February 20, 2026
3 mins read
Today’s share market’s key developments include: GHV Infra secures a ₹123 crore rooftop solar EPC order, while KEI eyes a ₹25,000 crore cable opportunity amid data centre expansion. Aurobindo Pharma faces a ₹170 crore GST demand. Pine Labs partners OpenAI, Delhivery advances AI, and both FIIs and DIIs net sell equities.
3:40 PM IST
Closing Bell | Sensex gains 316 points | Nifty holds above 25,550
The Sensex ended 316 points higher, with the Nifty closing above 25,550. Gains were led by GE Power India, ABB India, Thermax, Bajaj Consumer Care and KEI Industries, each rising over 4%. Tata Investment climbed up to 6.5% during the session. On the downside, Firstsource Solutions, Aditya Birla Real Estate, Lemon Tree Hotels, Kaveri Seed and Persistent Systems declined. Polycab India, Federal Bank and Larsen & Toubro touched 52-week highs amid active trading.
2:30 PM IST
Stock Market LIVE Update | Sensex surges over 450 points | Nifty crosses 25,550 mark
The Sensex advanced more than 450 points, while the Nifty moved above the 25,550 level in today’s session. Among the leading gainers were ABB India, Siemens, GE Power India, Thermax and KEI Industries, each registering notable gains supported by active trading volumes. Meanwhile, NTPC commissioned the second phase of 165 MW from its 1,200 MW Khavda-II solar project, strengthening its renewable energy portfolio and reinforcing momentum in select power and capital goods stocks.
1:30 PM IST
Stock Market LIVE Update | Sensex climbs over 200 points | Nifty holds above 25,500
The Sensex advanced more than 200 points as the Nifty traded above 25,500. Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.1% amid renewed US-Iran tensions and weakness in US private equity stocks, ending its two-week rally. The NSE imposed an additional 15% margin on 18 F&O stocks from March 2026 to limit leverage risks. Australian markets eased after a record high but logged weekly gains, while New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 slipped 1% at close.
12:30 PM IST
Stock Market LIVE Update | Sensex jumps 600 points | Nifty crosses 25,650
The Sensex rallied 600 points, pushing the Nifty above 25,650 during the session. Godfrey Phillips declined nearly 5% as investors booked profits following a sharp 26% three-day surge. Meanwhile, GMDC gained over 4% after India joined the US-led AI initiative Pax Silica. Pace Digitek advanced after securing an ₹89 crore LoA from Railtel. Among major laggards were Firstsource Solutions, Godfrey Phillips, Shoppers Stop, Lemon Tree Hotels and KRBL, all trading lower in intraday activity.
11:40 AM IST
Stock Market LIVE Update | Sensex jumps 400+ points | Nifty crosses 25,600
Sensex climbed over 400 points as Nifty crossed 25,600. FirstCry rebounded 13% after a sharp four-session decline. Gold steadied near $5,000 per ounce but remained set for a weekly loss amid dollar strength, while silver, platinum and palladium edged higher. ABB India surged 7% on record orders and strong Q4 demand. Meanwhile, Indian bond yields rose as U.S.-Iran tensions pushed oil to multi-month highs, with the government scheduled to raise ₹330 billion via bonds.
11:10 AM IST
Stock Market LIVE Update | Sensex surges 300+ pts | Nifty tops 25,550
Sensex climbed more than 300 points as Nifty traded above 25,550. Government bond yields edged higher after rising U.S.-Iran tensions pushed crude to a six-month high, dampening risk sentiment ahead of the ₹330 billion debt auction. The 6.48% 2035 bond yield rose to 6.7167%. OIS rates also advanced across tenors. Gold faces resistance at $5,000–$5,025 and support near $4,925. Vodafone Idea, IDBI Bank and Tata Investment featured among key movers.
10:10 AM IST
Stock Market LIVE Update | Sensex rises over 100 points | Nifty trades above 25,500
The Sensex climbed more than 100 points, with the Nifty holding above 25,500 during early trade. Gaudium IVF and Women Health’s ₹165 crore IPO opened for subscription on February 20, comprising a ₹90 crore fresh issue and a ₹75 crore offer for sale, while the grey market premium hovered near 11%. Early laggards included Godfrey Phillips, Thyrocare, and Firstsource Solutions. Meanwhile, Tata Investment Corporation, ABB India, and Sterlite Technologies featured among the opening gainers.
Additional Read: Nifty, Sensex Likely To Open Negative On Friday Amid US-Iran Tension
9:20 AM IST
Stock Market LIVE Update | Sensex declines over 150 points | Nifty slips below 25,450
Indian equity benchmarks traded lower, with the Sensex dropping over 150 points and the Nifty moving below 25,450. Novartis India surged after its Swiss parent announced plans to divest its entire 70.68% stake for ₹14.46 billion to a consortium including WaveRise Investments and ChrysCapital, alongside an open offer to public shareholders. The rupee opened 0.3% weaker at 90.94 per dollar. South Korea’s KOSPI hit a record high, while Waaree Energies remained in focus over gigafactory discussions in Andhra Pradesh.
Source: Bajaj Broking Research Desk.
GIFT NIFTY: Gift Nifty suggests a flat opening for the Indian market. Nifty spot in today's session is likely to trade in the range of 25,200-25,500.
