Bloodbath! Why stock market fell today - Top reasons behind Sensex, Nifty crash
At the close, the Sensex tumbled 1236.11 points, or 1.48 per cent, to settle at 82,498.14, snapping a three-session gain of 1,108 points.
- Feb 19, 2026,
- Updated Feb 19, 2026 5:08 PM IST
Domestic equity benchmarks BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty snapped their three-day winning run on Thursday due to broad-based selling and profit booking across sectors amid global uncertainty.
At the close, the Sensex tumbled 1236.11 points, or 1.48 per cent, to settle at 82,498.14, snapping a three-session gain of 1,108 points. The Nifty also retreated, slipping 365 points, or 1.41 per cent, to finish at 25,454.35, ending its three-day rally that had added 348 points. The bears took control of the Indian market as rising geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran shook global sentiment, resulting in a broad-based sell-off, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.
Five stocks, namely Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), contributed heavily to the Sensex’s decline. Nair said Brent crude surged to its year-to-date high, exacerbating inflationary concerns and causing increased market volatility due to fears of a bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz. All Sensex stocks closed in red. InterGlobe Aviation emerged as top loser, falling 3.23% to Rs 4818.50. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) followed with a 2.97% slide, while UltraTech Cement, Trent, Bharat Electronics (BEL) and Adani Ports fell 2.90%, 2.89%, 2.70% and 2.50%, respectively. Among sectoral indices, the BSE Auto index slipped 2.09% to close at 61,439.80, while the BSE FMCG fell 1.68% to settle at 18,905.98.
In the Sensex index, shares of Tata Steel hit their 52-week high of Rs 211.35 on BSE. “At the same time uncertainty surrounding the US Fed’s rate-cut trajectory and continued weakness in the INR impacted the domestic market. Sell-off intensified due to low FII participation because of Lunar New Year holiday across key Asian markets and a non-settlement day on account of a regional banking holiday in India," Nair added.
Key factors
Profit Booking
Domestic equity benchmarks had logged gains for three consecutive sessions, with the Sensex and Nifty advancing 1,108 points and 348 points, respectively, during the period. Today’s decline may be driven partly by profit-booking in select heavyweights after the recent rally to higher levels.
India VIX & F&O expiry
The India VIX jumped 10.12% to 13.46, signalling a spike in market volatility, while traders were navigating the February 19 F&O expiry for Sensex and the Nifty, which amplifies fluctuations.
Rising crude prices
At last check, Brent crude futures rose 1.31% at $71.27 a barrel, while Crude Oil WTI Futures were up 1.05% at $65.73 amid concerns over tensions between the US and Iran.
Global Uncertainty
Global cues such as cautious geopolitical concern amid reports on US-Iran tension and uncertainty around interest rate directions also added pressure. Market breadth turned negative on the BSE. Of the 4,367 actively traded stocks, 1,276 ended in the green, while a dominant 2,927 declined and 164 settled unchanged. The session saw 110 stocks scaling fresh 52-week highs, compared with 146 counters sliding to new 52-week lows. In addition, 168 scrips were locked at their upper circuits, whereas 158 hit lower circuit limits.
Domestic equity benchmarks BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty snapped their three-day winning run on Thursday due to broad-based selling and profit booking across sectors amid global uncertainty.
At the close, the Sensex tumbled 1236.11 points, or 1.48 per cent, to settle at 82,498.14, snapping a three-session gain of 1,108 points. The Nifty also retreated, slipping 365 points, or 1.41 per cent, to finish at 25,454.35, ending its three-day rally that had added 348 points. The bears took control of the Indian market as rising geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran shook global sentiment, resulting in a broad-based sell-off, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.
Five stocks, namely Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), contributed heavily to the Sensex’s decline. Nair said Brent crude surged to its year-to-date high, exacerbating inflationary concerns and causing increased market volatility due to fears of a bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz. All Sensex stocks closed in red. InterGlobe Aviation emerged as top loser, falling 3.23% to Rs 4818.50. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) followed with a 2.97% slide, while UltraTech Cement, Trent, Bharat Electronics (BEL) and Adani Ports fell 2.90%, 2.89%, 2.70% and 2.50%, respectively. Among sectoral indices, the BSE Auto index slipped 2.09% to close at 61,439.80, while the BSE FMCG fell 1.68% to settle at 18,905.98.
In the Sensex index, shares of Tata Steel hit their 52-week high of Rs 211.35 on BSE. “At the same time uncertainty surrounding the US Fed’s rate-cut trajectory and continued weakness in the INR impacted the domestic market. Sell-off intensified due to low FII participation because of Lunar New Year holiday across key Asian markets and a non-settlement day on account of a regional banking holiday in India," Nair added.
Key factors
Profit Booking
Domestic equity benchmarks had logged gains for three consecutive sessions, with the Sensex and Nifty advancing 1,108 points and 348 points, respectively, during the period. Today’s decline may be driven partly by profit-booking in select heavyweights after the recent rally to higher levels.
India VIX & F&O expiry
The India VIX jumped 10.12% to 13.46, signalling a spike in market volatility, while traders were navigating the February 19 F&O expiry for Sensex and the Nifty, which amplifies fluctuations.
Rising crude prices
At last check, Brent crude futures rose 1.31% at $71.27 a barrel, while Crude Oil WTI Futures were up 1.05% at $65.73 amid concerns over tensions between the US and Iran.
Global Uncertainty
Global cues such as cautious geopolitical concern amid reports on US-Iran tension and uncertainty around interest rate directions also added pressure. Market breadth turned negative on the BSE. Of the 4,367 actively traded stocks, 1,276 ended in the green, while a dominant 2,927 declined and 164 settled unchanged. The session saw 110 stocks scaling fresh 52-week highs, compared with 146 counters sliding to new 52-week lows. In addition, 168 scrips were locked at their upper circuits, whereas 158 hit lower circuit limits.