Buy or sell stocks: The Indian stock market is set to begin the second trading session of 2026 on a cautiously positive and stable note. As international markets reopen gradually, overseas cues remain limited, keeping early trade largely driven by domestic factors. With the Q3 earnings season approaching, investors are positioning for resilient results in consumer-oriented sectors, underpinned by GST rationalisation tailwinds and robust festive-season demand.
Steady domestic institutional inflows continue to provide broader support, helping offset aggressive selling by foreign investors. However, investors are expected to remain vigilant about the movement in gold and silver rates today, as global bourses, especially the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the US Stock Market, will resume trading today after the stock market holiday for the New Year 2026.
Stock market today
Vaishali Parekh, Vice President of Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, believes the Indian stock market sentiment is optimistic to positive. The Prabhudas Lilladher expert stated that the Nifty 50 index is close to its immediate hurdle, positioned at 26,200. However, a trend reversal pattern visible on the technical chart suggests that the 50-stock index is poised to break above this resistance.
Speaking on the outlook of the Nifty 50 index, Vaishali Parekh said, “The Nifty 50 index started the year with a rangebound movement gripped between within a narrow band throughout the session and ended on a flat note near the 26150 zone with bias and sentiment maintained positive anticipating for further rise in the coming sessions.”
The Prabhudas Lilladher expert said the 50-stock index would have the important support positioned near the 25,850 level as we have been mentioning earlier, and, on the upside, would need to move past the 26,200 zone to establish conviction and thereafter, expect to continue with the upward move to trigger for fresh breakout in the coming days.
On the outlook of the Bank Nifty index, Parekh said, “The Bank Nifty index also remained flat during the session with a narrow movement witnessed and closed marginally in the green near the 59,700 zone with bias maintained with an optimistic approach for the coming sessions. As mentioned earlier, the index would need a decisive breakout above the tough resistance barrier of 59,800 zone to trigger a fresh upward move in the coming days, having the important support maintained near the 58700 zone, which needs to be sustained.”
Parekh stated that immediate support for the Nifty 50 index is located at 26,000, while the resistance level is at 26,300. The Bank Nifty is expected to have a daily range of 59,400 to 60,300.
Vaishali Parekh’s stock recommendations for today
Regarding intraday stocks for today, Vaishali Parekh recommended three buy-or-sell stocks: Finolex Industries, Astral, Samvardhana Motherson.
1] Finolex Industries: Buy at ₹173, Target ₹182, Stop Loss ₹169.
The stock has formed a rounding bottom pattern on the technical chart, signalling a fresh bull trend around the corner.
2] Astral: Buy at ₹1420, Target ₹1480, Stop Loss ₹1400.
The stock is currently exhibiting an oversold position on the technical chart, and a trend reversal is visible.
3] Samvardhana Motherson: Buy at ₹120, Target ₹127, Stop Loss ₹118.
The stock is on the cusp of a breakout at the ₹123 mark. The breakout appears possible, given the stock’s high trade volume.
Gold, Silver rates today
The Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) data showed that the gold prices dropped 0.08% or ₹114 per 10 grams to ₹1,35,690 per 10 grams as of 5:30 p.m. (IST), compared to ₹1,35,804 per 10 grams, according to the official data.
While silver prices on the MCX closed 0.03% or ₹73 per kilogram lower at ₹2,35,800 per kilogram as of 5:30 p.m. (IST), compared to ₹2,35,873 per kilogram.
Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
