Nifty 50

Here’s a detailed overview of the NIFTY 50 (often simply called “Nifty 50”) — India’s key large-cap stock-market benchmark:

What it is

The Nifty 50 is a stock index on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) that tracks the performance of 50 of the largest and most liquid Indian companies. 

It is float-adjusted market-capitalisation weighted, meaning each company’s weight depends on its free-float market cap (i.e., publicly tradable shares) rather than total shares. 

It covers multiple sectors of the Indian economy and is seen as a broad indicator of large-cap equity market performance in India. 

As of recent data, the Nifty 50 represents around 55.48% of the free-float market capitalization of stocks listed on the NSE. 

Key history / facts

Launch date: 22 April 1996 (based on a base date of 3 November 1995 with base value = 1,000). 

The index has undergone several changes in constituents over time depending on liquidity, market-cap, trading history. 

The all-time high values: the index reached intraday ~26,277 on 27 September 2024. 

Recent status & market context

As at 16 October 2025, the Nifty 50 closed at about 25,585.30, a gain of ~1.03% on that day. 

Analysts expect the index to approach its 2025 peak of ~25,669 and possibly test the ~26,000 zone, with key support around 25,300-25,400. 

In recent days the index climbed to three-month highs, crossing the 25,500 level amid positive trade deal cues and earnings revival. 

Why it matters

Because it represents the large-cap segment of India’s equity market, the Nifty 50 is widely used by investors (both domestic and international) as a benchmark for performance of Indian equities and a gauge of market sentiment.

Many index-funds, ETFs and derivatives (futures/options) are built around the Nifty 50, making it a key component of Indian capital markets infrastructure. 

Movements in the index often reflect macro factors (economy, corporate earnings, global cues) as well as sector-specific developments such as banking, IT, oil & gas, consumer etc.

Things to keep in mind / risks

Because it’s large-cap focused, the Nifty 50 may not reflect the performance of smaller/mid-cap companies which can behave differently.

As with any index, past performance is not indicative of future results. Market conditions can change quickly.

Sectoral concentrations matter: changes in one major constituent or sector can impact the index materially due to weighting effects.

Global and domestic risks (e.g., inflation, interest rates, currency, trade policy) can impact Indian equities and thus the index.

#Nifty50