Counting the days that feel like news
A day when the Nifty 50 moves 1% is a day most investors notice. This post counts them: every session since 1999 on which the index closed at least 1% above or below the previous close, using NSE closing prices for the Nifty 50 without dividends.
2026 so far
To 13 October the index has traded 192 sessions in 2026, and 47 of them moved by 1% or more: 20 up and 27 down. Eight moved by 2% or more. That is already above the whole of 2025, which had 35 such days over 249 sessions, and the 2013 to 2025 average of about 55 a year.
That is 24.5% of this year's sessions, against 22% across 2013 to 2025. Busier than the recent norm, but nowhere near 2008.
The largest moves of the year were 3.78% up on 8 April and 3.26% down on 19 March. The best and worst days of 2026 lists the top ten each way.
The most and least eventful years
| Year | Sessions | Days of 1% or more | Share of sessions | Year's change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 245 | 163 | 67% | −51.8% |
| 2000 | 250 | 141 | 56% | −14.7% |
| 2009 | 241 | 136 | 56% | +75.8% |
| 2004 | 254 | 116 | 46% | +10.7% |
| 2007 | 248 | 111 | 45% | +54.8% |
| 2025 | 249 | 35 | 14% | +10.5% |
| 2018 | 245 | 38 | 16% | +3.2% |
| 2024 | 246 | 41 | 17% | +8.8% |
| 2023 | 245 | 26 | 11% | +20.0% |
| 2017 | 248 | 21 | 8% | +28.6% |
In 2008 the index moved 2% or more on 104 sessions. In 2017 it never did, and in 2023 it did once.
The 2013 to 2026 run
| Year | Days of 1% or more | of which 2% or more |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 78 | 20 |
| 2014 | 56 | 4 |
| 2015 | 68 | 13 |
| 2016 | 69 | 11 |
| 2017 | 21 | 0 |
| 2018 | 38 | 6 |
| 2019 | 45 | 6 |
| 2020 | 100 | 42 |
| 2021 | 62 | 9 |
| 2022 | 79 | 17 |
| 2023 | 26 | 1 |
| 2024 | 41 | 8 |
| 2025 | 35 | 3 |
| 2026 (to 13 Oct) | 47 | 8 |
The calm stretch from 2023 to 2025 is the quietest three-year run in the table. 2020 stands apart: 42 sessions of 2% or more, five times the 2026 count to date.
Up days and down days
Across 2013 to 2025, 384 of the 718 sessions that moved 1% or more were up, which is 53%. In 2026 only 20 of 47, or 43%, have been up. A year can have many big days without the direction being lopsided, which is what 2009 and 2008 show at opposite ends.
What a count of big days can tell you
Volatility by itself did not decide the year. Among the five years with the most 1% days, three ended higher, including 2009's gain of 75.8%. Among the five quietest, all ended higher, but with returns as different as +3.2% and +28.6%.
What a high count does tell you is how often the daily number will look alarming. Anyone judging a fund or an index by a glance at the day's change would have seen a large move on more than half the sessions of 2008, and on fewer than one in ten of 2017's.
For how funds themselves differ on this measure, see volatility by fund category. Counts here are for the index's price only and say nothing about the future. Nothing in this post is advice to buy or sell.
Frequently asked questions
How many days has the Nifty 50 moved more than 1% in 2026?
To the close on 13 October 2026, the Nifty 50 moved by 1% or more from the previous close on 47 of 192 sessions: 20 up and 27 down. Eight of them were moves of 2% or more, and six of those eight were falls.
Which year had the most 1% days in the Nifty 50?
2008, with 163 sessions of 1% or more out of 245, which is two sessions in three. 2000 followed with 141 and 2009 with 136. The calmest year was 2017, with 21 out of 248.
Are volatile years always bad years for the Nifty 50?
No. Of the five years with the most 1% days since 1999, three ended higher: 2009 (+75.8%), 2007 (+54.8%) and 2004 (+10.7%). The other two, 2008 (−51.8%) and 2000 (−14.7%), ended lower.
This is commentary on published data, not investment advice. WealthTicker is not a SEBI-registered adviser or distributor. Figures are WealthTicker’s own calculations from public data — AMFI’s fund NAVs and disclosures, NSE’s index and FII/DII files, and the fund houses’ monthly portfolios (how we calculate). They are as of the dates stated and can be revised by their source.
Keep reading
How long the Nifty 50 took to regain each peak since 1999
Of 11 falls of 15% or more since 1999, the median took 402 days from peak to a new high; three took over 1,000. The current one is 284 days old.
The Nifty 50's best and worst days of 2026 so far
Eight of the Nifty 50's ten worst days of 2026 came in March; its best was +3.78% on 8 April. September's slide, to the 21st, looks nothing like March's.
Nifty 50 down 15% from its high: how deep is this fall?
The Nifty 50 closed at 22,331.40 on 30 March 2026, 15.18% below its record, with the P/E at 19.62 and India VIX at 27.89. Where this fall sits in the record.