Indian Equities Fall 1.5%: Sensex Drops 1236 Points, Nifty Down 365 Points

Market Update at 04:04 PM: On Thursday, February 19, India’s key equity benchmarks reversed early gains and traded sharply lower amid broad-based selling across sectors. The decline snapped a three-day winning streak and wiped out more than Rs 4 lakh crore in investor wealth, pulling total BSE market capitalisation to around Rs 467 lakh crore. Markets had opened higher on optimism over improving earnings outlook but tanked in afternoon trade due to profit booking.

At the closing bell, the Nifty 50 closed down 365 points, or 1.41 per cent, at 25,454.35, while the Sensex plunged 1236.11 points, or 1.48 per cent, to 82,498.14. Banking stocks weakened nearly 1 per cent, led by Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank falling 1 per cent to 2.5 per cent. Financial stocks including Shriram Finance and Bajaj Finserv declined 1 per cent to 2 per cent. Bank Nifty hovered near 61,000 during the session and closed at 60,739.55, down 1.32 per cent.

Volatility spiked sharply, with India VIX surging over 10 per cent to 13.46 level.

All 11 sectoral indices closed in negative territory. Broader markets also slipped, with the Nifty Midcap and Nifty Smallcap 100 losing 1.59 per cent and 1.27 per cent respectively. The Nifty Realty index emerged as the top loser, falling 2.56 per cent — its biggest Intraday fall of February.

Markets corrected after a 1.41 per cent three-day rally due to profit booking, but global and macro cues intensified the sell-off. Minutes from the Federal Reserve showed division over rate cuts, raising fears of prolonged high U.S. yields and potential FPI outflows from India. Crude oil prices surged nearly 4 per cent, with Brent at USD 70.59 and WTI at USD 65.47, increasing inflation concerns. Geopolitical tensions escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of action against Iran, while Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed dissatisfaction over stalled talks.

Top positive contributors included Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (+8.57 points), Hindalco Industries (+2.03 points) and HDFC Life Insurance Company (+0.84 points). Major draggers were Reliance Industries (−47.09 points), HDFC Bank (−30.51 points) and ICICI Bank (−30.40 points).

Among individual stocks, Inox Green rose 3.25 per cent after the INOXGFL Group announced acquisition of Wind World India assets through an NCLT resolution process. Pine Labs gained 2.3 per cent after collaborating with OpenAI to build agentic commerce solutions in India. Other stocks in focus included Netweb Technologies and Dilip Buildcon.

Market breadth remained negative. Out of 3,249 NSE stocks traded, 831 advanced, 2,308 declined and 110 remained unchanged. A total of 76 stocks hit 52-week highs while 118 touched 52-week lows. Additionally, 84 stocks were locked in Upper Circuits and 63 in Lower Circuits.

Market Update at 3:07 PM: Indian equities declined sharply in afternoon trade as investors booked profits after three consecutive sessions of gains. Weakness intensified toward closing hours with broad-based selling across sectors and market capitalisations.

At 3:03 PM on 19 Feb 2026, the BSE Sensex was trading at 82,601.17, down 1,133.08 points or 1.35 per cent, while the NSE Nifty50 quoted 25,508.00, down 311.35 points or 1.21 per cent.

Among Sensex constituents, only Infosys and TCS held marginal gains. The decline was led by Trent, BEL, M&M and UltraTech Cement, which were among the top laggards.

Broader markets also remained under pressure, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 indices trading lower by 0.97 per cent and 0.71 per cent respectively.

Sectorally, selling was widespread. Nifty Realty dropped over 2 per cent, followed by Nifty FMCG, Consumer Durables, Financial Services, Media, Private Bank and Auto, each declining more than 1 per cent. The fall indicates rotation out of high-beta and rate-sensitive stocks after the recent rally.

Overall, the market weakness was primarily driven by profit booking rather than any single negative trigger, as traders locked in gains accumulated during the previous uptrend.

Market Update at 12:17 PM: Indian equities declined sharply in afternoon trade as investors booked profits after three consecutive sessions of gains. Weakness intensified toward closing hours with broad-based selling across sectors and market capitalisations.

At 3:03 PM on 19 Feb 2026, the BSE Sensex was trading at 82,601.17, down 1,133.08 points or 1.35 per cent, while the NSE Nifty50 quoted 25,508.00, down 311.35 points or 1.21 per cent.

