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Indices maintain gains in late morning deals
Feb-20-2026

Domestic equity indices maintained their gains in late morning deals as investors opted to buy beaten down but fundamentally strong stocks. Sentiments got boost as the HSBC Flash India PMI Composite Output Index - a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of India's manufacturing and service sectors - rose from 58.4 in January to 59.3 in February, indicating the strongest rate of expansion for three months. Traders took note of report that India called for deeper cooperation in research and development, biotechnology, specialty pharmaceuticals and advanced therapeutics with Switzerland with an aim to further strengthen economic ties between the two countries. On the BSE sectoral front, traders were seen piling up positions in Power, Capital Goods, Metal, Industrials and Utilities, while selling was witnessed in IT, Realty, TECK and Healthcare.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in red following weak cues from the US markets overnight. Back home, in the stock specific development, Pace Digitek surged as the company has secured Advance Letter of Award for order worth around Rs 89.07 crore (including GST) from Railtel Corporation of India. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 82831.70, up by 333.56 points or 0.40% after trading in a range of 82206.21 and 82946.00. There were 22 stocks advancing against 9 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Power up by 1.50%, Capital Goods up by 1.48%, Metal up by 1.14%, Industrials up by 1.07% and Utilities up by 1.05%, while IT down by 0.40%, Realty down by 0.31%, TECK down by 0.22% and Healthcare down by 0.01% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Bharat Electronics up by 2.00%, NTPC up by 1.97%, Hindustan Unilever up by 1.53%, Power Grid up by 1.41% and Larsen & Toubro up by 1.34%. On the flip side, Kwality Walls (India) down by 1.43%, Infosys down by 0.91%, Eternal down by 0.74%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 0.62% and Tech Mahindra down by 0.55% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, India’s private sector activity accelerated in the month of February, with quicker increases in total new orders and international sales. According to the data report, the HSBC Flash India PMI Composite Output Index - a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of India's manufacturing and service sectors - rose from 58.4 in January to 59.3 in February, indicating the strongest rate of expansion for three months.

Goods producers signalled a stronger rise in total sales than services firms, and one that was the quickest in four months, as the latter saw growth retreat to a 13-month low. Dampening the upturn was competitive pressures and the offer of cheaper services elsewhere. One area where the service economy outperformed was exports, as international orders rose at a substantial pace that was the steepest since August 2025. Conversely, manufacturers observed the slowest increase in external sales for 16 months. At the composite level, February's expansion was the strongest since last September.

With backlogs of work rising in a broad-based fashion, employment increased in the manufacturing and service sectors. Rates of expansion were modest, but quickened in each case. At the composite level, the pace of job creation strengthened to a three-month high. In addition to hiring additional staff, goods producers also scaled up purchasing volumes. Input buying growth climbed to a four-month high in February. The strength seen across the goods-producing economy was evidenced by the HSBC Flash India Manufacturing PMI rising from 55.4 in January to a four-month high of 57.5 in February.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25568.85, up by 114.50 points or 0.45% after trading in a range of 25379.75 and 25606.50. There were 39 stocks advancing against 12 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Hindalco up by 2.23%, Bharat Electronics up by 2.02%, NTPC up by 1.94%, Hindustan Unilever up by 1.61% and Power Grid up by 1.44%. On the flip side, Kwality Walls (India) down by 1.15%, Infosys down by 0.99%, Eternal down by 0.68%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 0.50% and Grasim Industries down by 0.45% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in red; Nikkei 225 slipped 695.83 points or 1.21% to 56,772.00, Jakarta Composite plunged 12.93 points or 0.16% to 8,261.15 and Hang Seng declined 161.94 points or 0.61% to 26,544.00. However, KOSPI increased 125.19 points or 2.21% to 5,802.44 and Straits Times rose 14.26 points or 0.29% to 5,015.82.

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