Core Viewpoint - The power sector is experiencing growth due to expectations of sustained demand momentum, contributing to a rebound in equity benchmark indices [5]. Group 1: Market Performance - Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded sharply by nearly 1 percent, with the BSE Sensex rising 650.39 points (0.79 percent) to close at 83,277.15 and the NSE Nifty advancing 211.65 points (0.83 percent) to settle at 25,682.75 [3]. - PowerGrid emerged as the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 4.45 percent, alongside strong performances from HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, NTPC, and others [4]. Group 2: Analyst Insights - Analysts noted that domestic markets edged higher due to renewed buying interest in banking and power stocks, with improved loan growth and stable asset quality boosting confidence in banks [5]. - The power sector's gains are attributed to expectations of sustained demand momentum, indicating a positive outlook for the industry [5]. Group 3: Global Market Influences - A decline in the US 10-year yield, following benign inflation data, has strengthened expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut, which is influencing investor sentiment [7]. - Stability in the rupee and range-bound crude oil prices are providing additional support to domestic equities, particularly ahead of US-Iran talks [7]. Group 4: Institutional Activity - Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 7,395.41 crore, while domestic institutional investors purchased stocks worth Rs 5,553.96 crore, indicating a mixed sentiment in the market [9].

Market Performance - Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded sharply by nearly 1% on February 16, 2026, driven by strong buying in power, banking, and financial stocks [1] - The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 650.39 points, or 0.79%, closing at 83,277.15 [1] - The 50-share NSE Nifty advanced 211.65 points, or 0.83%, settling at 25,682.75 [2] Sector Performance - PowerGrid emerged as the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 4.45%, with other notable gainers including HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, NTPC, ITC, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finserv, Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Reliance Industries, and State Bank of India [2] - The power sector gained on expectations of sustained demand momentum, while improved loan growth and stable asset quality bolstered confidence in banks [4] Global Market Influence - A continued decline in the U.S. 10-year yield, following benign inflation data, strengthened expectations of a Fed rate cut later this year, influencing investor sentiment [5] - Stability in the rupee and range-bound crude oil prices ahead of U.S.-Iran talks provided additional support to domestic equities [5] Investor Activity - Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth ₹7,395.41 crore on February 14, 2026, while domestic institutional investors purchased stocks worth ₹5,553.96 crore [7]

MUMBAI : The banking regulator’s proposed framework to encourage responsible selling of financial products will likely dent banks’ earnings from insurance policy sales, which generate about ₹25,000 crore annually for the industry. On 11 February, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released draft guidelines targeting mis-selling, bundled sales, and even “dark patterns" in banking apps, redrawing the boundaries of how banks sell such products. The norms will be applicable from July. “The responsibility on banks ...

Nifty Bank index began today’s session with a gap-down at 59,948 versus yesterday’s close of 60,187. But it recovered soon after opening and is now hovering around 60,400, up 0.4 per cent.The advance-decline ratio stands at 6-8, showing a slight bearish bias. HDFC Bank (up 2.1 per cent) is the top gainer followed by Axis Bank (up 1.3 per cent).On the other hand, Union Bank of India (down 0.9 per cent) and State Bank of India (down 0.8 per cent) are the top losers.Nifty Private Bank has gained nearly 0.6 per ...

Market Overview - Indian stocks opened lower but quickly trimmed losses in morning trading, indicating a cautious market mood [1] - The BSE Sensex index rose to 82,802, gaining 175 points or 0.21% at 10 AM [2] - The NSE Nifty50 increased to 25,523, up by 51 points or 0.2% [2] Top Gainers and Losers - Top gainers in the Sensex included Power Grid, HDFC Bank, Sun Pharma, NTPC, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Finserv, HCL Tech, ITC, and Axis Bank [2] - Top losers were Infosys, Adani Ports, Titan, HUL, SBI, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, and ICICI Bank [2] Sector Performance - The Nifty MidCap and Nifty SmallCap indices were down 0.06% each, indicating a slight decline in broader market segments [3] - The Nifty Pharma index gained 1%, reflecting positive performance in the pharmaceutical sector [3] - The Nifty Auto index added 0.06%, showing modest gains in the automotive sector [3] - The Nifty IT and PSU Bank indices both slipped by 0.4%, indicating challenges in these sectors [3]

Core Insights - The net profits of listed companies grew 14.7% year-on-year in Q3FY26, marking the fastest growth in the last eight quarters [1] Financial Performance - Adjusted net profits of the 3,353 companies in the Business Standard sample increased to approximately ₹3.97 trillion in Q3FY26 from ₹3.47 trillion in Q3FY25 and ₹3.67 trillion in Q2FY26, reflecting a growth of 14.7% year-on-year [2] - Reported net profits showed a slower growth of 9.5% year-on-year in Q3FY26, down from 11.9% in Q3FY25 and 33.4% in Q2FY26 [5] Sector Contributions - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was the largest contributor to earnings growth in Q3FY26, accounting for 22.4% of incremental earnings growth, with net profits rising nearly eightfold to ₹13,007 crore from ₹1,630 crore a year earlier [6][7] - The State Bank of India reported a 24.5% year-on-year increase in net profits, contributing 8.1% to corporate earnings growth [8] - Other significant contributors included Bharat Petroleum Corporation (6.8%), Tata Steel (4.8%), and HDFC Bank (3.8%), with these five companies together accounting for nearly 46% of incremental earnings growth [9][10] Sector Performance - Cyclical sectors accounted for 56.2% of corporate profits in Q3FY26, up from 53.3% a year earlier and 55.8% in Q2FY26 [12] - Traditional earnings leaders like Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, and Infosys underperformed with below-par earnings growth [13] Revenue and Cost Analysis - Net sales of all companies increased by 8.9% in Q3FY26, reaching around ₹41.17 trillion, the fastest growth in the last 11 quarters [16] - Non-cyclical sectors saw net sales growth of 10.9% year-on-year in Q3FY26, slightly up from 9.2% in Q3FY25 [17] - The Ebitda margin for companies outside the BFSI sector decreased by 20 basis points year-on-year to 17.9% of revenues [19] - Interest expenses as a percentage of revenues fell to 2.7% in Q3FY26 from 2.9% in Q3FY25, indicating a decline in interest burden [21]

