"Muhurat trading 2026 (8 Nov): what ten years of Nifty 50 data show"
Quantooo Lab · 2026-11-04
What is Muhurat trading?
On Diwali the NSE and BSE open for one short session, timed by tradition as an auspicious muhurat. It marks the start of the new Samvat year for many traders. In 2026 the session is on Sunday 8 November, 14:20 to 15:30 IST, and it opens Samvat 2083.
How did the Nifty 50 do in past Muhurat sessions?
Our data has the session for the years when Diwali fell on a weekday (6 of the last 10). The Nifty 50 rose in 5 of 6; the moves ranged from −0.63% to +0.88%, +0.32% on average.
| Muhurat session | Nifty 50 |
|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2017 | −0.63% |
| 7 Nov 2018 | +0.65% |
| 4 Nov 2021 | +0.49% |
| 24 Oct 2022 | +0.88% |
| 1 Nov 2024 | +0.41% |
| 21 Oct 2025 | +0.10% |
The session is short and quiet: Nifty 50 stocks traded about 14% of a normal day's volume.
And in the week after Diwali?
Over the 5 trading days after Diwali, the Nifty 50 rose in 8 of 10 years (+0.98% on average). Across every 5-day stretch since 4 Jan 2016, it rose 57% of the time (+0.23% on average). If every week had that same 57% chance, 8 or more rises in 10 would still happen by luck about 13% of the time, so ten Diwalis can't tell a pattern from chance.
Over a whole Samvat year?
From one Diwali to the next, the Nifty 50 rose in 8 of 9 Samvat years, from −1.04% to +40.86%.
| Samvat year | Nifty 50 |
|---|---|
| 30 Oct 2016 to 19 Oct 2017 | +17.46% |
| 19 Oct 2017 to 7 Nov 2018 | +4.45% |
| 7 Nov 2018 to 27 Oct 2019 | +9.30% |
| 27 Oct 2019 to 14 Nov 2020 | +9.81% |
| 14 Nov 2020 to 4 Nov 2021 | +40.86% |
| 4 Nov 2021 to 24 Oct 2022 | −1.04% |
| 24 Oct 2022 to 12 Nov 2023 | +9.56% |
| 12 Nov 2023 to 1 Nov 2024 | +25.12% |
| 1 Nov 2024 to 21 Oct 2025 | +6.44% |
For scale: any 12-month stretch since 4 Jan 2016 was up 84% of the time, so most Samvat years being up mostly reflects a market that rose over the decade. Samvat 2082 so far (Diwali 2025 to 3 Nov 2026): −7.95%.
What does it mean?
Ten years is a very small sample, and a single session tells you little about the year after it. The tradition is about a good beginning, not a forecast, and the data agrees that the day itself doesn't decide the year.
Prices: Nifty 50 daily closes (Yahoo). Every stock's score, step by step: Nifty 50 scores. For the tradition side, see AstroTradeLab.
Educational, not investment advice.