More Stories

Informist, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

 

By Eshitva Prakash

 

MUMBAI – Benchmark equity indices erased all of the gains accumulated in the previous three sessions, ending more than 1% lower, as geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran led to a surge in crude oil prices. Indices started the session on a positive note, but soon lost steam, and the Nifty 50 ended 1.7% lower from its intraday peak. The 50-stock index closed below the 25500 level for the first time this week as investors sold across sectors, with just four stocks in the Nifty 50 ending in the green.

 

Stocks declined amid concerns that US-Iran tensions may push crude oil prices higher. Companies engaged in crude oil exploration and refining reacted sharply to the ongoing diplomatic tensions between the US and Iran. At 1558 IST, the April Brent crude futures contract was over 1% higher at $70.35 per barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange, adding around 6% in two sessions amid ongoing US-Iran tensions, despite ongoing talks between the two countries in Geneva.

 

Shares of oil refiners such as Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. were down 2.5% and 3.5%, respectively. Hindustan Petroleum Corp. was the worst hit companies in the Nifty 200 index, down 5%. Index heavyweight Reliance Industry ended the session 2.2% lower. Shares of oil exploration companies such as Oil and Natural Gas Corp. and Oil India rose 4-5%.

 

The Nifty 50 settled at 25454.35 points, down 365 points or 1.4%. The index had opened the day with marginal gains, but slid to lower levels as the day progressed. India VIX, which is the market's fear gauge, ended 10.1% higher at 13.46 points. All sectoral indices and broader market indices closed in the red. The BSE Sensex ended at 82498.14 points, down over 1200 points or 1.5% on the day of expiry of the weekly contract of Sensex derivatives. 

According to media reports, US Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran did not address all US demands in the nuclear talks. He said US President Donald Trump reserved the right to use military force. The US military could be ready to launch attacks as early as this weekend, although Trump has yet to make a final decision, CNN reported, citing sources. 

 

Analysts also said that uncertainty about the US Federal Reserve's interest rate-cut trajectory weighed on traders' sentiment. "In considering the outlook for monetary policy, several participants commented that further downward adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate would likely be appropriate if inflation were to decline in line with their expectations," the summary of the US Federal Reserve's January minutes read. Some Federal Open Market Committee participants said rate hikes could be on the table and wanted the post-meeting statement to more closely reflect "a two-sided description of the committee's future interest rate decisions," according to the minutes.

 

Information technology stocks remained volatile, in line with analyst expectations. These stocks rose in early trade, tracking overnight gains from US technology companies, but most declined soon after as investors sold on the rise. Despite a slew of announcements of artificial intelligence partnerships and integrations, investors remained wary of IT stocks. Foreign portfolio investors have sold around INR 10.96 billion worth of shares from IT companies so far in February, according to data from National Securities Depository Ltd. 

 

Shares of Infosys and Wipro ended 0.2-0.4% lower after staying in the green for most of the session. Almost every constituent of the Nifty IT index had opened higher. Persistent Systems, Mphasis, and LTIMindtree ended 2–5% lower.

 

Mahindra & Mahindra, Trent, and Interglobe Aviation were the worst-hit stocks in the Nifty 50 index, falling 2.8–3.3%. Apart from ONGC, Hindalco Industries, HDFC Life Insurance Co., and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories were the only stocks in the Nifty 50 that ended the session higher.

 

Among Nifty 500 companies, Newgen Software Technologies' shares ended 17.2% higher. The stock has risen for the third straight session, gaining 34.5% during this period. Meanwhile, Lloyds Metals and Energy was the worst hit on the Nifty 500, ending 6.9% lower.

 

Shares of Dixon Technologies ended 2.4% lower after global brokerage CLSA downgraded the stock to 'hold' from 'outperform' and cut the target price on the stock by 23%. The brokerage said the computer memory industry is entering a supercycle, as artificial intelligence-related products drive up demand for high-bandwidth memory and Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5) memory. Mainstream storage also faces tightening supply and rising costs, the brokerage added. CLSA said India's heavy reliance on memory imports leaves the country exposed to a global supply squeeze caused by AI demand, especially as manufacturers prioritise high-margin AI-grade memory.   

 

Shares of Tata Investment Corp. ended 7.5% higher. According to a report in The Economic Times, Tata Sons is preparing for an extraordinary general meeting after the board formally approves the reappointment of N. Chandrasekaran as the group's executive chairman for a third term next week. This would be an exception to the retirement policy, which applies to non-executive roles after age 65. The reappointment of Chandrasekaran is necessary to signal leadership continuity, the report said, citing officials close to the matter. Tata Sons owns a 68.51% stake in Tata Investment Corp. as of Dec. 31, according to data from the NSE.

