Taking Stock | Market ends flat amid volatility; PSU bank, realty drag

The equity benchmark ended flat in a volatile session on February 21, with the Sensex closing 18.82 points, or 0.03 percent, lower at 60,672.72 and the Nifty down 17.90 points, or 0.10 percent, at 17,826.70.

The market started on a positive note but gyrated between gains and losses as the session progressed amid mixed sectoral trends.

"Despite opening gains, negative cues from global peers cast a shadow over investor sentiments. Underpinned by inflationary concerns, the market is keenly eyeing the US Fed meeting minutes, scheduled to be released tomorrow, for hints on further monetary policy tightening. Risk appetite was further hammered by FIIs turning net sellers and fear of El Niño," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

Stocks and Sectors

NTPC, Britannia Industries, Reliance Industries, Power Grid and Tata Steel were among the top Nifty gainers, while losers included Adani Enterprises, Apollo Hospitals, Coal India, Tata Motors and Bajaj Auto.

On the sectoral front, the Nifty PSU Bank index was down nearly 2 percent, while information technology, metal, pharma and auto indices lost 0.2-0.88 percent.

BSE midcap and the smallcap closed with marginal losses.

On the BSE, the realty index shed a percent and oil & gas and information technology 0.5 percent each. The power index, however, added nearly a percent.

Index	Prices	Change	Change%
Sensex	81,207.17	223.86	+0.28%
Nifty 50	24,894.25	57.95	+0.23%
Nifty Bank	55,589.25	241.30	+0.44%

Nifty 50 24,894.25 57.95 (0.23%)

Fri, Oct 03, 2025

• 1D
• 5D
• 1M
• 3M
• 6M
• 1Y
• 2Y

Biggest Gainer	Prices	Change	Change%
Tata Steel	173.21	5.70	+3.40%

Biggest Loser	Prices	Change	Change%
Max Healthcare	1,069.20	-44.00	-3.95%

Best Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty Metal	10277.10	184.15	+1.82%

Worst Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty Auto	26753.10	-15.55	-0.06%

Also Read: Adani Group suffers over $100-billion loss in market value as rout continues

On the BSE, Jindal Saw, Shree Cement, Marksans Pharma, Siemens, Persistent Systems, Nucleus Software Exports and Bosch touched their 52-week high.

Biocon, BGR Energy Systems, SMS Pharmaceuticals, Suven Life Sciences, Shreyas Shipping & Logistics, Seamec, PBA Infrastructure, OnMobile Global, JYOTI Structures, Jindal Poly Films and Graphite India sank to their 52-week low.

Among individual stocks, a volume spike of more than 100 percent was seen in Ambuja Cements, Indiabulls Housing Finance and Sun Pharma.

A short build-up was seen in Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, Adani Enterprises and Canara Bank, while a long build-up was seen in Indian Energy Exchange, NTPC and Siemens.

Also Read - Investors’ love affair with bank stocks cools as earnings are set to moderate

Outlook for February 21

Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research (Retail), Kotak Securities

Markets were range bound with a negative bias as a holiday on February 20 in the US markets prompted investors to take a cautious stance. In fact, the markets have been more or less sluggish to negative over the past few sessions due to rising interest rates, higher inflation, lingering geopolitical tensions, and slowing growth.

The Nifty has formed a bearish candle on the daily charts, which is broadly negative for the market.

As long as the index trades below 17,900, the weak sentiment will persist and below it, the index can slip to 17,750-17,700. A quick pullback is possible if the market trades above 17,900 and can move to 17,950-18,000.

Jatin Gedia, Technical Research Analyst, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas

On the hourly charts, the key hourly moving averages are placed in the 17,920–17,950 zone, which acted as a stiff resistance as the morning bounce fizzled out.

On the hourly momentum indicator, a positive divergence is developing, a sign that the selling pressure is weakening. Thus, price and momentum indicators are providing divergent signals and in such a scenario, consolidation is highly likely.

The consolidation range is likely to be 18,150–17,650. In terms of levels, 17,920–17,950 shall act as the immediate hurdle, while on the downside, the 17,650 – 17,600, which coincides with the 61.82 percent Fibonacci retracement level, shall act as a crucial support in the short term.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.