Sensex, Nifty trim gains; trade near neutral lines

Trimming most of their gains, Indian equity benchmarks traded near their neutral lines in early afternoon session, with both Sensex and Nifty holding only marginal gains, on the back of heavy selling at Realty, Capital Goods and Utilities counters. Traders got cautious, as Crisil in its latest report has said that India's merchandise exports fell 11.8 per cent year-on-year, since August 2024, to $34.38 billion in October 2025. It said this follows a 50 per cent increase in US tariffs on August 27, 2025, a move that has subdued exports for the second month in a row. 

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in green, after Singapore's economic growth for the current year was upgraded on Friday after the city-state economy posted a stronger-than-expected expansion in the third quarter. The Ministry of Trade and Industry forecast the economy to grow around 4 percent in 2025, which was revised up from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent projected earlier. For 2026, the ministry projected the economy to expand 1.0 percent to 3.0 percent.

Back home, insurance industry stocks were in focus, as the government has proposed to introduce a bill to raise FDI in the insurance sector to 100 per cent in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament. The Winter session of Parliament is slated to begin on December 1 and continue till December 19. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 85263.67, up by 31.75 points or 0.04% after trading in a range of 85209.91 and 85473.47. There were 11 stocks advancing against 18 stocks declining, while 1 stock remained unchanged on the index.

The broader indices were trading in red; the BSE Mid cap index was down by 0.09%, while Small cap index down by 0.65%.

The few gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 0.94%, TECK up by 0.69% and Bankex up by 0.50%, while Realty down by 1.07%, Capital Goods down by 1.00%, Utilities down by 0.97%, Industrials down by 0.78% and Basic Materials down by 0.77% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tech Mahindra up by 3.02%, Infosys up by 1.19%, HCL Tech. up by 1.08%, HDFC Bank up by 0.87% and Axis Bank up by 0.63%. On the flip side, Bharat Electronics down by 2.08%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 1.17%, Trent down by 1.16%, Tata Steel down by 0.83% and Power Grid down by 0.83% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, in a historic decision, the Government of India has made the four Labour Codes - the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, effective from November 21, 2025, rationalising 29 existing labour laws. By modernising labour regulations, enhancing workers' welfare and aligning the labour ecosystem with the evolving world of work, this landmark move lays the foundation for a future-ready workforce and stronger, resilient industries driving labour reforms for Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Many of India’s labour laws were framed in the pre-Independence and early post-Independence era (1930s-1950s), at a time when the economy and world of work were fundamentally different. While most major economies have updated and consolidated their labour regulations in recent decades, India continued to operate under fragmented, complex and in several parts outdated provisions spread across 29 Central labour laws. These restrictive frameworks struggled to keep pace with changing economic realities and evolving forms of employment, creating uncertainty and increasing compliance burden for both workers and industry. 

The implementation of the four Labour Codes addresses this long-pending need to move beyond colonial-era structures and align with modern global trends. Together, these Codes empower both workers and enterprises, building a workforce that is protected, productive and aligned with the evolving world of work - paving the way for a more resilient, competitive and self-reliant nation.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 26077.45, up by 9.30 points or 0.04% after trading in a range of 26063.20 and 26142.80. There were 22 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Tech Mahindra up by 2.96%, Eicher Motors up by 1.84%, Bajaj Auto up by 1.42%, Wipro up by 1.39% and Infosys up by 1.17%. On the flip side, Bharat Electronics down by 2.15%, JSW Steel down by 1.82%, Coal India down by 1.27%, Max Healthcare Inst down by 1.15% and Trent down by 1.13% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Hang Seng advanced 486.98 points or 1.93% to 25,707.00, Taiwan Weighted added 69.3 points or 0.26% to 26,504.24, Jakarta Composite gained 65.76 points or 0.78% to 8,480.11, Straits Times rose 27.47 points or 0.61% to 4,496.61 and Shanghai Composite strengthened 3.45 points or 0.09% to 3,838.34, while KOSPI dropped 7.20 points or 0.19% to 3,846.06.