NIFTY 50
 | |
 Performance of the NIFTY 50 index between 1990 and 2026 | |
| Foundation | 22 April 1996 |
|---|---|
| Operator | NSE Indices |
| Exchanges | NSE |
| Trading symbol | ^NSEI |
| Constituents | 50 |
| Type | Large cap |
| Market cap | ₹194.2 lakh crore (US$2.0 trillion) (14 July 2026) |
| Weighting method | Free-float capitalization-weighted |
| Related indices | NIFTY Next 50 NIFTY 500 |
| Website | www |
The NIFTY 50 is an Indian stock market index that represents the float-weighted average of 50 of the largest Indian companies listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Nifty 50 is owned and managed by NSE Indices, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NSE. The Nifty 50 index was launched on 22 April 1996 with a base date of 3 November 1995 and with 1,000 as its base value.
The NIFTY 50 is widely regarded as the benchmark index of the Indian equity market and is commonly used to measure the overall performance of large-cap Indian stocks. Because its constituents represent companies from 13 sectors of the Indian economy, the index serves as a reference for investors, fund managers, and financial analysts when evaluating market trends and portfolio performance.
The NIFTY 50 index ecosystem consists of index funds (both onshore and offshore mutual funds and ETFs), and futures and options at NSE and NSE International Exchange (through GIFT Nifty). In 2016, NIFTY 50 was reported by the WFE and FIA as the world's most actively traded index options contract, but it was later overtaken by Nifty Bank. In 2024, NIFTY 50 overtook Nifty Bank after the latter's weekly expiry contracts were discontinued.
As of August 2026, NIFTY 50 gives a weightage of 36.47% to financial services including banking, 9.52% to oil and gas, 8.48% to information technology, 7.06% to automotive, and 5.41% to fast moving consumer goods.