Taking Stock: Market extends gains for 2nd day; Nifty tops 25,700, Sensex jumps 480 pts

Market Today

• Sensex rose 480 points, Nifty closed above 25,700 amid volatility
• Auto, FMCG, PSU Bank stocks led gains; IT and metal sectors fell
• IDFC First Bank fell 16% on Rs 590-crore fraud report

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The Indian equity market began the week on a positive note, extending gains for a second consecutive session on February 23, with the Nifty closing above 25,700 mark amid volatility.

The market opened on a strong note, supported by positive global cues after the US Supreme Court struck down US President Donald Trump’s tariff programme. However, it witnessed mid-session profit booking amid concerns after the US President raised temporary global tariffs on nearly all imports to 15 percent from 10 percent.

Despite the volatility and final-hour buying, the indices closed near the day’s high, led by gains in auto, FMCG, and PSU Bank stocks.

At close, the Sensex was up 479.95 points or 0.58 percent at 83,294.66, and the Nifty was up 141.75 points or 0.55 percent at 25,713.

The broader indices ended on a mixed note, with the Nifty Midcap index declining 0.4 percent, while the Nifty Smallcap index edged up 0.3 percent.

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Biggest Nifty gainers were Adani Ports, Dr Reddy's Labs, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Life, Nestle, while losers included Hindalco, Wipro, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Cipla.

Among sectors Information Technology shed 1.4 percent, metal down 0.2 percent, while PSU Bank index added 1.3 percent, while pharma, oil & gas, infra, FMCG, auto added 0.5 percent each.

Index	Prices	Change	Change%
Sensex	75,501.97	-532.45	-0.70%
Nifty 50	23,470.50	-168.65	-0.71%
Nifty Bank	54,510.50	-590.45	-1.07%

Nifty 50 23,470.50 -168.65 (-0.71%)

Fri, Mar 13, 2026

• 1D
• 5D
• 1M
• 3M
• 6M
• 1Y
• 2Y

Biggest Gainer	Prices	Change	Change%
Power Grid Corp	306.45	2.85	+0.94%

Biggest Loser	Prices	Change	Change%
Hindalco	943.25	-26.50	-2.73%

Best Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty FMCG	48342.85	153.70	+0.32%

Worst Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty Metal	11643.80	-220.10	-1.86%

Also Read - Does Trump's 15% tariff reset give India an edge over Asian peers?

In stock specific action, IDFC First Bank shares fell 16% on reporting Rs 590-crore fraud government in accounts, AU Small Finance Bank shares shed 5% after the Haryana government de-empanelled its accounts, DEE Development Engineers share price surged 20% on order win of Rs 173 crore, UPL shares plunged 14% after board approves composite scheme to create independent crop protection platform.

Cohance Lifesciences shares added 3% after 7.7 million shares traded in a block, Morepen Laboratories shares added 15% on multi-year contract win, Stallion India shares fell 5% despite land allotment approval for HFO manufacturing plant, RailTel Corporation of India share price added nearly 2% on LoI of Rs 1136 crore.

Also Read - What Trump's 15% tariff change means for Indian export plays

More than 110 stocks touched their 52-week high, including Indian Bank, Cummins India, Apar Industries, Bharat Forge, Polycab India, Max Financial, JB Chemicals, SBI Life Insurance, Union Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra, Hitachi Energy, SBI, L&T, NTPC, Bank of India, KEI Industries, Astral, Voltas, among others. Click to View More

More than 220 stocks touched their 52-week low, including Hexaware Technologies, KPIT Technologies, Wipro, Afcons Infra, CE Info Systems, Info Edge, Inox Wind, Reliance Power, Cyient, Ola Electric, Concord Biotech, AAVAS Financiers, Just Dial, Suzlon Energy, LT Technology, Bata India, Mankind Pharma, Clean Science, among others. Click to View More

Also Read - US Supreme Court ruling on tariffs: What it means for the capital market

Outlook for February 24

Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities

The Nifty index opened the week on a positive footing, beginning Monday’s session with an upside gap and extending gains to an intraday high of 25771. However, the early strength quickly faded as traders turned cautious after US President Donald Trump announced a fresh 15% tariff, following the US Supreme Court’s move to strike down earlier duties imposed on several major trading partners. This shift in global trade sentiment triggered profit booking at higher levels, pulling the index off its day’s peak. Despite the intraday volatility, Nifty managed to end the session at 25719, up 0.58%, forming a small bodied candle with shadows on both sides, signalling indecision

Going ahead, for Nifty, the zone of 25800-25830 will act as immediate hurdle for the index. Any sustainable move above 25830 will lead to sharp upside rally upto the 26000 level. On the downside, the zone of 25600-25570 will act as crucial support for the index.

Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research, Kotak Securities

Today, the benchmark indices continued their positive momentum, with the Nifty ending 141 points higher while the Sensex was up by 478 points. Among sectors, the PSU Bank index outperformed, rallying 1.35 percent, whereas the IT index lost the most, shedding over 1.5 percent. Technically, after a strong open, the market witnessed range-bound activity throughout the day. On the lower side, it took support near the 20-day SMA (Simple Moving Average) or 25,600/83000, while 25,800/83600 remains the crucial resistance zone for short-term traders.

We believe that the 20-day SMA or 25,600/83000 will act as an immediate reference point for day traders. As long as the market is trading above this level, the bullish momentum is likely to continue. On the higher side, 25,800/83600 would be the key resistance area for the bulls. A successful breakout of 25,800/83600 could push the market up to 25,950–26,000/84000-84200.

On the flip side, below 25,600/83000, sentiment could change. If the market falls below this level, it is likely to retest the levels of 25,500–25,450/82700-82500.

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