Investments in these three stocks accounted for 45 per cent of net equity purchases by MFs in January. According to data from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), MFs invested a total of ₹40,514 crore in equities during the month.  The three banking stocks also ranked among the top additions by MF schemes over the past three months, the analysis showed.  Private-bank stocks, particularly major names such as HDFC Bank, have been drawing renewed investor interest as valuations softened follow ...

Market Valuation Decline - The combined market valuation of six of the top 10 valued firms decreased by more than ₹3 lakh crore last week, with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys being the largest contributors to this decline [1] - The BSE benchmark index fell by 953.64 points, or 1.14 percent, over the past week [1] Major Firms Affected - TCS's market valuation dropped by ₹90,198.92 crore to ₹9,74,043.43 crore, while Infosys's valuation decreased by ₹70,780.23 crore to ₹5,55,287.72 crore [2] - HDFC Bank's market valuation fell by ₹54,627.71 crore to ₹13,93,621.92 crore, and Reliance Industries' valuation declined by ₹41,883 crore to ₹19,21,475.79 crore [3] - Life Insurance Corporation of India's market capitalization decreased by ₹23,971.74 crore to ₹5,46,226.80 crore, and Bharti Airtel's valuation dropped by ₹19,244.61 crore to ₹11,43,044.03 crore [3] Firms with Increased Valuation - State Bank of India's market capitalization increased by ₹1,22,213.38 crore to ₹11,06,566.44 crore [3] - Bajaj Finance's market capitalization rose by ₹26,414.44 crore to ₹6,37,244.64 crore, and Larsen & Toubro's valuation increased by ₹14,483.9 crore to ₹5,74,028.93 crore [4] - ICICI Bank's market capitalization grew by ₹5,719.95 crore to ₹10,11,978.77 crore [5] Ranking of 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, Infosys, and Life Insurance Corporation of India [5]

Market Overview - Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty experienced a decline of more than 1 percent due to a broad selloff, particularly in metal, IT, and commodity stocks, reflecting sluggish global market conditions [3][4][9] - The 30-share BSE Sensex fell by 1,048.16 points, or 1.25 percent, closing at 82,626.76, with an intraday low of 82,534.55 [3] - The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped by 336.10 points, or 1.30 percent, settling at 25,471.10, hitting an intraday low of 25,444.30 [4] Sector Performance - Major laggards among Sensex constituents included Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, and HCL Technologies, while Bajaj Finance and State Bank of India were the only gainers [5][6] - Profit-booking was observed in metal stocks amid a stronger dollar index, influenced by geopolitical developments regarding Russia's return to the US-dollar settlement system [10] Analyst Insights - Analysts noted that domestic equities ended lower due to weak global cues and concerns over upcoming US inflation data [7] - Sentiment from the US-India trade deal has diminished, with renewed fears of AI-driven disruption affecting risk appetite, particularly for Indian IT firms reliant on the labor arbitrage model [7][9] - The cautious market tone led to negative performance across all major indices, with most sectors closing in the red [9] Asian Market Performance - Asian markets, including Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Shanghai's SSE Composite, Japan's Nikkei 225, and South Korea's Kospi, also ended in negative territory [11] - Foreign institutional investors purchased equities worth Rs 108.42 crore, while domestic institutional investors were net buyers of stocks worth Rs 276.85 crore [11]

Market Overview - Indian equity markets opened sharply lower, with the Sensex falling 790.71 points to 82,884.21 and Nifty declining 254.95 points to 25,552.25, influenced by a global tech sell-off due to concerns over AI disruption to traditional business models [1][5] IT Sector Performance - The Nifty IT index experienced a significant decline of 4.72 percent, dropping to 31,594.70, marking its sharpest single-day decline in ten months [2] - Major IT companies faced substantial losses, with Infosys down 6.11 percent to ₹1,301.30, TCS down 4.59 percent to ₹2,624.00, HCL Technologies down 4.38 percent to ₹1,411.50, and Wipro down 3.55 percent to ₹211.31 [2][6] - The sell-off in IT stocks was attributed to a sharp decline in US technology stocks, with the Nasdaq falling 2.03 percent as investors reassessed the impact of AI startups on established tech companies [2] Broader Market Trends - The broader market showed mixed signals, with select financial stocks like Bajaj Finance and SBI Life Insurance witnessing buying interest, while Hindalco faced significant selling pressure, declining 5.78 percent to ₹908.70 [7][8] - Foreign Institutional Investors continued to buy equities worth ₹108 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors invested over ₹276 crore, providing some support to the markets [9] Investor Sentiment - Concerns over AI-led disruption and fading optimism regarding near-term global rate cuts are expected to weigh on market sentiment [5] - Experts advised caution, suggesting that panic selling in IT stocks may not be prudent and that investors should consider accumulating high-quality growth stocks, especially those with strong Q3 results [8]