Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 15 (ANI): The Indian stock market on Monday begin the week on a negative note with Nifty managing to close above 26,000 in the volatile session.

Sensex and Nifty 50 ended in the red. Sensex ended 54 points, or 0.06%, lower at 85,213.36, while the Nifty 50 closed at 26,027.30, down 20 points, or 0.08%.

Among the sectors, most indies ended higher with Nifty Media spiked 1.79%, FMCG up by 0.69%, Consumer Durables up by 0.52%, Nifty Bank up by 0.12% among others.

Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities said the Nifty recovered smartly from a gap-down on opening on an Intraday basis but closed 0.08% lower at 26,027.

'On the sectoral front, Nifty Media ended the day as the top sectoral gainer, followed by Nifty FMCG. On the other hand, Nifty Auto and Nifty Pharma emerged as the top two sectoral losers. With regards to stocks, Indigo and Trent, emerged as the top stock gainers amongst the Nifty pack while M&M & Eicher Motors emerged as the top two losers,' Shah said.

'The Midcap index formed a thin-bodied candle with a long lower shadow, highlighting buying interest at lower levels. It managed to close above the 20-day EMA, indicating that bulls are attempting to regain control. Near-term momentum appears to be stabilising, though follow-through buying will be crucial.'

'The Smallcap index extended its corrective phase for the third straight session. Despite intermittent buying attempts, the broader trend remains weak as the index continues to trade below its key short and long-term moving averages. This suggests cautious sentiment, with recovery likely to remain gradual and selective,' he added.

'The market breadth was somewhat balanced with neither the bulls nor the bears gaining significant control at the day's close. A total of 258 stocks out of the Nifty 500 universe ended in green.'

Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, a SEBI registered online trading and wealth tech firm said, 'Indian equity markets ended today's session on a muted, consolidative note, recovering from early weakness but lacking meaningful follow-through buying.'

'Persistent FII selling, rupee depreciation, weakness in Asian equities and India-US trade-related uncertainty kept risk appetite cautious, though domestic flows and bargain hunting helped absorb downside pressure. Sentiment improved after the latest data revealed robust growth in India's merchandise exports for November 2025, marking the strongest performance in the past decade.'

'Notably, exports to the US also recorded strong growth despite the imposition of 50% tariffs, underscoring the resilience of India's export sector and its ability to withstand protectionist measures. This positive macro development helped offset early pessimism and supported a late-session pullback in equities,' Ponmudi R said.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited also echoed on the persistent foreign fund outflows and a weak rupee.

'Currency volatility likely to continue until clarity emerges on the India-US trade deal. Expectations of an earnings recovery in H2FY26, supported by monetary and fiscal growth drivers, are helping stabilize sentiment. Going forward, market momentum is expected to be earnings-led rather than valuation-driven. Investors are also awaiting key economic indicators, including U.S. CPI inflation and unemployment data, which will shape global liquidity expectations and the interest rate outlook for 2026.' (ANI)