Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed higher on Monday (February 23, 2026), tracking gains in PSU bank, auto and financial stocks, as investors' sentiments improved after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs.The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 479.95 points, or 0.58%, to settle at 83,294.66. During the session, the benchmark jumped 671.44 points, or 0.81%, to hit an intraday high of 83,486.15.Also Read | Tariffs in trouble: On the U.S. Supreme Court and Donal ...

Shares of IDFC First Bank tumbled as much as 20% on Monday after the lender disclosed over the weekend that a ₹590-crore fraud had occurred at its Chandigarh branch involving Haryana government-linked accounts, prompting the Reserve Bank of India to step in with assurances that there was no systemic risk.The stock fell sharply in early trade on the National Stock Exchange, slipping nearly 20% intraday to around ₹66.80 per share before trimming some losses.According to the bank, the fraud pertains to a parti ...

Core Insights - Retail investors are increasingly buying underperforming stocks while selling high-performing ones, indicating a mean reversion strategy [2][5][6] - In the December quarter, retail holdings rose in 1,019 NSE-listed companies with an average stock price decline of 8.6%, while holdings fell in 1,092 companies with a 1.6% price increase [1][6] - Retail ownership in Kaynes Technology nearly doubled from 8.75% to 16.56%, despite the stock dropping 43% [2][6] - Retail investors sold significant amounts in stocks like BSE and Reliance Industries, which saw price increases of 29% and 15% respectively [6][7] Retail Investment Trends - Estimated retail buying in Kaynes Technology was Rs 2,421 crore, while Dixon Technologies saw Rs 1,696 crore in retail purchases despite a 26% drop [2][6] - Retail selling included Rs 4,313 crore in BSE and Rs 4,238 crore in Reliance Industries, highlighting a trend of exiting profitable stocks [6][7] - Retail share by value in NSE-listed companies decreased to 7.25% as of December 31, 2025, from 7.45% at the end of September [5][6] Market Performance - Over the past eighteen months, Indian markets have shown modest returns, with large-cap stocks performing better than small and mid-caps, where retail investors are more concentrated [6][7] - Retail holdings in rupee terms stood at Rs 34.14 lakh crore, reflecting a 2.94% increase over the quarter, despite a decrease in share percentage [5][7]

Core Insights - The market capitalization of six out of the ten most-valued companies increased by Rs 63,478.46 crore last week, driven primarily by strong performances from Larsen & Toubro and State Bank of India [4] - The broader market saw a modest increase, with the BSE Sensex rising by 187.95 points, or 0.22% during the week [4] Company Performance - Larsen & Toubro led the weekly gains, adding Rs 28,523.31 crore to reach a market valuation of Rs 6,02,552.24 crore [4] - State Bank of India experienced a significant rise, with its market capitalization increasing by Rs 16,015.12 crore to Rs 11,22,581.56 crore [4] - HDFC Bank's valuation rose by Rs 9,617.56 crore, bringing its total to Rs 14,03,239.48 crore [4] - Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) added Rs 5,977.12 crore, pushing its market worth to Rs 5,52,203.92 crore [4] - Bajaj Finance's market capitalization climbed by Rs 3,142.36 crore to Rs 6,40,387 crore [4] - Reliance Industries saw a marginal increase of Rs 202.99 crore, taking its total valuation to Rs 19,21,678.78 crore [4] Declines in Market Value - Bharti Airtel recorded the largest decline, with its market capitalization dropping by Rs 15,338.66 crore to Rs 11,27,705.37 crore [4] - ICICI Bank followed with a decrease of Rs 14,632.10 crore, bringing its valuation to Rs 9,97,346.67 crore [4] - Infosys lost Rs 6,791.58 crore in market value, resulting in a total of Rs 5,48,496.14 crore [3][4] - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) slipped by Rs 1,989.95 crore to a market valuation of Rs 9,72,053.48 crore [3][4]

Market Overview - The 30-share BSE Sensex increased by 187.95 points, or 0.22 percent, over the past week [1] Company Valuations - The market valuation of Larsen & Toubro rose by Rs 28,523.31 crore to Rs 6,02,552.24 crore [2][6] - State Bank of India (SBI) added Rs 16,015.12 crore to reach Rs 11,22,581.56 crore [2][6] - HDFC Bank's valuation climbed by Rs 9,617.56 crore to Rs 14,03,239.48 crore [2][6] - Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) increased by Rs 5,977.12 crore to Rs 5,52,203.92 crore [2][6] - Bajaj Finance's market capitalisation advanced by Rs 3,142.36 crore to Rs 6,40,387 crore [4][6] - Reliance Industries' valuation went up by Rs 202.99 crore to Rs 19,21,678.78 crore [4][6] Declines in Valuation - Bharti Airtel's market capitalisation fell by Rs 15,338.66 crore to Rs 11,27,705.37 crore [5][6] - ICICI Bank's valuation decreased by Rs 14,632.10 crore to Rs 9,97,346.67 crore [6] - Infosys' market capitalisation declined by Rs 6,791.58 crore to Rs 5,48,496.14 crore [6] - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) dipped by Rs 1,989.95 crore to Rs 9,72,053.48 crore [6] Top Valued Firms - Reliance Industries remains the most-valued firm, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Life Insurance Corporation of India, and Infosys [6]

