Weekly Wrap-Up: Market Highs, Portfolio Blues, and India’s Historic Defense Leap
Welcome to our weekly digest! It’s been a week of record-breaking headlines and critical strategic shifts. From the heights of the Nifty 50 to the halls of the Defence Ministry, here is everything you need to know.
📈 Nifty 50 Hits 25,700: Why Is Your Portfolio Still Red?
The Indian stock market reached a psychological milestone this month as the Nifty 50 surged past the 25,700 mark, confirming a strong price breakout. While indices touched fresh one-year highs, many individual investors are left wondering: “Why is my portfolio in the red?”.
- Index Concentration: Market highs are often driven by a handful of top-performing stocks with heavy weighting, such as Asian Paints and ONGC, which saw gains even during volatile sessions.
- Sectoral Rotation: Defensive sectors like IT and Oil & Gas have shown resilience, but broader market sentiment remains cautious due to global uncertainties like pending US tariff rulings.
- Selective Participation: A “rising tide” doesn’t lift all boats; portfolios focused on sectors currently out of favor may limp along while the headline index rallies.
📅 Plan Your Trades: NSE & BSE 2026 Holiday Calendar
Managing your trading schedule is vital for navigating volatility. For 2026, the exchanges have declared 16 weekday holidays.
| Key Date | Day | Occasion |
| Jan 15 | Thursday | Maharashtra Municipal Elections |
| Jan 26 | Monday | Republic Day |
| Mar 03 | Tuesday | Holi |
| Nov 08 | Sunday | Muhurat Trading (Diwali Laxmi Pujan) |
- Note: February and August will have no trading holidays apart from weekends.
- Settlement Holidays: Mark your calendars for February 19 and August 27—trading remains open, but fund and share settlements are deferred.
✈️ Defense Focus: The ₹3.25 Lakh Crore Rafale Deal
In what could be India’s largest-ever defense acquisition, the Ministry of Defence is set to discuss a massive ₹3.25 lakh crore deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets this week.
- The Vision: This procurement aims to take the total number of Rafale jets in the Indian military to 176, supplementing the IAF’s existing 36 and the Navy’s 26.
- Make in India: While 12–18 jets will be acquired in “fly-away” condition, the majority will be manufactured in India with indigenous content expected to eventually exceed 60%.
- Strategic Infrastructure: France plans to set up a dedicated Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad for the M-88 engines.