INDIA VIX: 13.46 | +1.24 (10.12%) ↑ today
Treasury Yield:
The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note edged down by 0.6 basis points to 4.075%.
Currency:
The dollar index strengthened, moving above the 97.9 level.
Commodities:
U.S. crude oil rose 1.90% to settle at $66.43 per barrel, while Brent crude closed 1.86% higher at $71.66 per barrel.
Spot gold rose 0.46% to $5,002.19 per ounce, while silver was trading around $78.5.
General Trends:
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Friday after all three major Wall Street indexes fell overnight, weighed down by weakness in private credit stocks and rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Sector-Specific Indicators:
The chances of a strike on Iran have increased after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would make a decision on possible military action against Tehran within the next 10 days
In Asia, traders will look at inflation data from Japan, where headline inflation for January fell below the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for the first time in 45 months.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 1.12% and the Topix slipped 1.18%.
South Korea's Kospi was up by 1.02%, but the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.43%.
Market in the Previous Session:
Indian benchmark indices ended lower on 19th February, snapping a three-day winning streak amid cautious global cues.
After a positive start, the indices erased early gains within the first hour and steadily drifted lower as the session progressed.
Sentiment weakened after the latest Fed minutes clouded the rate-cut outlook. This accompanied with a sharp rise in crude and US–Iran tensions heightened inflation and volatility concerns. INR weakness and subdued FII participation due to holidays further weighed on the market, alongside profit booking following the recent rally.
At close, the Sensex fell 1,236.11 points (1.48%) to 82,498.14 and the Nifty declined 365 points (1.41%) to 25,454.35.
Sectorally, Realty, Media, and Auto led the losses, with all indices closing in the red. Broader markets also remained under pressure.
The broader indices mirrored the performance of the benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap index declining 1.6 percent and the Nifty Small-cap index falling 1.3 percent.
Nifty Short-Term Outlook:
The index formed a sizable bearish candle on the daily chart and slipped below the lower boundary of the 25,500–26,000 consolidation range, indicating a decisive loss of short-term momentum. The sharp decline has brought Nifty close to its previous swing low, thereby shifting the near-term bias to cautious and signalling the need for stability at lower levels.
Technically, the index has broken both the 50-day EMA and the 21-day EMA below in a single move, reflecting strong selling pressure.
The 200-day EMA, placed near 25,200, is now the next crucial short-term support zone and appears vulnerable if follow-up selling persists in the coming sessions.
On the downside, immediate supports are seen at 25,350 and 25,000, which may act as key cushions in case of further weakness. On the upside, resistance is placed at 25,650, followed by 25,720, where any pullback is likely to face selling pressure.
Intraday Levels:
Nifty: Intraday resistance is at 25,650, followed by the 25,720 levels. Conversely, downside support is located at 25,350, followed by 25,000.
Bank Nifty: Intraday resistance is positioned at 61,000, followed by 61,200, while downside support is found at 60,500, followed by 60,300.
Nifty:
Strong dominance of call writers is visible across the 25,500–26,000 strike range, indicating multiple resistance zones on the upside.
Limited but noticeable put writing at the 25,400 strike suggests the formation of an immediate and crucial support base.
A decisive breach below 25,400 may trigger a corrective bias, opening downside potential toward the 25,000 level.
The highest fresh Call OI addition at 25,600 highlights a strong near-term resistance; a sustained move above this level could lead to short covering toward 25,800.
As per the current option chain structure, 25,400 and 25,600 are likely to act as key decision levels.
Until a breakout on either side, the index is expected to remain range-bound with consolidation bias within this band.
Bank Nifty:
Significant fresh Call OI addition at the 61,000 strike indicates a strong resistance zone for any immediate upside.
Put writers have shown position unwinding, including trimming exposure at the 60,000 strike, reflecting weakening downside support and rising corrective risk.
Mild put writing activity at 60,500 suggests formation of an immediate support level.
A break below 60,500 may extend the correction, while only a decisive reclaim above 61,000 would negate the current corrective bias.
Failure to break either side is likely to keep Bank Nifty in a consolidation range between 60,500 and 61,000 in the near term.
Performance Overview:
Investors are now closely watching the upcoming Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report from the U.S. Commerce Department, which is expected to indicate a pickup in inflation in December.
Sector-specific indicator:
The Dow was down 267.50 points or 0.5 percent to 49,395.16, the Nasdaq fell 70.91 points or 0.3 percent to 22,682.73 and the S&P 500 dipped 19.42 points or 0.3 percent to 6,861.89.
Economic indicator:
U.S. stocks edged lower on Thursday amid mixed economic data and a cautious outlook from Walmart, while continued strength in the labor market supported further gains in the dollar.
All three major U.S. stock indexes slipped slightly, tracking the weakness in European markets and looking set to end their three-day winning streak, while worries about oil supply due to a possible U.S.-Iran conflict pushed crude prices higher.
A series of economic reports showed fewer people filed for jobless claims, while U.S. trade data revealed a record-high goods deficit as imports picked up despite tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.
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Founded in 1986, Dalal Street Investment Journal (DSIJ) brings decades of experience in India’s equity markets. DSIJ's research combines fundamental analysis with price action, guided by disciplined risk management and capital preservation. They follow a structured, data-driven approach designed to help investors and traders make informed decisions beyond short-term market noise.
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