In the United States, the term Nifty Fifty was an informal designation for fifty popular large-cap stocks on the New York Stock Exchange in the 1960s and 1970s that were widely regarded as solid buy and hold growth stocks, or "Blue-chip" stocks. These fifty stocks are credited by historians with propelling the bull market of the early 1970s, while their subsequent crash and underperformance through the early 1980s are an example of what may occur following a period during which many investors, influenced by a positive market sentiment, ignore fundamental stock valuation metrics. Most have since recovered and are solid performers, although a few are now defunct or otherwise worthless.
In India, the term NIFTY 50 refers to the diversified stock index of the National stock exchange, consisting of 50 stocks that represent 12 sectors of the Indian economy. It is one of the two main benchmarking indices in India, along with the BSE Sensex.