Mumbai, February 17, 2026 (Udaipur Kiran): Indian equity markets witnessed a weak start on Tuesday, as the recent rally lost momentum in early trade. Both benchmark indices — the BSE Sensex and the Nifty 50 — opened in the red amid mixed global cues.
At 9:15 AM, the 30-share Sensex opened 79 points lower at 83,197. The 50-share Nifty also began the session with a decline of 44 points at 25,631.
By 9:20 AM, the selling pressure intensified. The Sensex dropped 204 points to 83,072, while the Nifty slipped 94 points to 25,588.
Among the top gainers on the Nifty were Asian Paints, Infosys, Bharat Electronics Limited, Tech Mahindra, and HCL Technologies, indicating strength in IT stocks.
On the losing side were Quality, Hindalco, Eternal, Shriram Finance, and Max Health.
Global Cues Mixed
Global markets offered mixed signals ahead of the trading session. Asian markets traded lower on Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.5 percent, while the Topix index declined 0.2 percent. Markets in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea remained closed due to Lunar New Year holidays.
The Gift Nifty was trading around 25,636, about 81 points lower than the previous close of Nifty futures, indicating a weak start for domestic indices.
On Wall Street, US markets were closed on Monday on account of Presidents Day. US stock futures showed mixed movement, with S&P 500 futures rising 0.1 percent, Nasdaq 100 futures falling 0.2 percent, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gaining 0.2 percent.
Key Developments in Focus
US President Donald Trump stated that he would be indirectly involved in high-stakes talks between the United States and Iran regarding the nuclear programme, scheduled to take place in Geneva on Tuesday.
Domestically, the unemployment rate rose marginally to 5 percent in January, compared to 4.8 percent in December 2025, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The data showed a slight increase in unemployment in both rural and urban areas, along with lower labour force participation rate and worker population ratio.
India’s merchandise trade deficit widened in January due to higher imports. The gap between imports and exports increased to 34.68 billion dollars, compared to 25.04 billion dollars in December and 23 billion dollars a year ago. This marks the highest level in the current financial year after the record 41.68 billion dollars in October 2025.
Commodities and Currency
Gold prices remained largely unchanged after falling more than 1 percent in the previous session. Spot gold was steady at 4,990.08 dollars per ounce, while silver slipped 0.1 percent to 76.58 dollars per ounce.
The dollar index was last flat at 97.07 after a marginal gain of 0.2 percent. Crude oil prices rose ahead of the Iran–US talks, reflecting geopolitical concerns. Brent crude climbed 1.33 percent to 68.65 dollars per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 1.29 percent to 63.70 dollars.
On Monday, Indian markets had closed with strong gains. The Sensex surged 650 points to settle at 83,277, while the Nifty jumped 211 points to close at 25,682.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
