Stock markets close higher on fag-end buying in bank, metal shares

Stock markets closed higher as last-hour buying in bank and metal shares drove gains for Sensex and Nifty indices.

Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty extended their gains for the third straight session on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), driven by last-hour buying in bank, metal, and FMCG shares.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 283.29 points, or 0.34%, to settle at 83,734.25 in a volatile trade. During the day, it touched an intraday high of 83,770.05.

The 50-share NSE Nifty gained 93.95 points, or 0.37%, to close at 25,819.35.

Among the Sensex firms, Tata Steel, ITC, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Hindustan Unilever, State Bank of India, UltraTech Cement, Trent, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the major gainers.

On the other hand, Eternal, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Adani Ports, Tata Consultancy Services, IndiGo, Asian Paints, Maruti Suzuki India PowerGrid and HDFC Bank were the laggards.

“Indian markets witnessed a late surge driven by broad-based buying after a cautious start, as positive domestic sectoral cues helped offset lingering global uncertainties,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd., said.