Global markets remain on edge amid escalating tensions over a possible US strike on Iran. Equities weakened while crude oil surged above $72 a barrel. In the currency market, the dollar strengthened past ₹91 in offshore trade, raising concerns that the Reserve Bank of India may need to step in to steady the rupee.
Crude climbed to $72 a barrel
Dollar moved above ₹91 in offshore trade
US and European markets fell; Asian indices opened lower
Gift Nifty signals a mildly weak start for Indian equities
Gift Nifty, in derivatives trading at GIFT City, closed at 25,400 on Thursday night. On Friday morning it moved in the 25,366–25,435 range and hovered around 25,420, indicating a slightly negative opening for Indian markets.
In New York ADR trade, Infosys fell 3.32 percent before recovering 0.14 percent in after-hours deals. Wipro declined 2.61 percent and later gained 0.45 percent.
War concerns triggered sharp volatility in Indian equities on Thursday. The Sensex swung over 1,700 points intraday, wiping out nearly ₹7 lakh-crore in BSE market capitalisation.
Nifty slipped below its 50-day moving average
200-day moving average stands at 25,310
Technical analysts warn of deeper correction if Nifty falls below this level
Sectorally:
IT rallied in early trade but reversed sharply
Realty, automobiles and consumer durables led the decline
Oil India rose 5.2 percent and ONGC gained 3.65 percent on higher crude prices
Closing figures:
Sensex fell 1,236.11 points (1.48 percent) to 82,498.14
Nifty 50 declined 365 points (1.41 percent) to 25,454.35
Bank Nifty dropped 811.25 points (1.32 percent) to 60,739.55
Mid cap 100 lost 1.59 percent
Small cap 100 fell 1.27 percent
Market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,209 shares advanced while 3,011 declined. On the NSE, 825 rose and 2,304 fell.
Foreign portfolio investors were net sellers of ₹880.49 crore in the cash market. Domestic institutions also sold ₹596.28 crore.
Key Nifty levels:
Below 25,400: downside towards 25,200–25,100
Above 25,400: potential recovery to 25,500–25,600
Support: 25,385 and 25,280
Resistance: 25,765 and 25,885
Waaree Energies is in talks with several states, including Andhra Pradesh, to set up a battery manufacturing unit with an investment of ₹8,000 crore.
ABB India reported higher December-quarter revenue but net profit declined 18 percent.
Federal Bank received a ₹686 crore tax refund for assessment years 2011–12 to 2013–14.
Texmaco Rail & Engineering signed a shareholders’ agreement with Rail Vikas Nigam to form a joint venture.
RailTel awarded a ₹89 crore contract to Pace Digitek for video surveillance systems in railway coaches.
CIE Automotive India posted an 11 percent rise in third-quarter revenue and a 10.4 percent increase in net profit.
Gold and silver rose on geopolitical tensions but eased slightly on Friday morning.
Gold touched $5,023.20 an ounce before closing at $4,997.20
On Friday morning it hovered around $5,000
Silver closed at $78.68 an ounce
In Kerala, 22-carat gold rose ₹2,240 per sovereign to ₹1,15,320.
On MCX:
24-carat gold (10g) closed at ₹1,54,700
Silver ended at ₹2,41,400 per kg
Industrial metals advanced, with copper up 0.18 percent to $12,625.85 per tonne. Aluminium gained 0.56 percent. Nickel, tin, zinc and lead also rose.
US indices slipped on Thursday after early losses of nearly 1 percent, as fears of a potential escalation with Iran weighed on sentiment.
Economic data offered mixed signals:
Initial jobless claims for the week ended February 14 were lower than expected
December trade deficit widened more than forecast
Factory output index rose sharply
Stronger data dampened hopes of an early rate cut, adding to market pressure.
Dow Jones fell 267.50 points (0.54 percent) to close at 49,395.16
S&P 500 declined 19.42 points (0.28 percent) to 6,861.89
Nasdaq Composite dropped 70.91 points (0.31 percent) to 22,682.73
On Friday morning, US futures were marginally higher.
European markets also closed lower. Airbus slid 7 percent after flagging slightly lower aircraft deliveries in 2026. Renault fell 3 percent after slipping into a net loss despite marginal revenue growth. Nestle declined 3.5 percent as both revenue and profit weakened.
Japan’s Nikkei fell 1.30 percent; retail inflation eased to 1.5 percent
Core inflation moderated to 2.6 percent from 2.9 percent
South Korea’s Kospi rose 1 percent to a record
Australia edged lower
China remains closed for Lunar New Year holidays until February 23
Hong Kong slipped 0.55 percent
The dollar index closed at 97.93 on Thursday.
Euro fell to $1.1767
Pound slipped to $1.3456
Yen weakened to 155.05 per dollar
Yuan held at 6.91 per dollar
In offshore non-deliverable forward trade, the rupee weakened to 91.04 per dollar, signalling pressure in Friday’s domestic session. RBI intervention is expected if volatility persists.
Brent crude closed at $72 a barrel on Thursday and hovered near $71.84 on Friday morning. WTI traded at $66.62, while UAE’s Murban crude stood at $72.08.
Natural gas eased to $2.979.
Bitcoin recovered above $67,225 after slipping to $65,600
Ether traded near $1,960
Solana remained below $83
(February 19, Thursday)
Sensex: 82,498.14 (-1.48%)
Nifty 50: 25,454.35 (-1.41%)
Bank Nifty: 60,739.55 (-1.32%)
Mid cap 100: 59,227.65 (-1.59%)
Small cap 100: 17,020.35 (-1.27%)
Dow Jones: 49,395.16 (-0.54%)
S&P 500: 6,861.89 (-0.28%)
Nasdaq: 22,682.73 (-0.31%)
Dollar: ₹90.67 (+₹0.00)
Gold (ounce): $4,997.20 (+$19.20)
Gold (sovereign): ₹1,15,320 (+₹2,240)
Brent crude: $72.00 (+$1.70)**
