 | |
 Performance of the NIFTY 50 index between 1990 and 2024 | |
| Foundation | 22 April 1996 (29 years ago) (22 April 1996) |
|---|---|
| Operator | NSE Indices |
| Exchanges | NSE |
| Trading symbol | ^NSEI |
| Constituents | 50 |
| Type | Large cap |
| Market cap | ₹209 lakh crore (US$2.5 trillion) (December 2025) |
| Weighting method | Free-float capitalization-weighted |
| Related indices | NIFTY Next 50 NIFTY 500 |
| Website | www |
The NIFTY 50 is an Indianstock market index that represents thefloat-weighted average of 50 of the largest Indian companies listed on theNational Stock Exchange (NSE).[1][2] Nifty 50 is owned and managed byNSE Indices, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NSE.[3][4] The Nifty 50 index was launched on 22 April 1996 with a base date of 3 November 1995 and with 1,000 as its base value.[1][5][6]
The NIFTY 50 index ecosystem consists ofindex funds (both onshore and offshoremutual funds andETFs), andfutures and options atNSE and NSE International Exchange (throughGIFT Nifty).[7][8] In 2016, NIFTY 50 was reported by theWFE andFIA as the world's most actively traded indexoptions contract, but it was later overtaken by Nifty Bank.[9][10][11] In 2024, NIFTY 50 overtook Nifty Bank after the latter'sweekly expiry contracts were discontinued.[12]
The NIFTY 50 index covers 13 sectors of theIndian economy and offers investment managers exposure to the Indian market in one portfolio. As of November 2025, NIFTY 50 gives a weightage of 36.84% tofinancial services includingbanking, 10.39% tooil and gas, 10.23% toinformation technology, 6.81% toautomotive, and 6.49% toconsumer goods.[1]
The NIFTY 50 index is afree float market capitalisation-weighted index.
Stocks are added to the index based on the following criteria:[1]
The index was initially calculated on a full market capitalization methodology. On 26 June 2009, the computation was changed to a free-float methodology.[13] The base period for the NIFTY 50 index is 3 November 1995, which marked the completion of one year of operations of the equity market segment on NSE. The base value of the index has been set at 1,000 and a base capital of ₹2.06 trillion.[1][14]
The index is re-balanced on semi-annual basis. The cut-off date is 31 January and 31 July every year; further, average data for the previous six months from the cut-off date is considered to filter stocks. A notice of 4 weeks from the date of change is given to market participants so that they can prepare for any changes.[1]
The Nifty 50 has the following constituents, as of 8 December 2025.
| Company name | Symbol | Sector[15] | Date added[16] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adani Enterprises | ADANIENT | Metals & Mining | 30 September 2022 |
| Adani Ports & SEZ | ADANIPORTS | Services | 28 September 2015 |
| Apollo Hospitals | APOLLOHOSP | Healthcare | 31 March 2022 |
| Asian Paints | ASIANPAINT | Consumer Durables | 27 April 2012[a] |
| Axis Bank | AXISBANK | Financial Services | 27 March 2009 |
| Bajaj Auto | BAJAJ-AUTO | Automobile and Auto Components | 1 October 2010[b] |
| Bajaj Finance | BAJFINANCE | Financial Services | 29 September 2017 |
| Bajaj Finserv | BAJAJFINSV | Financial Services | 2 April 2018 |
| Bharat Electronics | BEL | Capital Goods | 30 September 2024 |
| Bharti Airtel | BHARTIARTL | Telecommunication | 1 March 2004 |
| Cipla | CIPLA | Healthcare | 7 October 1998 |
| Coal India | COALINDIA | Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels | 10 October 2011 |
| Dr. Reddy's Laboratories | DRREDDY | Healthcare | 1 October 2010[c] |
| Eicher Motors | EICHERMOT | Automobile and Auto Components | 1 April 2016 |
| Eternal | ETERNAL | Consumer Services | 28 March 2025 |
| Grasim Industries | GRASIM | Construction Materials | 2 April 2018[d] |
| HCLTech | HCLTECH | Information Technology | 28 October 2002 |
| HDFC Bank | HDFCBANK | Financial Services | 22 April 1996 |
| HDFC Life | HDFCLIFE | Financial Services | 31 July 2020 |
| Hindalco Industries | HINDALCO | Metals & Mining | 22 April 1996 |
| Hindustan Unilever | HINDUNILVR | Fast Moving Consumer Goods | 22 April 1996 |
| ICICI Bank | ICICIBANK | Financial Services | 25 January 2002 |
| IndiGo | INDIGO | Services | 30 September 2025 |
