (0.10%), ending at 6,894.24.
• The Nasdaq Composite was lower by 55.27 points (0.20%), finishing at 23,419.08.

Gold Prices

• Spot gold was trading 1.61% lower at $4,300.56 per ounce.
• The US gold futures slumped by 1.75% to $4,309.50.

Crude Oil Prices

• Brent crude slipped by 0.13% to $61.25/barrel
• US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was trading 0.12% lower at $57.88/barrel

Overnight Major Global Events Driving Sentiment

1. US Fed Minutes: The minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s December meeting showed that policymakers agreed to cut interest rates only after intense discussion, as risks to the US economy remained evenly balanced. The Fed will hold its next policy meeting on January 27–28, and markets currently expect the central bank to keep interest rates unchanged. The minutes also revealed that several officials who voted for the rate cut admitted the decision was a close call, with some saying they could have supported leaving rates unchanged due to mixed economic risks facing the US economy.

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