Stock Market Today: Gift Nifty gives flat signal, how will the market move on the budget day?
Stock Market Updates on Sunday, February 1, 2026: Indian stock markets are expected to open flat today (Sunday, February 1). Nifty futures were up 16 points at 25,420 at 8 am. This indicates a flat opening for the key benchmark index, the Nifty 50.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for the fiscal year 2026 on February 1, 2026, at 11:00 am. Despite being a Sunday, Indian stock markets will remain open. Based on past records, the presentation of the budget has a profound impact on market sentiment. This influences not only the day's trading but also the medium-term sectoral trend.
The Union Budget has historically been a significant event for the Indian stock markets. It often determines market movements in the short term and influences sectoral trends based on policy direction. The upcoming Union Budget for FY2026 is likely to focus specifically on defense, capex, and overall economic stability.
In the previous session, Indian stock markets on Friday snapped a three-day rally. The BSE Sensex fell 296.59 points, or 0.36 percent, to close at 82,269.78. The NSE Nifty 50 declined 98.25 points, or 0.39 percent, to close at 25,320.65. On a monthly basis, the Nifty declined 3.1 percent. This was its worst monthly performance since February 2025, when the Nifty had lost more than 5.8 percent.
Global markets
Globally, major Wall Street indexes closed lower on Friday after US President Donald Trump nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh as the successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who is considered to have a hawkish monetary stance.
Additionally, markets digested corporate results and stronger-than-expected inflation data. The S&P 500 fell 0.43 percent, the Nasdaq Composite, which includes tech stocks, lost 0.94 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.36 percent.
Asian markets also closed mostly lower on Friday, weighed down by Apple's warning of rising memory chip costs and China's state-run Securities Times advising investors to be wary of speculation.
China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.96 percent, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.65 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225 fell marginally 0.09 percent. However, South Korea's Kospi closed with a slight gain of 0.06 percent, bucking the broader weakness