| Infosys | INFY | Information Technology | 7 October 1998 |
| ITC | ITC | Fast Moving Consumer Goods | 22 April 1996 |
| Jio Financial Services | JIOFIN | Financial Services | 28 March 2025 |
| JSW Steel | JSWSTEEL | Metals & Mining | 28 September 2018 |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank | KOTAKBANK | Financial Services | 8 April 2010 |
| Larsen & Toubro | LT | Construction | 10 December 2004[e] |
| Mahindra & Mahindra | M&M | Automobile and Auto Components | 18 September 1996 |
| Maruti Suzuki | MARUTI | Automobile and Auto Components | 1 March 2004 |
| Max Healthcare | MAXHEALTH | Healthcare | 30 September 2025 |
| Nestlé India | NESTLEIND | Fast Moving Consumer Goods | 27 September 2019[f] |
| NTPC | NTPC | Power | 24 September 2007 |
| Oil and Natural Gas Corporation | ONGC | Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels | 12 April 2004 |
| Power Grid | POWERGRID | Power | 14 March 2008 |
| Reliance Industries | RELIANCE | Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels | 22 April 1996 |
| SBI Life Insurance Company | SBILIFE | Financial Services | 25 September 2020 |
| Shriram Finance | SHRIRAMFIN | Financial Services | 28 March 2024 |
| State Bank of India | SBIN | Financial Services | 22 April 1996 |
| Sun Pharma | SUNPHARMA | Healthcare | 17 January 2002 |
| Tata Consultancy Services | TCS | Information Technology | 25 February 2005 |
| Tata Consumer Products | TATACONSUM | Fast Moving Consumer Goods | 31 March 2021[g] |
| Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles | TMPV | Automobile and Auto Components | 22 April 1996 |
| Tata Steel | TATASTEEL | Metals & Mining | 22 April 1996 |
| Tech Mahindra | TECHM | Information Technology | 28 March 2014 |
| Titan Company | TITAN | Consumer Durables | 2 April 2018 |
| Trent | TRENT | Consumer Services | 30 September 2024 |
| UltraTech Cement | ULTRACEMCO | Construction Materials | 28 September 2012 |
| Wipro | WIPRO | Information Technology | 27 September 2013[h] |
Changes in index constituents since Nifty 50 since 2005:
| Category | All-time highs[59] | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Date | |
| Closing | 26,328.55 | Friday, 2 January 2026 |
| Intraday | 26,340.00 | Friday, 2 January 2026 |
Milestones
| Milestone value | First touch |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | 2 December 1999 |
| 2,000 | 2 December 2004 |
| 3,000 | 30 January 2006 |
| 4,000 | 1 December 2006 |
| 5,000 | 27 September 2007 |
| 10,000 | 25 July 2017 |
| 15,000 | 5 February 2021 |
| 20,000 | 11 September 2023 |
| 25,000 | 1 August 2024 |
| 26,000 | 24 September 2024 |
The following table lists some of the notable single-day falls of the NIFTY 50 index.
| Date | Fall | Probable reason |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 1997 | 89.50 points (8.46%) | Congress withdraws support to theUnited Front coalition government.[60][61] |
| 28 October 1997 | 88.20 points (7.87%) | Asian financial crisis.[62] |
| 17 April 1999 | 77.50 points (7.42%) | Vajpayee loses ano-confidence motion by one vote afterAIADMK withdraws support to theNDA coalition government.[63] |
| 4 April 2000 | 106.65 points (6.90%) | Dot-com bubble burst.[64] |
| 14 May 2004 | 135.10 points (7.87%) | 2004 Indian general election results. |
| 17 May 2004 | 196.90 points (12.24%) | 2004 Indian general election results.[65] |
| 21 January 2008 | 496.50 points (8.70%) | USsubprime mortgage crisis.[66] |
| 22 January 2008 | 309.50 points (5.94%) | US subprime mortgage crisis. |
| 24 October 2008 | 386 points (13.11%) | Global financial crisis.[67] |
| 7 January 2009 | 192.40 points (6.18%) | Satyam scandal.[68] |
| 6 July 2009 | 258.55 points (5.84%) | Union budget announcement.[69] |
| 24 August 2015 | 490.95 points (5.92%) | Chinese stock market crash.[70] |
| 12 March 2020 | 868.25 points (8.30%) | COVID-19 pandemic;WHO declares it apandemic.[71] |
| 16 March 2020 | 757.80 points (7.61%) | COVID-19 pandemic.[72] |
| 23 March 2020 | 1,135.20 points (12.98%) | COVID-19 pandemic.[73] |
| 4 June 2024 | 1,379.40 points (5.93%) | Theincumbent government secured fewer seats in the2024 Indian general elections than was predicted by theexit polls.[74] |
The following table lists some of the notable single-day gains of the NIFTY 50 index.
