Stock markets decline in early trade dragged by IT firms, weak U.S. cues
The Hindu
Stock markets decline as IT firms struggle and rising crude oil prices fuel cautious investor sentiment.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday (February 12, 2026) dragged down by heavy losses in IT stocks such as Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services amid weak cues from U.S. markets.
Extending the previous day's decline, the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 421.66 points, or 0.50%, to 83,811.98 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty fell 121.10 points, or 0.47%, to 25,832.75.
Analysts said rising crude oil prices also added to the cautious sentiment among investors.
Among the Sensex constituents, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies, Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Adani Ports, IndiGo, Maruti Suzuki India and Sun Pharmaceuticals were the laggards.
On the other hand, ICICI Bank, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Bajaj Finance, State Bank of India, Tata Steel, NTPC, Titan, Larsen & Toubro, Axis Bank and Bharti Airtel were among the gainers.
Among sectoral indices, the IT pack slumped the most, diving 3.95 per cent, while the Focussed IT index declined 3.87 per cent on the BSE.
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