On May 12, 2025, the Nifty 50 witnessed a rare 3.82% rally, its biggest surge since 2021. But how often does the market move by 3% or more in a single day? Discover the surprising frequency of such massive moves and the crucial lessons investors can learn from these high-stakes trading sessions.
Monday, May 12, 2025, was a historic day for Indian equity markets. The Nifty 50 index surged by over 900 points, marking its largest single-day jump in absolute terms. The BSE Sensex also recorded impressive gains of nearly 3,000 points. In percentage terms, Nifty rose by 3.82%, its best performance since 2021. The rally was fueled by several key catalysts, including easing tensions between India and Pakistan, positive updates on the monsoon from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and progress in trade negotiations between the US and China.
Despite the strong rally, the journey was not without its challenges. Volatility surged, and investor nerves were tested as reports of escalating geopolitical tensions emerged. This underscores the importance of staying invested rather than attempting to time the market. Tony Robbins, in his book Unshakable, shares a striking statistic: From 1996 to 2015, the S&P 500 returned an average of 8.2% per year. However, missing just the top 10 trading days over this period would have reduced annual returns to 4.5%. Missing the top 20 trading days further reduced returns to 2.1%, and missing the top 30 trading days would have resulted in zero returns.
To understand how rare and significant the 3%+ move in Nifty is, let’s look at historical instances where the Nifty 50 index experienced a move of 3% or more in a single trading session. The table below outlines these occurrences since March 2009:
| Date | % Move |
| March 26, 2009 | 3.28 |
| April 2, 2009 | 4.92 |
| April 15, 2009 | 3.00 |
| April 29, 2009 | 3.32 |
| May 4, 2009 | 5.18 |
| May 12, 2009 | 3.56 |
| May 18, 2009 | 17.74 |
| May 27, 2009 | 3.87 |
| June 26, 2009 | 3.15 |
| July 14, 2009 | 3.46 |
| July 17, 2009 | 3.39 |
| August 13, 2009 | 3.31 |
| November 4, 2009 | 3.22 |
| December 23, 2009 | 3.18 |
| May 10, 2010 | 3.50 |
| March 1, 2011 | 3.54 |
| August 29, 2011 | 3.62 |
| October 28, 2011 | 3.05 |
| November 28, 2011 | 3.00 |
| December 21, 2011 | 3.28 |
| October 10, 2013 | 3.81 |
| October 19, 2013 | 3.66 |
| March 1, 2016 | 3.37 |
| May 20, 2019 | 3.69 |
| September 20, 2019 | 5.32 |
| March 13, 2020 | 3.81 |
| March 20, 2020 | 5.83 |
| March 25, 2020 | 6.62 |
| March 26, 2020 | 3.89 |
| March 31, 2020 | 3.82 |
| April 7, 2020 | 8.76 |
| April 9, 2020 | 4.15 |
| April 30, 2020 | 3.21 |
| May 27, 2020 | 3.17 |
| Feb 1, 2021 | 4.74 |
| Feb 15, 2022 | 3.03 |
| June 3, 2024 | 3.25 |
| June 5, 2024 | 3.36 |
| May 12, 2025 | 3.82 |
From the table above, we can calculate how often the Nifty 50 index moved by 3% or more in a single session. Since March 2009, there have been 39 instances where the Nifty 50 index posted a move of 3% or more in a single trading day.
Disclaimer: The article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.
For android only