Markets turn volatile after firm start; services, consumer durables stocks drag
The Hindu
Markets became volatile after a strong start, with selling in services and consumer durables stocks dragging indices down.
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty began the trade on a positive note on Thursday (February 19, 2026) but soon turned in the negative territory, amid selling pressure in services and consumer durables stocks.
The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 245.11 points, or 0.29%, to 83,979.36 in early deals. The NSE Nifty went up 65.95 points, or 0.25%, to 25,885.30.
However, both the benchmark indices soon pared early gains, with the Sensex quoting 131.07 points lower at 83,603.18, and the Nifty down 30.70 points at 25,788.65.
Among the Sensex constituents, IndiGo, Asian Paints, Adani Ports, Bharat Electronics Ltd, ITC, Trent, Larsen & Toubro, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, PowerGrid, Reliance Industries, and Bajaj Finance were the laggards.
On the other hand, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki India, Hindustan Unilever, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel and NTPC were trading in the green territory.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi jumped 3%, and Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained nearly 1%. Markets in Hong Kong and mainland China remained closed for Lunar New Year holidays.
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