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EQUITY
Post Session: Quick Review
Feb-20-2026

Indian equity benchmarks closed higher on Friday, rebounding from the sharp sell-off in the previous session, despite lingering concerns over rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainty around the US Federal Reserve’s interest-rate outlook. After making a slightly negative start, soon indices turned positive and remained higher throughout the session, as traders took support after a private survey showed that India's private sector accelerated in February led by robust demand for goods even as services growth was broadly steady.

Some of the important factors in trade:

HSBC Flash India PMI rises to three-month high: 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

India calls for partnership with Switzerland: Some optimism also came as India called for increased collaboration in research and development (R&D), biotechnology, specialty pharmaceuticals, and advanced therapeutics with Switzerland, with an aim to further strengthen economic ties.

Govt disburses Rs 28,748 crore under PLI schemes to boost domestic manufacturing: Traders took support as the government stated that it has disbursed Rs 28,748 crore under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes across 14 sectors, including electronics and pharmaceuticals, since the launch of the initiative to boost domestic manufacturing.

On the global front: European equity markets were trading in green, after UK Retail sales posted a monthly growth of 1.8 percent in January, following a rise of 0.4 percent in December. This was the strongest growth since May 2024. Asian markets ended mixed, amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, risks linked to massive investments in artificial intelligence and fresh concerns about the health of the U.S. private credit sector.

The BSE Sensex ended at 82814.71, up by 316.57 points or 0.38% after trading in a range of 82206.21 and 83132.08. There were 22 stocks advancing against 9 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Power up by 1.91%, Utilities up by 1.53%, Capital Goods up by 1.51%, Metal up by 1.27% and Industrials up by 1.27%, while IT down by 0.98% and TECK down by 0.79% were the only losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were NTPC up by 2.66%, Larsen & Toubro up by 2.37%, Hindustan Unilever up by 1.71%, Power Grid Corp up by 1.29% and Tata Steel up by 1.27%. On the flip side, Kwality Walls (India) down by 3.97%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.75%, Eternal down by 1.27%, Infosys down by 1.21%, and HCL Technologies down by 0.76% were the top losers. (Provisional)

Meanwhile, India has joined Pax Silica, a US-led strategic alliance, specifically designed to build a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI). This comes amid ongoing talks to finalise the proposed trade deal between the two countries and move forward on several other initiatives to solidify bilateral ties after a spell of severe strain in relations.

The pact was signed at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and US envoy to India Sergio Gor among others. The Pax Silica initiative was launched by the US on December 12, 2025.  The Pax Silica Summit was held in Washington on December 12, 2025 where partner nations signed the Pax Silica declaration.

The declaration lays out a shared vision of deep economic and technology cooperation across supply chains -- from raw materials through semiconductors and AI infrastructure -- and commitment to mutual prosperity and security. The member nations of the Pax Silica included Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The CNX Nifty ended at 25571.25, up by 116.90 points or 0.46% after trading in a range of 25379.75 and 25663.55. There were 36 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gainers on Nifty were Hindalco up by 3.32%, NTPC up by 2.68%, Larsen & Toubro up by 2.33%, SBI Life Insurance up by 1.86% and Coal India up by 1.77%. On the flip side, Kwality Walls (India) down by 3.01%, Infosys down by 1.31%, Eternal down by 1.31%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.03%, and Grasim Industries down by 1.02% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading higher; France’s CAC rose 70.92 points or 0.84% to 8,469.70, UK’s FTSE 100 increased 74.66 points or 0.7% to 10,701.70 and Germany’s DAX gained 102.53 points or 0.41% to 25,146.10.

Asian markets ended mixed on Friday, with thin trading volumes due to Lunar New Year holidays in China and Taiwan. Japanese markets lost ground amid escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, sell-off in US technology, and cautiousness ahead of upcoming US economic data that could shape expectations for Federal Reserve's interest rate policy. In Seoul, the Kospi average breached the 5,800-point mark for the first time to hit a fresh record high led by chip and defense shares. The upbeat tone in Seoul came with optimism that upcoming investor-friendly measures will boost shareholder returns and lift market valuations.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

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--

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Hang Seng

26,413.35

-292.59

-1.10

Jakarta Composite

8,271.77

-2.31

-0.03

KLSE Composite

1,752.83

0.72

0.04

Nikkei 225

56,825.70

-642.13

-1.12

Straits Times

5,017.60

16.04

0.32

KOSPI Composite

5,808.53

131.28

2.31

Taiwan Weighted

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