| Date | Gain | Probable reason |
|---|---|---|
| 18 May 2009 | 651.50 points (17.74%) | 2009 Indian general election results caused multipletrading curbs.[75] |
| 20 September 2019 | 655.45 points (6.12%) | Announcement of corporate tax rate cuts.[76] |
| 25 March 2020 | 516.80 points (6.62%) | US Senate passes a $2.2 trillioneconomic stimulus bill in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[77] |
| 7 April 2020 | 708.40 points (8.76%) | Indications that COVID-19 cases were easing around the world.[78] |
| 1 February 2021 | 646.60 points (4.74%) | Union budget announcement.[79] |
The following table shows the annual development of the NIFTY 50 since 2000.[80][81] The historical daily returns data can be accessed from theNSE website.[82]
| Year | Closing level | Change in Index in Points | Change in Index in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,263.55 | −216.90 | −14.65 |
| 2001 | 1,059.05 | −204.50 | −13.94 |
| 2002 | 1,093.50 | 34.45 | 3.25 |
| 2003 | 1,879.75 | 786.25 | 71.90 |
| 2004 | 2,080.50 | 200.75 | 10.68 |
| 2005 | 2,836.55 | 756.05 | 36.34 |
| 2006 | 3,966.40 | 1,129.85 | 39.83 |
| 2007 | 6,138.60 | 2,172.20 | 54.77 |
| 2008 | 2,959.15 | −3,179.45 | −51.79 |
| 2009 | 5,201.05 | 2,241.90 | 75.76 |
| 2010 | 6,134.50 | 933.45 | 17.95 |
| 2011 | 4,624.30 | −1,510.20 | −24.62 |
| 2012 | 5,905.10 | 1,280.80 | 27.70 |
| 2013 | 6,304.00 | 398.90 | 6.76 |
| 2014 | 8,282.70 | 1,978.70 | 31.39 |
| 2015 | 7,964.35 | −336.35 | −4.06 |
| 2016 | 8,185.80 | 239.45 | 3.01 |
| 2017 | 10,530.70 | 2,344.90 | 28.65 |
| 2018 | 10,862.55 | 331.85 | 3.15 |
| 2019 | 12,168.45 | 1,305.90 | 12.02 |
| 2020 | 13,981.75 | 1,813.30 | 14.90 |
| 2021 | 17,354.05 | 3,372.30 | 24.12 |
| 2022 | 18,105.30 | 751.25 | 4.33 |
| 2023 | 21,731.40 | 3,621.10 | 20.03 |
| 2024 | 23,644.80 | 1,913.40 | 8.80 |
Trading in futures and options on the NIFTY 50 is offered by theNSE and NSE International Exchange (NSEIX).[83][84] NSE offers weekly as well as monthly expiry options.[85]
NSE allows international traders to trade on the NIFTY 50 byGIFT NIFTY. The same index had previously operated under the name SGX Nifty, and was traded on theSingapore Exchange. It was rebranded to GIFT Nifty on 3 July 2023; trading was then moved to the NSE International Exchange (NSEIX), situated inGIFT City, Gandhinagar.[86][8][87] The CEO of NSEIX called it a watershed moment since it was the first time India got back an international contract which had previously been exported.[87][86]
NIFTY Next 50, also called NIFTY Junior, is an index of 50 companies whose free float market capitalisation comes after that of the companies in NIFTY 50. NIFTY Next 50 constituents are thus potential candidates for future inclusion in NIFTY 50.[88]
