Indian equities: Two-thirds of Nifty 500 stocks trade below last year’s levels – News Air Insight

It has been a bruising year for Indian equities since they began their slide from record highs in September 2024. The Nifty 50, still 1,623 points, or 6.8%, short of its peak of 26,277.35, has swung through global wars, tariff shocks, and relentless foreign selling, leaving two-thirds of the broader Nifty 500 stocks below year ago levels.

While pockets such as capital markets, defence, PSU banks and fi nancials have managed gains, the wider market picture remains weak.

A study from brokerage Samco Securities showed that out of the top 750 listed stocks, only 245 have delivered positive returns, while 485 stocks continue to trade lower (20 stocks were listed after September 26, 2024).

The median return is -11.5%, and the average return of these stocks is -6.25%. This highlights that losses are more widespread than the index alone suggests, said Apurva Sheth, head of research at Samco Securities.

In contrast, investors who turned to alternative assets reaped outsized rewards— Bitcoin surged 79% and gold and silver rallied over 51% — far outpacing the Nifty and Sensex, which are down 6% over the same period.