Nifty Recovers over 200 Points in Intra-day Trade on Tuesday, April 01, 2025

The Nifty 50 opened 178 points lower on Tuesday, April 1, trading below its record high of 26,277.35. Global markets continue to face uncertainty, especially with the impending implementation of reciprocal tariffs by former President Donald Trump on April 2.

Despite early gains in Asian markets, the overall global outlook remains cautious for the shortened trading week. However, after opening in the red, the Nifty recovered over 226 points to trade in the green with a minor gain of 46 points at 9:43 AM (IST).

Indian Markets Begin FY26 with Positive Momentum

Today marks the start of India’s new financial year, FY2026. Indian markets finished FY2025 with a positive outlook, posting growth for the second consecutive fiscal year.

The Nifty 50 gained over 5%, with 27 of its constituent stocks posting positive returns. Out of these, 16 stocks registered gains of over 10%.

However, three major Nifty stocks, Nestle India, Adani Ports, and Bajaj Auto, saw declines of more than 10% and emerged as the top losers.

NSE Revises Lot Sizes for Key Derivatives Contracts

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) recently announced changes to the lot sizes for derivative contracts on two important indices: Bank Nifty and Nifty Midcap Select.

Starting April 25, 2025, the lot size for Bank Nifty will increase from 30 to 35, while Nifty Midcap Select will rise from 120 to 140.

Existing contracts with expiries in April, May, and June 2025 will continue to trade with the previous lot sizes until their expiration.

SEBI Proposes Changes to Equity Derivatives Expiry Days

On March 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed limiting the expirations of all equity derivatives contracts on exchanges to either Tuesday or Thursday.

This proposal aims to optimise spacing between expirations across exchanges while avoiding Mondays and Fridays.

The NSE had previously announced a shift in the expiry days for Nifty, Bank Nifty, FinNifty, Nifty Next50, and Nifty Midcap Select to Mondays, effective April 4, 2025.

NSE’s Previous Changes to Lot Sizes and Expiries

In October 2024, the NSE increased the lot sizes for all five major index derivatives—Nifty, Bank Nifty, FinNifty, Nifty Midcap Select, and Nifty Next50—after SEBI raised the minimum contract size to ₹15 lakh.

At that time, the Nifty 50 lot size tripled from 25 to 75, while Bank Nifty’s lot size doubled from 30 to 60.

Conclusion 

As India enters the new financial year with positive momentum, the market outlook remains cautious amid global uncertainties.

Key changes to NSE derivatives contracts and SEBI’s proposed expiry adjustments reflect ongoing efforts to optimise market operations. Investors will closely monitor these developments for their potential impact on future trading strategies.

Disclaimer: This blog has been written exclusively for educational purposes. The securities mentioned are only examples and not recommendations. This does not constitute a personal recommendation/investment advice. It does not aim to influence any individual or entity to make investment decisions. Recipients should conduct their own research and assessments to form an independent opinion about investment decisions.

Investments in the securities market are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.