Why stock market is down today: Key reasons behind Sensex, Nifty fall
Selling pressure in heavyweights such as Infosys Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCL Technologies Ltd and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) pulled the headline indices lower. Other laggards included Bharti Airtel Ltd, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Bajaj Finance Ltd, ICICI Bank and Eternal Ltd.
- Feb 24, 2026,
- Updated Feb 24, 2026 12:55 PM IST
Indian equity benchmarks witnessed a sharp decline in Tuesday's trade, weighed down by losses in technology and other heavyweight stocks. At 12:49 pm, the 30-share BSE Sensex pack was down 1,155.44 points or 1.39 per cent at 82,139.22. The NSE Nifty50 index also traded lower, slipping 324.25 points or 1.26 per cent to 25,388.75.
The sell-off eroded over Rs 5.4 lakh crore in investor wealth during the afternoon session. BSE market capitalisation (m-cap) dropped by Rs 5.45 lakh crore to Rs 463.74 lakh crore from Rs 469.19 lakh crore in the previous session.
Tech stocks drag
Selling pressure in heavyweights such as Infosys Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCL Technologies Ltd and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) pulled the headline indices lower. Other laggards included Bharti Airtel Ltd, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Bajaj Finance Ltd, ICICI Bank and Eternal Ltd.
VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, said global markets are closely watching US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and the signals he may send on trade policy.
"The EU freezing the deal with the US in light of tariff changes following the US Supreme Court verdict and Trump’s warnings to countries backing away from deals indicate that the tariff drama has more in store for economies and markets. We will have to wait and watch how this drama plays out," he stated.
Vijayakumar added that weakness in technology stocks continues amid concerns over the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the sector. This segment may continue to remain under pressure, he noted.
FII trend offers some support
Despite the current volatility, Vijayakumar highlighted a positive shift in foreign institutional investor (FII) activity. FIIs have been net buyers in 10 of the last 17 trading sessions, signalling renewed interest in Indian equities.
"Improving corporate earnings in India is the principal reason for this change in FII stance. Given the robust macros of the Indian economy and improving corporate earnings, this FII buying trend can continue. Therefore, sectors in which FIIs have been buyers, like capital goods and financials, will remain resilient, while the IT segment, in which they have been sellers, will continue to be weak," he said.
Kranthi Bathini, Equity Strategist at WealthMills Securities, advised investors to adopt a 'buy-on-dips' and 'sell-on-rallies' strategy.
Indian equity benchmarks witnessed a sharp decline in Tuesday's trade, weighed down by losses in technology and other heavyweight stocks. At 12:49 pm, the 30-share BSE Sensex pack was down 1,155.44 points or 1.39 per cent at 82,139.22. The NSE Nifty50 index also traded lower, slipping 324.25 points or 1.26 per cent to 25,388.75.
The sell-off eroded over Rs 5.4 lakh crore in investor wealth during the afternoon session. BSE market capitalisation (m-cap) dropped by Rs 5.45 lakh crore to Rs 463.74 lakh crore from Rs 469.19 lakh crore in the previous session.
Tech stocks drag
Selling pressure in heavyweights such as Infosys Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCL Technologies Ltd and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) pulled the headline indices lower. Other laggards included Bharti Airtel Ltd, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Bajaj Finance Ltd, ICICI Bank and Eternal Ltd.
VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, said global markets are closely watching US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and the signals he may send on trade policy.
"The EU freezing the deal with the US in light of tariff changes following the US Supreme Court verdict and Trump’s warnings to countries backing away from deals indicate that the tariff drama has more in store for economies and markets. We will have to wait and watch how this drama plays out," he stated.
Vijayakumar added that weakness in technology stocks continues amid concerns over the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the sector. This segment may continue to remain under pressure, he noted.
FII trend offers some support
Despite the current volatility, Vijayakumar highlighted a positive shift in foreign institutional investor (FII) activity. FIIs have been net buyers in 10 of the last 17 trading sessions, signalling renewed interest in Indian equities.
"Improving corporate earnings in India is the principal reason for this change in FII stance. Given the robust macros of the Indian economy and improving corporate earnings, this FII buying trend can continue. Therefore, sectors in which FIIs have been buyers, like capital goods and financials, will remain resilient, while the IT segment, in which they have been sellers, will continue to be weak," he said.
Kranthi Bathini, Equity Strategist at WealthMills Securities, advised investors to adopt a 'buy-on-dips' and 'sell-on-rallies' strategy.