Indian equities ended sharply lower on February 12 as heavy selling in IT stocks and profit booking across sectors dragged the benchmarks down. Weak global cues and concerns over US interest rates added to the pressure.
The Sensex fell 559 points, or 0.66 percent, to close at 83,674.92. The Nifty 50 declined 147 points, or 0.57 percent, to settle at 25,807.20.
Broader markets also came under pressure. The BSE 150 MidCap Index slipped 0.46 percent, while the BSE 250 SmallCap Index dropped 0.86 percent.
The overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies fell to ₹472 lakh-crore from ₹475 lakh-crore in the previous session, eroding nearly ₹3 lakh-crore in investor wealth in a single day.
• IT stocks led the fall amid concerns that rapid advances in artificial intelligence could compress margins and disrupt the traditional outsourcing model.
• Strong US jobs data reduced expectations of an early US Fed rate cut, pushing up US bond yields and the dollar.
• Lingering geopolitical tensions, including developments in West Asia, added to risk aversion.
• Bajaj Finance rose 3.31 percent
• Shriram Finance gained 2.48 percent
• Eicher Motors added 2.13 percent
• Tech Mahindra fell 6.40 percent
• Infosys declined 5.97 percent
• TCS dropped 5.77 percent
• HCL Technologies slipped 5.20 percent
• Wipro lost 4.79 percent
• Nifty IT plunged 5.51 percent, emerging as the worst-performing sector.
• Realty, media and oil and gas indices also declined.
• Nifty Bank ended flat at 60,739.75, while the financial services index rose 0.38 percent.
• Over 2,500 stocks declined on the BSE, compared with more than 1,600 advances.
• Around 140 stocks hit 52-week highs, while 111 touched 52-week lows.
Analysts said Nifty managed to close above its 20-day moving average, keeping hopes of a rebound alive. Immediate support is seen around 25,750–25,500, while 26,000 remains a key resistance level.
