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Nifty 50's 15 biggest one-day falls since 1999, and after

The Nifty 50's worst day since 1999 was 23 March 2020, −12.98%. The 15 worst days, the 10 best, and what the index did a month and a year later.

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A lighthouse standing in a storm

The worst days

The Nifty 50 fell more than 5% in a single session only a handful of times in 27 years, and almost always in a crisis. This table ranks every daily close-to-close change since 1999. The last two columns show the change over the next 21 sessions (about a month) and 252 sessions (about a year) from that day's close.

Date Change that day Close Next 21 sessions Next 252 sessions
23 March 2020 −12.98% 7,610 +22.0% +90.6%
17 May 2004 −12.24% 1,389 +8.1% +43.2%
24 October 2008 −12.20% 2,584 +6.6% +95.7%
21 January 2008 −8.70% 5,209 +1.4% −46.2%
12 March 2020 −8.30% 9,590 −6.2% +53.5%
14 May 2004 −7.87% 1,582 −6.4% +26.0%
16 March 2020 −7.61% 9,197 +0.7% +60.3%
17 April 1999 −7.42% 967 +20.0% +57.1%
4 April 2000 −6.95% 1,428 −4.4% −20.4%
18 May 2006 −6.77% 3,389 −14.7% +26.2%
11 November 2008 −6.66% 2,939 +1.4% +71.3%
10 October 2008 −6.65% 3,280 −13.2% +43.7%
7 January 2009 −6.18% 2,920 0.0% +72.4%
13 March 2001 −6.11% 1,125 −8.9% +4.0%
17 October 2008 −5.96% 3,074 −17.0% +59.3%

Fifteen of these have a full year after them; in 13 of those the index was higher a year later. The worst days are packed into 2008 (5), 2020 (3), 2004 (2).

The best days

Date Change that day Close Next 21 sessions Next 252 sessions
18 May 2009 +17.74% 4,323 +4.5% +13.7%
7 April 2020 +8.76% 8,792 +5.1% +62.8%
18 May 2004 +8.30% 1,504 −0.6% +33.8%
16 April 1999 +7.83% 1,044 +10.3% +52.5%
3 January 2000 +7.55% 1,592 −0.3% −18.9%
7 April 2000 +7.17% 1,557 −16.2% −29.2%
31 October 2008 +6.99% 2,886 −7.9% +72.9%
25 January 2008 +6.95% 5,383 −3.4% −45.5%
29 October 2008 +6.85% 2,697 −1.5% +87.4%
25 March 2020 +6.62% 8,318 +14.9% +76.6%

The best days come in the same years as the worst. In a crisis the largest rises and the largest falls sit close together, which is why missing a handful of the best days is usually also missing the days around the worst ones.

What to take from it

  • Single-day moves of this size are rare and bunched. They mark periods of stress, not isolated events.
  • The index was usually higher a year after the worst days, but the one-month column shows it sometimes kept falling first.
  • This is not a timing tool: nobody knows on the day whether a fall is the last one.
  • For this year's version, see the best and worst Nifty days in 2026 and how many days the Nifty moves more than 1%.

Source: NSE Nifty 50 daily closes, 1999 to 19 October 2026; price index. A "session" is a day with a close in the series.

Frequently asked questions

What was the Nifty 50's biggest one-day fall?

−12.98% on 23 March 2020, to a close of 7,610.

Was the Nifty 50 higher a year after its biggest one-day falls?

For the 15 of the 15 worst days with a full year of data after them, the index was higher 252 sessions later in 13 cases.

Which years had the most of the 15 worst days?

2008 (5), 2020 (3), 2004 (2).

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.

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