Sensex settles 283 pts higher, Nifty above 25,800; what lies ahead for stock market?
Persistent DII inflows continued to provide strong structural support, mitigating volatility and bolstering investor confidence despite mixed global cues, said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.
- Feb 18, 2026,
- Updated Feb 18, 2026 4:19 PM IST
Domestic equity benchmarks BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty climbed for the third consecutive session on Wednesday, supported by buying in metal, FMCG and PSU bank stocks. However, IT stocks fell again after a brief relief in the previous session.
At close, the Sensex advanced 283.29 points, or 0.34 per cent, to settle at 83,734.25, while the Nifty gained 93.95 points, or 0.37 per cent, to end at 25,819.35.
Persistent DII inflows continued to provide strong structural support, mitigating volatility and bolstering investor confidence despite mixed global cues, said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.
Kwality Walls (India) emerged as top gainer on the Sensex, rising 4.92% to Rs 29.42. Tata Steel followed with a 2.90% gain, while ITC, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries (RIL) and Mahindra & Mahindra advanced 2.21%, 1.51%, 1.30% and 1.18%, respectively.
“Overall sentiment remained cautiously constructive, backed by optimism around domestic growth prospects and improving earnings visibility.However, in the absence of fresh triggers, price action remained largely range-bound and choppy, indicating a phase of consolidation rather than a decisive directional move,” Ponmudi said.
Five stocks, namely RIL, ITC, Axis Bank, Larsen & Toubro and Tata Steel, contributed heavily to the Sensex’s rise.
Among sectoral indices, the BSE Metal index jumped 1.24% to close at 39,528.15, while the BSE FMCG climbed 1.16% to settle at 19,228.39 and the PSU Bank index rose 1.41% to end at 5,394.09. However, the IT index slipped 1.11% to 31,624.81. “IT stocks continued to face notable selling pressure, with the Nifty IT index declining 2.5%. The weakness followed global developments, particularly after Anthropic introduced its advanced Claude Sonnet 4.6 model, sparking concerns around evolving competitive dynamics in the technology landscape,” said Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth.
In the Sensex index, shares of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) hit their 52-week high of Rs 4,329.20 on BSE. Market participants are attempting to regain control, but indications point to a prolonged consolidation period, said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research at Religare Broking. “The 26,000 level remains a key hurdle for the Nifty, while the 25,400–25,600 zone is likely to offer support on any dip. In this environment, a stock-specific approach is advisable, with focus on sectors and themes showing consistent trends, along with disciplined position sizing given the possibility of renewed volatility," Mishra added.
Market breadth remained positive on the BSE. Of the 4,383 actively traded stocks, 2,237 ended in the green, while a dominant 1,955 declined and 191 settled unchanged. The session saw 112 stocks scaling fresh 52-week highs, compared with 100 counters sliding to new 52-week lows. In addition, 5 scrips were locked at their upper circuits, whereas 7 hit lower circuit limits. Ponmudi said that the 50-pack index traded with a steady and mildly positive bias, firmly respecting the 25,645-25,660 support band, which is closely aligned with the 20-day moving average. “Strong buying interest from this zone initiated a gradual intraday uptrend, characterized by a sequence of higher highs and higher lows during the latter half of the session,” he noted. Hariprasad said the India VIX eased further to 12.39, indicating that volatility expectations have remained moderate. “Softer VIX levels indicate improving short-term stability and reduced hedging intensity, thereby supporting the market’s gradual upward bias despite pockets of sector-specific weakness,” he added. Ponmudi noted the price action indicates visible supply absorption in the 25,850–25,900 zone, which now stands as the immediate resistance hurdle. “On the downside, initial support is placed near 25,650, followed by a stronger demand base in the 25,600–25,550 range,” he added.
Domestic equity benchmarks BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty climbed for the third consecutive session on Wednesday, supported by buying in metal, FMCG and PSU bank stocks. However, IT stocks fell again after a brief relief in the previous session.
At close, the Sensex advanced 283.29 points, or 0.34 per cent, to settle at 83,734.25, while the Nifty gained 93.95 points, or 0.37 per cent, to end at 25,819.35.
Persistent DII inflows continued to provide strong structural support, mitigating volatility and bolstering investor confidence despite mixed global cues, said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.
Kwality Walls (India) emerged as top gainer on the Sensex, rising 4.92% to Rs 29.42. Tata Steel followed with a 2.90% gain, while ITC, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries (RIL) and Mahindra & Mahindra advanced 2.21%, 1.51%, 1.30% and 1.18%, respectively.
“Overall sentiment remained cautiously constructive, backed by optimism around domestic growth prospects and improving earnings visibility.However, in the absence of fresh triggers, price action remained largely range-bound and choppy, indicating a phase of consolidation rather than a decisive directional move,” Ponmudi said.
Five stocks, namely RIL, ITC, Axis Bank, Larsen & Toubro and Tata Steel, contributed heavily to the Sensex’s rise.
Among sectoral indices, the BSE Metal index jumped 1.24% to close at 39,528.15, while the BSE FMCG climbed 1.16% to settle at 19,228.39 and the PSU Bank index rose 1.41% to end at 5,394.09. However, the IT index slipped 1.11% to 31,624.81. “IT stocks continued to face notable selling pressure, with the Nifty IT index declining 2.5%. The weakness followed global developments, particularly after Anthropic introduced its advanced Claude Sonnet 4.6 model, sparking concerns around evolving competitive dynamics in the technology landscape,” said Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth.
In the Sensex index, shares of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) hit their 52-week high of Rs 4,329.20 on BSE. Market participants are attempting to regain control, but indications point to a prolonged consolidation period, said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research at Religare Broking. “The 26,000 level remains a key hurdle for the Nifty, while the 25,400–25,600 zone is likely to offer support on any dip. In this environment, a stock-specific approach is advisable, with focus on sectors and themes showing consistent trends, along with disciplined position sizing given the possibility of renewed volatility," Mishra added.
Market breadth remained positive on the BSE. Of the 4,383 actively traded stocks, 2,237 ended in the green, while a dominant 1,955 declined and 191 settled unchanged. The session saw 112 stocks scaling fresh 52-week highs, compared with 100 counters sliding to new 52-week lows. In addition, 5 scrips were locked at their upper circuits, whereas 7 hit lower circuit limits. Ponmudi said that the 50-pack index traded with a steady and mildly positive bias, firmly respecting the 25,645-25,660 support band, which is closely aligned with the 20-day moving average. “Strong buying interest from this zone initiated a gradual intraday uptrend, characterized by a sequence of higher highs and higher lows during the latter half of the session,” he noted. Hariprasad said the India VIX eased further to 12.39, indicating that volatility expectations have remained moderate. “Softer VIX levels indicate improving short-term stability and reduced hedging intensity, thereby supporting the market’s gradual upward bias despite pockets of sector-specific weakness,” he added. Ponmudi noted the price action indicates visible supply absorption in the 25,850–25,900 zone, which now stands as the immediate resistance hurdle. “On the downside, initial support is placed near 25,650, followed by a stronger demand base in the 25,600–25,550 range,” he added.