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Informist, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026

 

MUMBAI – The benchmark equity indices are expected to fall more next week with technical analysts suggesting that traders are likely to sell on a rise, indicating negative market sentiment. Analysts expect continued volatility in information technology stocks as their global peers retreat under threat from artificial intelligence tools. Stocks of metal and mining companies are also seen being volatile, tracking volatility in underlying commodity prices.

 

"Sentiment gains from the US–India trade deal have faded as renewed AI-driven disruption fears weigh on risk appetite," Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments, said in a note. The market is worrying that Indian IT firms dependent on a labour arbitrage model may face more intense competitive pressure than their US peers, the analyst said.

 

Shares of IT companies ended the week with severe losses as investors worried that AI tools will hamper growth opportunities for these traditional, labour-intensive software as a service companies, Sumit Pokharna, vice-president, research, at Kotak Securities, said. The analyst, however, sees the correction as a knee-jerk reaction, as Indian IT companies have a very different set of opportunities than the ones that AI tools threaten.

 

Analysts are now waiting for announcements from the India AI Impact Summit, which opens Monday in New Delhi. Top executives from leading technology companies such as Google, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Anthropic are expected to attend the summit and provide cues on demand for AI tools.

 

Shares of metal companies and gold-loan providers will be in focus as prices of precious commodities continue to be volatile. "One explanation offered (for the recent decline in gold prices) is the unexpectedly strong US labor market data," Commerzbank AG said in a report. "Others blamed forced selling for the slump, as other asset classes were also under pressure at the same time... yesterday's price slide also shows that the precious metals markets have not yet settled down after the turmoil at the end of January."

 

US President Donald Trump plans to scale back some tariffs on steel and aluminium goods, the Financial Times reported Friday. Last year, Trump had levied tariffs of up to 50% on steel and aluminium imports. US citizens are worried about prices and the rising cost-of-living, according to the report.

 

Among specific stocks, Reliance Industries will be in focus after the US issued a general licence to the company that allows the refiner to buy Venezuelan oil directly without violating sanctions, Reuters reported, citing sources. Handing a licence to Reliance Industries could speed up Venezuela's oil exports and reduce crude oil costs for the operator of the world's biggest refining complex, the agency reported. However, analysts such as Pokharna have argued that the cost of purchasing crude oil from US and Venezuela will be higher than importing from Russia.

 

The Nifty 50 is expected to face resistance at 25500 points, Rupak De, technical analyst at LKP Securities, said. Friday, the 50-stock index ended 1.3% lower at 25471.10 points. The BSE Sensex ended 1.3% lower at 82626.76 points. The Nifty 50 is expected to find support at 25100 points, the analyst said.  End

 

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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