Core Insights - The combined market valuation of six of the top-10 valued firms increased by ₹63,478.46 crore last week, with Larsen & Toubro and State Bank of India being the primary contributors [1][2]. Group 1: Gainers - Larsen & Toubro's market valuation rose by ₹28,523.31 crore, reaching ₹6,02,552.24 crore [2]. - State Bank of India's valuation increased by ₹16,015.12 crore, totaling ₹11,22,581.56 crore [2]. - HDFC Bank's market capitalization climbed by ₹9,617.56 crore to ₹14,03,239.48 crore [3]. - Life Insurance Corporation of India's valuation edged up by ₹5,977.12 crore, reaching ₹5,52,203.92 crore [3]. - Bajaj Finance's market cap advanced by ₹3,142.36 crore to ₹6,40,387 crore [3]. - Reliance Industries' valuation increased by ₹202.99 crore, totaling ₹19,21,678.78 crore [3]. Group 2: Losers - Bharti Airtel's market capitalization fell by ₹15,338.66 crore to ₹11,27,705.37 crore [3]. - ICICI Bank's valuation decreased by ₹14,632.10 crore, bringing it down to ₹9,97,346.67 crore [3]. - Infosys' market cap declined by ₹6,791.58 crore to ₹5,48,496.14 crore [4]. - Tata Consultancy Services' valuation dipped by ₹1,989.95 crore, totaling ₹9,72,053.48 crore [4]. Group 3: Market Overview - The BSE Sensex rose by 187.95 points, or 0.22 percent, over the past week [1]. - Reliance Industries remains the most-valued firm, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Life Insurance Corporation of India, and Infosys [4].

Core Insights - The article highlights the current fixed deposit (FD) interest rates offered by small finance banks, private sector banks, and public sector banks, indicating that small finance banks provide some of the highest rates in the sector, with returns reaching up to 7.90% per annum for select tenures [2][9]. Small Finance Banks - Small finance banks are offering competitive FD interest rates, with the highest rate being 7.90% per annum for a tenure of 5 years at Suryoday Small Finance Bank [2][3]. - Other notable rates include: - Jana Small Finance Bank: 7.77% for tenures above 3 years to 5 years [3]. - Equitas Small Finance Bank: 7.20% for 888 days [3]. - AU Small Finance Bank: 7.10% for a tenure of 30 months to 36 months [3]. Private Sector Banks - SBM Bank India offers the highest FD interest rate of 7.30% per annum for a tenure above 18 months to less than 2 years and 3 days [4][9]. - Bandhan Bank and RBL Bank both provide a rate of 7.20% for tenures of 18 months to less than 3 years [4][9]. - Other rates include: - Axis Bank: 6.45% for tenures from 15 months to 10 years [5]. - DCB Bank: 7.15% for a tenure of 60 months to 61 months [6]. Public Sector Banks - Punjab & Sind Bank offers the highest interest rate of 6.75% for a tenure of 666 days [7][9]. - Bank of India provides an FD interest rate of 6.70% for a tenure of 450 days [7][9]. - Other notable rates include: - Bank of Maharashtra: 6.65% for a tenure of 400 days [8]. - Canara Bank: 6.50% for a tenure of 555 days [8].

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty began the trade on a negative territory on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), tracking losses in IT and Services stocks in a volatile session. After a bearish start, the 30-share BSE Sensex further declined 247.92 points, or 0.30%, to 83,203.04. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 70.25 points, or 0.27%, to 25,655.15. Among the Sensex constituents, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Adani Ports, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Eternal, Maruti Suzuki India, Asian Paints, Tr ...

Speaking to ET Now, Bandyopadhyay said the valuation gap between PSU banks and private lenders remains significant and could narrow further, making current levels still attractive for long-term investors.PSU banks: Valuation gap yet to closeDespite the recent surge in the PSU Banking Index, Bandyopadhyay believes the re-rating story is not over.“There is still a meaningful valuation gap between PSU banks and private peers. I am not saying they will command the same valuation multiples as He highlighted Liv ...

Core Viewpoint - State Bank of India (SBI) has experienced a significant re-rating, with its price-to-book (P/B) multiple rising to 2.41, reflecting improved fundamentals and strong earnings visibility, positioning it favorably among public sector banks [1][10]. Valuation Metrics - SBI's current P/B multiple of 2.41 is lower than HDFC Bank's 2.69 and ICICI Bank's 2.92, indicating a valuation gap despite comparable return ratios [1][10]. - A year ago, SBI's P/B stood at 1.35, showcasing a substantial increase in valuation over the past year [10]. Earnings Performance - SBI reported a 24% year-on-year growth in standalone net profit, amounting to Rs 21,028 crore in the third quarter, while net interest income (NII) increased by 9% year-on-year to Rs 45,190 crore [12][16]. - The bank's return on equity (ROE) is projected at 16-17%, and return on assets (ROA) is above 1%, both of which are higher than SBI's historical averages [5][12]. Market Position - SBI has recently surpassed Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to become India's fourth-largest company by market capitalization, with a valuation exceeding Rs 11 lakh crore [6]. - Within the Nifty Bank index, SBI has outperformed most large-cap peers, with only AU Small Finance Bank and Canara Bank delivering higher one-year returns [8][16]. Analyst Insights - Kranthi Bathini from WealthMills Securities considers SBI fairly valued and a preferred pick in the PSU banking space, expecting continued investor interest in government-owned banks [2][11]. - Abhinav Tiwari from Bonanza highlights SBI's favorable near-term risk-reward profile, citing its valuation comfort and earnings visibility as key factors [4][12]. - Dr. Ravi Singh from Master Capital Services notes that while SBI is no longer deeply undervalued, it is trading above long-term averages, with future returns likely driven by stronger ROE rather than further multiple expansion [9][16]. Growth Outlook - Analysts expect a potential upside of 10-20% for SBI over the next 12 months, with gradual price growth anticipated rather than sharp increases [11][16]. - Loan growth guidance for SBI is set at 13-15% on a substantial Rs 38 lakh crore book, indicating strong earnings visibility moving forward [5][12].