Stock market today: Gift Nifty down 88 points; key levels for Nifty, Sensex & Nifty Bank
Nifty futures on the NSE International Exchange traded 87.70 points, or 0.34 per cent, down at 25,629.60, hinting at a weak start for the domestic market on Tuesday.
- Feb 17, 2026,
- Updated Feb 17, 2026 8:33 AM IST
Indian equity benchmark indices are set to open lower on Tuesday, with analysts expecting a consolidation phase following a largely in-line earnings season, while tech stocks await direction from the ongoing Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit.
Nifty futures on the NSE International Exchange traded 87.70 points, or 0.34 per cent, down at 25,629.60, hinting at a weak start for the domestic market on Tuesday. Asian markets traded flat in a holiday-thinned trading. Nikkei dropped nearly a per cent, while KOSPI dropped one-third per cent. Hang Seng was up slightly.
"With the results season ending on a strong note, we expect markets to remain sideways with a marginal positive bias, taking cues from the upcoming Infosys’ AI-focused investor meet and the ongoing India AI Impact Summit, which could provide direction for tech stocks," said Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
US stocks observed a holiday on Monday on the account of Washington's Birthday. In early Asian trading hours, Nasdaq futures were down 0.1 per cent and S&P 500 futures up 0.2 per cent. The dollar index was last flat at 97.07, after a small gain of 0.2 per cent overnight.
Gold was down 0.85 per cent at $4949.5 per ounce as a higher dollar on Monday made greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies. Spot silver was 2 per cent lower. Oil prices were higher ahead of US-Iran talks aimed at de-escalating tensions against a backdrop of expected OPEC+ supply increases. Brent crude futures rose 1.33 per cent overnight.
Market sentiment remained fragile as the recent selling pressure in the technology space continued to weigh on overall confidence, said Ajit Mishra, SVP of Research at Religare Broking. "We maintain a cautious stance due to ongoing choppiness and mixed cues. Traders are advised to focus on sector-specific opportunities, while keeping position sizes under control."
Provisional data available with NSE suggest that FPIs turned net sellers of domestic stocks to the tune of Rs 972.13 crore on Monday. On the other hand, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) turned buyers of Indian equities to the tune of Rs 1,666.98 crore on a net-net basis.
Nifty50 & Sensex outlook
On daily charts, a long bullish candle was formed, and on intraday charts, it has formed a promising reversal pattern, which is largely positive. For day traders, 25,600/83,000 and 25,500/82,700 would act as key support zones, said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research at Kotak Securities.
"As long as the market is trading above these levels, the pullback formation is likely to continue. On the higher side, it could bounce back to 25,800–25,875/83,500-83,700. On the flip side, below 25,500/82,700, the sentiment could change. If the market falls below this level, traders may prefer to exit their long positions," he said.
The sharp upside recovery that emerged from the early part of the session and continued till the end. A long bull candle has been formed on the daily chart after opening lower. Technically, this market action indicates a formation of 'Bullish Engulfing' candle pattern, which is a positive indication, said Nagaraj Shetti, Senior Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities.
"The opening downside gap of Friday has been filled partially. The sharp bounce back of Monday seems to have opened the doors for bulls to comeback. A sustainable move above the recent down gap resistance at 25,750 could pull Nifty towards 26,000 levels in the near term. Immediate support is placed at 25,550," he said.
Nifty Bank outlook
Nifty Bank found solid support near its 20-day EMA, from where it staged a sharp and decisive rebound. "60,600–60,500 is expected to act as a crucial support area, said Sudeep Shah, Head of Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities. As long as it sustains above 60,500, Nifty Bank remains well-positioned to extend its rally toward 61500, with the next potential target placed near 62,100."
Nifty Bank formed a bullish engulfing candlestick pattern that signals a strong shift in sentiment and aggressive buying at lower levels, said Aakash Shah, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Equity Broking. "From a technical perspective, immediate resistance is placed in the 61,150–61,250 band, while the 60,650–60,750 zone continues to act as a key support area for short-term stability."
Indian equity benchmark indices are set to open lower on Tuesday, with analysts expecting a consolidation phase following a largely in-line earnings season, while tech stocks await direction from the ongoing Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit.
Nifty futures on the NSE International Exchange traded 87.70 points, or 0.34 per cent, down at 25,629.60, hinting at a weak start for the domestic market on Tuesday. Asian markets traded flat in a holiday-thinned trading. Nikkei dropped nearly a per cent, while KOSPI dropped one-third per cent. Hang Seng was up slightly.
"With the results season ending on a strong note, we expect markets to remain sideways with a marginal positive bias, taking cues from the upcoming Infosys’ AI-focused investor meet and the ongoing India AI Impact Summit, which could provide direction for tech stocks," said Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
US stocks observed a holiday on Monday on the account of Washington's Birthday. In early Asian trading hours, Nasdaq futures were down 0.1 per cent and S&P 500 futures up 0.2 per cent. The dollar index was last flat at 97.07, after a small gain of 0.2 per cent overnight.
Gold was down 0.85 per cent at $4949.5 per ounce as a higher dollar on Monday made greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies. Spot silver was 2 per cent lower. Oil prices were higher ahead of US-Iran talks aimed at de-escalating tensions against a backdrop of expected OPEC+ supply increases. Brent crude futures rose 1.33 per cent overnight.
Market sentiment remained fragile as the recent selling pressure in the technology space continued to weigh on overall confidence, said Ajit Mishra, SVP of Research at Religare Broking. "We maintain a cautious stance due to ongoing choppiness and mixed cues. Traders are advised to focus on sector-specific opportunities, while keeping position sizes under control."
Provisional data available with NSE suggest that FPIs turned net sellers of domestic stocks to the tune of Rs 972.13 crore on Monday. On the other hand, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) turned buyers of Indian equities to the tune of Rs 1,666.98 crore on a net-net basis.
Nifty50 & Sensex outlook
On daily charts, a long bullish candle was formed, and on intraday charts, it has formed a promising reversal pattern, which is largely positive. For day traders, 25,600/83,000 and 25,500/82,700 would act as key support zones, said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research at Kotak Securities.
"As long as the market is trading above these levels, the pullback formation is likely to continue. On the higher side, it could bounce back to 25,800–25,875/83,500-83,700. On the flip side, below 25,500/82,700, the sentiment could change. If the market falls below this level, traders may prefer to exit their long positions," he said.
The sharp upside recovery that emerged from the early part of the session and continued till the end. A long bull candle has been formed on the daily chart after opening lower. Technically, this market action indicates a formation of 'Bullish Engulfing' candle pattern, which is a positive indication, said Nagaraj Shetti, Senior Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities.
"The opening downside gap of Friday has been filled partially. The sharp bounce back of Monday seems to have opened the doors for bulls to comeback. A sustainable move above the recent down gap resistance at 25,750 could pull Nifty towards 26,000 levels in the near term. Immediate support is placed at 25,550," he said.
Nifty Bank outlook
Nifty Bank found solid support near its 20-day EMA, from where it staged a sharp and decisive rebound. "60,600–60,500 is expected to act as a crucial support area, said Sudeep Shah, Head of Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities. As long as it sustains above 60,500, Nifty Bank remains well-positioned to extend its rally toward 61500, with the next potential target placed near 62,100."
Nifty Bank formed a bullish engulfing candlestick pattern that signals a strong shift in sentiment and aggressive buying at lower levels, said Aakash Shah, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Equity Broking. "From a technical perspective, immediate resistance is placed in the 61,150–61,250 band, while the 60,650–60,750 zone continues to act as a key support area for short-term stability."