Markets staged a partial recovery by midday on Wednesday after opening on a positive note, with both benchmark indices trading marginally above their previous closes, even as persistent selling in information technology stocks continued to weigh on sentiment.
The BSE Sensex, which opened at 83,553.59 against its previous close of 83,450.96, was trading at 83,461.51, up just 10.55 points or 0.01 per cent as of 1 pm. The NSE Nifty 50 stood at 25,732.35, a gain of 6.95 points or 0.03 per cent, after opening at 25,752.65 versus its prior close of 25,725.40. The recovery from the morning session’s lows signals selective buying interest, though conviction remains limited.
Market breadth on the BSE was marginally positive, with 2,110 stocks advancing against 1,916 declining and 166 remaining unchanged out of 4,192 stocks traded. As many as 94 stocks hit fresh 52-week highs while 82 touched 52-week lows. Stocks in the upper circuit numbered 163 against 128 in the lower circuit, pointing to a cautious but not entirely risk-off environment.
Among broader indices, the Nifty Bank rose 170.75 points or 0.28 per cent to 61,335.65, the Nifty Financial Services gained 81.30 points or 0.29 per cent to 28,365.95, the Nifty Next 50 was up 201.85 points or 0.29 per cent to 70,070.60, the Nifty Midcap 100 added 119.20 points or 0.20 per cent to 59,987.90, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 rose 49.75 points or 0.29 per cent to 17,195.60.
On the Nifty 50, Kwality Wall’s (India) led the gainers, surging 4.97 per cent to ₹29.34. Tata Steel rose 3.03 per cent to ₹209.23, HDFC Life advanced 2.34 per cent to ₹722.35, ITC gained 1.83 per cent to ₹331.40, and Axis Bank climbed 1.23 per cent to ₹1,373.90. The buying in financial, consumer, and metals names mirrored the trend from the morning session where Hindalco and JSW Steel had also provided support.
On the losing side, Eternal declined 2.29 per cent to ₹275.05 and Wipro fell 2.28 per cent to ₹210.77. Tech Mahindra shed 2.23 per cent to ₹1,489.80, Adani Enterprises dropped 1.69 per cent to ₹2,205.00, and Infosys slipped 1.63 per cent to ₹1,368.50. The continued pressure on IT stocks reflects global anxiety around AI-driven disruption and elevated technology capital expenditure, themes that have weighed on the sector since the start of the week.
The partial recovery in benchmarks through the mid-session comes against a backdrop of improving institutional flows. Foreign portfolio investors turned net buyers on February 17 with ₹995 crore in purchases, while domestic institutions extended their own buying run. Analysts have flagged the 25,600–25,550 band as a key support zone on the Nifty, with resistance near 25,800. A sustained move above 26,000 remains the trigger for fresh bullish positioning, with trading likely to remain stock-specific as markets head into the second half of the session.
Published on February 18, 2026