Among Sensex constituents, only Infosys and TCS held marginal gains. The decline was led by Trent, BEL, M&M and UltraTech Cement, which were among the top laggards.

Broader markets also remained under pressure, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 indices trading lower by 0.97 per cent and 0.71 per cent respectively.

Sectorally, selling was widespread. Nifty Realty dropped over 2 per cent, followed by Nifty FMCG, Consumer Durables, Financial Services, Media, Private Bank and Auto, each declining more than 1 per cent. The fall indicates rotation out of high-beta and rate-sensitive stocks after the recent rally.

Overall, the market weakness was primarily driven by profit booking rather than any single negative trigger, as traders locked in gains accumulated during the previous uptrend.

Market Update at 09:34 AM: Equity benchmark indices opened higher on Thursday amid largely positive global market trade.

The BSE Sensex was quoted near 83,880 levels, up 146 points or 0.17 per cent at open, while the Nifty50 stood at 25,839, higher by 19 points or 0.07 per cent.

Shares of HCLTech, Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, Bharti Airtel, and State Bank of India led the rally, gaining up to 2 per cent.

On the other hand, Kwality Wall's, IndiGo, Asian Paints, Trent, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Adani Ports were among the Top Losers.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap index gained 0.04 per cent while the Nifty SmallCap index rose 0.10 per cent.

Among sectoral indices, the Nifty IT index rallied 1.5 per cent, followed by the Nifty Metal index up 0.5 per cent and the Nifty Auto index higher by 0.3 per cent. However, the Nifty Private Bank index slipped 0.2 per cent.

Pre-Market Update at 7:44 AM: Indian equity benchmarks are likely to open Thursday on a positive note, with the Nifty 50 poised to extend gains for the fourth straight session. GIFT Nifty traded near 25,828, up 22 points, indicating a flat-to-positive start after the benchmarks closed higher for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.

Asian markets traded firm early Thursday, with Japan’s Nikkei rising over 400 points, while U.S. futures remained slightly positive overnight. The global cues, along with domestic buying interest, are expected to support early gains in Indian equities.

The three key positive catalysts for today’s session are continued buying interest from foreign institutional investors, a stronger-than-expected earnings season improving corporate profit outlook, and supportive overnight cues from Wall Street.

Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting led by Jerome Powell showed policymakers voted 10–2 to keep the federal funds rate steady at 3.50 per cent–3.75 per cent after three cuts in 2025. Officials indicated flexibility, keeping both rate cuts and hikes possible depending on inflation trends. They cited resilient growth, stabilising labour markets, and steady economic outlook into 2026, though uncertainty around artificial intelligence remains a factor ahead of the March meeting.

Stock-specific activity is likely to remain active. Cochin Shipyard Ltd won a contract worth over Rs 2,000 crore from CMA CGM to build six feeder container vessels, strengthening revenue visibility. Hindustan Unilever Ltd approved Rs 2,000 crore capex to expand Beauty & Wellbeing and Home Care manufacturing. Bharat Electronics Ltd scheduled a February 27 board meeting to consider a second interim dividend for FY26. Zydus Lifesciences Ltd received U.S. FDA approval for Bosentan tablets used in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Bharat Forge Ltd signed an MoU with VVDN Technologies for auto, Defence and data centre solutions. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories agreed to acquire Progynova brands from Mercury Pharma for USD 32.15 million.

Institutional flows remained supportive. On February 18, FIIs were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,154.34 crore, while DIIs bought shares worth Rs 440.34 crore. FIIs have now been net buyers for two consecutive sessions, though they remain net sellers of Rs 196.14 crore so far in February.

On Wednesday, markets closed higher in a choppy session. The Sensex rose 283.29 points, or 0.34 per cent, to 83,734.25, while the Nifty 50 gained 93.95 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 25,819.35.

U.S. markets also ended higher as technology shares advanced. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.26 per cent to 49,662.66, the S&P 500 rose 0.56 per cent to 6,881.31, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.78 per cent to 22,753.64. Major movers included Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Tesla.

In commodities, gold traded near USD 4,960 per ounce after retreating from late-January record levels as markets assessed the FOMC minutes. Spot silver slipped 0.5 per cent to USD 76.83 per ounce, marking a fourth consecutive decline. WTI crude oil futures rose about 0.5 per cent to USD 65, though prices edged lower in the Asian session due to technical correction after overnight gains.

For today, Sammaan Capital and SAIL will remain on the F&O ban list.

Disclaimer: The article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.