Indian equities extended gains for a third straight session on February 18, supported by positive global cues and late buying in select heavyweights. Broader markets also advanced, while investors added nearly ₹2 lakh-crore in wealth in a single session.
The BSE Sensex climbed 283 points, or 0.34 percent, to close at 83,734.25. The Nifty 50 gained 94 points, or 0.37 percent, to settle at 25,819.35, ending comfortably above the 25,800 mark.
The BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.50 percent, while the BSE 250 SmallCap Index advanced 0.39 percent, indicating buying interest across segments.
Overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies increased to nearly ₹472 lakh-crore from about ₹470 lakh-crore in the previous session.
Markets saw a late surge driven by broad-based buying after a cautious start. With Q3 earnings largely priced in and major domestic triggers such as the Union Budget and RBI policy behind, investors are now focusing on stock- and sector-specific opportunities.
Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments said banking and financial stocks remained resilient amid steady asset quality expectations, while selective buying in FMCG names supported outperformance.
He noted that third quarter results for the Nifty 500 were broadly in line with expectations, reflecting mixed growth trends but a stable domestic macro environment in the medium term.
Thirty-one stocks ended higher in the Nifty 50. Key gainers included:
Kwality Wall’s (India) – up 4.94 percent
HDFC Life Insurance Company – up 3.37 percent
Tata Steel – up 2.93 percent
ITC – up 2.15 percent
Bajaj Auto – up 1.56 percent
Major laggards in the index were:
Wipro – down 1.73 percent
Eternal – down 1.47 percent
Adani Enterprises – down 1.41 percent
Infosys – down 1.26 percent
Tech Mahindra – down 1.25 percent
Except IT, all sectoral indices ended in the green.
Nifty Metal rose 1.33 percent
PSU Bank gained 1.31 percent
FMCG advanced 1.21 percent
Nifty Bank climbed 0.62 percent to 61,550.80
Nifty Financial Services added 0.62 percent
Nifty IT was the only loser, falling 1.23 percent.
The most actively traded stocks on the NSE were:
Easy Trip Planners (71.10 crore shares)
Vodafone Idea (35.90 crore shares)
Filatex Fashions (12.5 crore shares)
The advance-decline ratio favoured bulls. More than 2,200 stocks advanced on the BSE, while over 1,900 declined.
Fourteen stocks rallied more than 15 percent on the BSE, including Godfrey Phillips India, Ratnamani Metals & Tubes, NDL Ventures and BLB.
As many as 112 stocks hit 52-week highs, including Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Auto, Cummins India, Indus Towers and JSW Steel.
Around 100 stocks touched 52-week lows, including Info Edge (India), L&T Technology Services, Brainbees Solutions and Cello World.
Sudeep Shah of SBI Securities said immediate resistance for Nifty is placed in the 25,900–25,950 zone. A sustained move above this band could push the index towards 26,100 and then 26,300 in the short term.
On the downside, the 25,700–25,650 zone is likely to act as immediate support.
Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, said initial support lies near 25,650, followed by a stronger demand base in the 25,600–25,550 range. As long as the index holds above these levels, the broader bias remains mildly positive.
