# Diwali Muhurat Trading Delivered Gains in 12 of Past 15 Years as Equities Eye Auspicious Samvat Kickoff

> Historical performance reveals that the special one-hour Diwali trading session closed in the green 80 percent of the time over the past 15 years, fueling investor optimism for the new Samvat.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Market · **Published:** 2026-11-08 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/market/divali-muhurat-trading-ke-15-varshon-ke-rikorda-men-80-phisadi-bara-chamaka-bajara-janie-isa-bara-ke-samikarana-57837 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Muhurat Trading, Sensex, Nifty, Share Market, Diwali, Samvat, Dhanteras

Making auspicious purchases during Diwali is a deep-rooted cultural tradition across India, believed to usher in wealth and long-term prosperity. Carrying forward this sentiment, domestic bourses conduct a special one-hour Muhurat trading session even on an official trading holiday. This brief window marks the traditional transition into the new Hindu accounting year known as Samvat. Historical data demonstrates that this ritual is not merely ceremonial; it has consistently delivered tangible financial gains to market participants who step in to buy equities on this auspicious evening.

## Green Closes Dominate 12 Out of Past 15 Sessions
An examination of trading history over the past 15 years indicates that the bourses settled in positive territory on 12 distinct occasions, rewarding participants with solid opening gains. Only three times did the benchmark indices end up in the red on Diwali day. The session in 2022 stood out as the most memorable performance, during which both the Sensex and Nifty rallied by 0.88%. Conversely, the sharpest disappointment arrived in 2017, when broad-based profit booking dragged the Nifty down by 0.63% and the Sensex lower by 0.59%.

## Sensex and Nifty Multiplied Fivefold Across Decades
In October 2011, the Sensex stood at a modest level of 17,288 during the Diwali session. By the previous year, the benchmark barometer soared to 84,426 points, representing an impressive fivefold multiplication of capital over this multi-year timeline. In tandem, the Nifty surged from 5,201 to climb well past the 25,868 milestone. This wealth generation materialized despite severe macro headwinds, with domestic equities navigating multiple systemic shocks such as global recessions, the COVID-19 pandemic, elevated inflation spikes, and the geopolitical fallout from the war in Ukraine.

## Current Index Levels and the Dhanteras Rebound
Heading into the evening session, the indices still trade slightly below their levels from the previous year's festive gathering. The Nifty remains approximately 3% lower than that benchmark, while the Sensex sits nearly 4% below its prior year level. Nevertheless, sentiment received a major boost on Dhanteras, when the Nifty jumped 2.01% to finish at 25,030.35 and the Sensex added 2.17% to settle at 81,028.02. Backed by a rebound exceeding 10% across the last seven trading days, market participants are anticipating that this evening session will honor historical precedent by closing in positive territory once again.

## What this means for you
The key practical takeaway lies in portfolio sentiment and entry planning for long-term equity allocations during the festive window.

- **For retail investors:** The session offers a traditional avenue to initiate token equity positions for the new Hindu accounting year. With 80 percent of past sessions finishing in the green, retail traders often anticipate positive opening sentiment.
- **Portfolio valuations:** Recent market gains of more than 10% across seven sessions have eased earlier drawdown pressures. However, because indices remain 3% to 4% lower than last year, disciplined buyers can identify value in selective names.
- **Trading window limitation:** Market operations run for strictly 60 minutes during the holiday. Participants looking to execute token transactions must prepare their order lists beforehand to avoid missing the deadline.
- **Risk precautions:** Upward momentum is never guaranteed, as proven by the negative close recorded in 2017. Participants should avoid taking unhedged speculative positions during this shortened, highly emotional session.

## Why this happened
The combination of festive buying culture and institutional goodwill largely explains why Muhurat sessions historically favor the bulls.

- **Centuries-old accounting custom:** Indian merchant communities historically began their new account books during Diwali. Financial exchanges adopted this tradition to ring in the new Samvat with a symbolic one-hour window.
- **Predominance of buy orders:** Most retail and high-net-worth investors participate strictly to accumulate quality holdings as a token of prosperity. Because selling activity is virtually absent, the reduced liquidity naturally tilts index movements upward.
- **Support from pre-Diwali rebound:** Dhanteras brought a strong surge of over 2%, alongside a broader 10% rally over the preceding seven days. This strong reversal helped shake off recent selling pressure and rekindled bullish anticipation.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. How long does the Diwali Muhurat trading session last?
The special trading session conducted on the Diwali holiday lasts for exactly one hour.

### 2. What is the historical win rate for Muhurat sessions over the past 15 years?
The market closed in the green in 12 out of the past 15 sessions, registering losses only 3 times.

### 3. Which years recorded the best and worst Muhurat trading sessions?
The year 2022 was the best with both benchmarks gaining 0.88%, while 2017 saw drops of 0.63% in Nifty and 0.59% in Sensex.

### 4. How much have the benchmark indices grown since October 2011?
The Sensex climbed nearly fivefold from 17,288 to reach 84,426, while the Nifty advanced from 5,201 to past 25,868.

### 5. How did the benchmarks perform on Dhanteras?
On Dhanteras, the Nifty gained 2.01% to reach 25,030.35, while the Sensex rose 2.17% to close at 81,028.02.

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