 

* Of the Nifty 50 stocks, 4 rose and 46 fell

* All of the Sensex stocks fell

* On the NSE, 831 stocks rose, 2,308 fell, and 110 were unchanged

* On the BSE, 1,276 stocks rose, 2,927 fell, and 176 were unchanged

* Nifty Realty: down 2.6%; Nifty Media: down 2.2%; Nifty Auto: down 2.1%

---

BSE                                                 NSE

Sensex: 82498.14, down 1236.11 points or 1.5%       Nifty 50: 25454.35, down 365 points or 1.4%

---

S&P BSE Sensitive Index	Nifty 50
Lifetime High: 86159.02 (Dec. 1, 2025)	: Lifetime High: 26373.20 (Jan. 5, 2026)
Record Close High: 85836.12 (Sept. 26, 2024)	: Record Close High: 26328.55 (Jan. 2, 2026)
2026 1st day close: 85188.60 (Jan. 1)	: 2026 1st day close: 26146.55 (Jan. 1)
2026 Closing High: 85762.01 (Jan. 2)	: 2026 Closing High: 26328.55 (Jan. 2)
2026 Closing Low: 80722.94 (Feb. 1)	: 2026 Closing Low: 24825.45 (Feb. 1)
2026 High (intraday): 85883.50 (Jan. 5)	: 2026 High (intraday): 26373.20 (Jan. 5)
2026 Low (intraday): 79899.42 (Feb. 1)	: 2026 Low (intraday): 24571.75 (Feb. 1)
2025 1st day close: 78507.41 (Jan. 1)	: 2025 1st day close: 23742.90 (Jan. 1)
2025 Closing High: 85720.38 (Nov. 27)	: 2025 Closing High: 26215.55 (Nov. 27)
2025 Closing Low: 72989.93 (Mar. 4)	: 2025 Closing Low: 22082.65 (Mar. 4)
2025 High (intraday): 86159.02 (Dec. 1)	: 2025 High (intraday): 26325.80 (Dec.1)
2025 Low (intraday): 71425.01 (Apr. 7)	: 2025 Low (intraday): 21743.65 (Apr. 7)
2024 1st day close: 72271.94 (Jan. 1)	: 2024 1st day close: 21741.90 (Jan. 1)
2024 Closing High: 85836.12 (Sept. 26)	: 2024 Closing High: 26216.05 (Sept. 26)
2024 Closing Low: 70370.55 (Jan. 23)	: 2024 Closing Low: 21238.80 (Jan. 23)
2024 High (intraday): 85978.25 (Sep. 27)	: 2024 High (intraday): 26277.35 (Sept. 27)
2024 Low (intraday): 70001.60 (Jan. 24)	: 2024 Low (intraday): 21137.20 (Jan. 24)
2023 1st day close: 61167.79 (Jan. 2)	: 2023 1st day close: 18197.45 (Jan. 2)
2023 Closing High: 72410.38 (Dec. 28)	: 2023 Closing High: 21778.70 (Dec. 28)
2023 Closing Low: 59288.35 (Feb. 27)	: 2023 Closing Low: 17311.80 (Oct. 17)
2023 High (intraday): 72484.34 (Dec. 28)	: 2023 High (intraday): 21801.45 (Dec. 28)
2023 Low (intraday): 58699.20 (Jan. 30)	: 2023 Low (intraday): 17098.55 (Jan. 17)
2022 1st day close: 59183.22 (Jan. 3)	: 2022 1st day close: 17625.70 (Jan. 3)
2022 Closing High: 63284.19 (Dec. 1)	: 2022 Closing High: 18812.50 (Dec. 1)
2022 Closing Low: 51360.42 (Jun. 17)	: 2022 Closing Low: 15293.50 (Jun. 17)
2022 High (intraday): 63583.07 (Dec. 1)	: 2022 High (intraday): 18887.60 (Dec. 1)
2022 Low (intraday): 50921.22 (Jun. 17)	: 2022 Low (intraday): 15183.40 (Jun. 17)
2021 Closing High: 61305.95 (Oct. 14)	: 2021 Closing High: 18338.55 (Oct. 14)
2021 Closing Low: 46285.77 (Jan. 29)	: 2021 Closing Low: 13634.60 (Jan. 29)
2021 High (intraday): 61353.25 (Oct. 14)	: 2021 High (intraday): 18350.75 (Oct. 14)
2021 Low (intraday): 46160.46 (Jan. 29)	: 2021 Low (intraday): 13596.75 (Jan. 29)
2020 Closing High: 47751.33 (Dec. 31)	: 2020 Closing High: 13981.95 (Dec. 30)
2020 Closing Low: 25981.24 (Mar. 23)	: 2020 Closing Low: 7610.25 (Mar. 23)
2020 High (intraday): 47896.97 (Dec. 31)	: 2020 High (intraday): 14024.85 (Dec. 31)
2020 Low (intraday): 25638.90 (Mar. 24)	: 2020 Low (intraday): 7511.10 (Mar. 24)
2019 High (intraday): 41809.96 (Dec. 20)	: 2019 High (intraday): 12293.90 (Dec. 20)
2019 Low (intraday): 35287.16 (Feb. 19)	: 2019 Low (intraday): 10583.65 (Jan. 29)
2018 High (intraday): 38938.91(Aug. 28))	: 2018 High(intraday): 11760.20 (Aug. 28)
2018 Low (intraday): 32483.8 (Mar. 23)	: 2018 Low (intraday): 9951.9 (Mar. 23)
2017 High (intraday): 34005.37 (Dec. 26)	: 2017 High(intraday): 10515.10 (Dec. 26)

---

End

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.