Stock Market Today Highlights: Sensex pares gains to end flat, Nifty below 25,500; auto, metal, IT stocks rise

Stock Market Today LIVE: Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities:

"Today, the benchmark indices witnessed a volatile trading session. After a roller-coaster activity, the Nifty ended 58 points higher, while the Sensex was up by 50 points. Among sectors, the Metal Index outperformed, rallying 2.60 percent. Technically, the market opened on a strong note, but after an intraday rally, it again witnessed profit booking at higher levels, which is largely negative.

We are of the view that the 20-day SMA (Simple Moving Average) or 25,600/82500 will act as an immediate resistance zone for day traders. As long as the market trades below this level, the weak sentiment is likely to continue on the downside, with a potential slip toward the 200-day SMA or 25,350-25,300/82000-81800. Conversely, if the market moves above the 20-day SMA or 25,600/82500, the pullback could extend toward 25,750-25,800/82800-83000.:

Stock Market Today LIVE: Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investment said, "Indian markets opened with a gap‑up, driven by upbeat global cues and a rebound in U.S. tech stocks as AI‑related uncertainty eased. Additionally, dovish signals from the BoJ supported regional sentiment, keeping Asian markets firm.

However, the initial strength tapered off as renewed tariff‑focused comments from the U.S. President reignited global trade concerns, limiting the day’s gains with depreciation in INR. Looking ahead, geopolitical tensions such as U.S.–Iran developments, along with AI and tariff‑related news flow, are likely to shape market direction in the near term."

Stock Market Today LIVE: The Sensex rose 52 points or 0.06% to end at 82,276.07 while the broader Nifty 50 advanced 57.85 points or 0.23% to settle at 25,482.50.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Shares of Datamatics Global Services slipped more than 5% after the company disclosed that its Netherlands-based step-down subsidiary has been liquidated.

In an exchange filing, Datamatics Global Services said it has received intimation regarding the liquidation of Datamatics Global Services B.V., Netherlands. The company added that the liquidation of the step-down subsidiary has taken effect from February 18, 2026.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Shares of Steel Authority of India (SAIL) continued their winning momentum for the second straight session on Wednesday, February 25, gaining another 4.4% to ₹167.20 apiece. The stock was last seen around these levels in June 2024.

Today's rally was triggered by a positive outlook from domestic brokerage firm Emkay Global, which lifted its target price on the stock to ₹200 apiece from an earlier ₹175, citing attractive valuations, near-term operational levers, and supportive pricing trends, CNBC TV-18 reported. Mint could not independently verify the report. Read more

Stock Market Today LIVE: Vodafone Idea, Tata Silver Exchange Traded Fund, IDFC First Bank, Tata Gold Exchange Traded Fund, Nippon India Silver ETF, Eternal, Ola Electric, and Bank of Maharashtra were among the most traded stocks, or most active stocks in terms of volume, on the NSE. SAIL, IRFC, Suzlon, YES Bank, Filatex Fashions, Tata Steel, Nippon India ETF Gold Bees, Nippon India ETF Nifty IT, DEE Development Engineers, SEPC, Yatra Online, and Central Bank of India were also among the most traded stocks on the NSE. Read more

Stock Market Today LIVE: Oil prices were hovering near seven-month highs on Wednesday as the threat of military conflict between the U.S. and Iran that could disrupt supply continued to worry investors, with talks between the parties set for Thursday.

Brent futures were up 42 cents, or 0.6%, at $71.19 per barrel at 0730 GMT. WTI futures rose 41 cents, or 0.6%, to $66.04 per barrel.

Brent prices reached their highest since July 31 on Friday, while WTI hit its highest since August 4 on Monday, and both contracts have held near there as the U.S. has positioned military forces in the Middle East to compel Iran to negotiate an end to its nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

An extended conflict could disrupt supplies from Iran, the third-biggest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and other countries in the key Middle East producing region.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Germany's 10-year government bond yield was little changed on Wednesday, near its lowest level since November, as safe-haven bonds remain supported by U.S. tariff uncertainty, geopolitical worries and shaky stocks.

Germany's 10-year Bund yield, the benchmark for the euro zone, was up less than 0.5 basis points (bps) to 2.711%. It hit 2.697% on Tuesday, its lowest level since November 28.

Bond yields move inversely to prices.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Gains in technology stocks that powered Wall Street higher spilled over into Asian markets, as fears around the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence eased following weeks of heightened volatility.

MSCI’s index tracking Asian equities rose 1.4% to a record high, with markets in South Korea and Taiwan—key hubs for AI-related investment—also touching fresh all-time peaks. A recovery in beaten-down software stocks helped lift U.S. indices ahead of crucial earnings from Nvidia Corp., while European equities were also poised to open higher.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Vedanta share price jumped over 5% in intra-day deals on Wednesday, February 25 after its board approved fundraise of ₹3,000 crore via NCDs

Vedanta on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, said its board-constituted Committee of Directors has approved the issuance of unsecured, rated, listed and redeemable non-convertible debentures (NCDs) aggregating up to ₹3,000 crore through a private placement. Read more

Stock Market Today LIVE: At 1:02 pm, the Sensex was up 58 points or 0.07% to 82,284 while the broader Nifty 50 advanced 45 points or 0.17% to 25,468.30.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Keeping its bull run intact for the fourth straight session on Wednesday, February 25, shares of Bandhan Bank surged another 1.3% to ₹182.60, the highest level since July 2025. Even during the market meltdown in the previous session, the small-cap banking counter withstood the pressure by surging 4%.

The four-day winning run, including today, has resulted in a cumulative gain of 7.8% and has contributed to a 17% gain in February so far, marking its biggest monthly gain since April 2023, when it rallied 17%.

The small-cap stock stole the spotlight in late January following better-than-expected performance in the December quarter, which impressed not only the Street but also brokerages that upgraded their ratings and revised target prices higher for the stock.

Stock Market Today LIVE: At 12:02 pm, the Sensex rose 461 points or 0.56% to 82,686.83 while the broader Nifty 50 advanced 177.55 points or 0.7% to 25,605.30.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Shares of Waaree Energies, Premier Energies, and Vikram Solar dropped as much as 15% on Wednesday, February 25, following the announcement by the Trump administration of preliminary tariffs of 126% on solar imports from India, as per news reports.

Provisional tariffs have also been established ranging from 86% to 143% for imports from Indonesia and set at 81% for those from Laos. The US Commerce Department indicated that these rates were determined based on foreign subsidies that enabled exporters to underprice domestic solar manufacturers, according to news report.

Initial duties have been established between 86% and 143% for imports from Indonesia, while duties for imports from Laos have been set at 81%. Read more

Stock Market Today LIVE: One’s share price saw sharp swings on Wednesday, February 25, ahead of the company’s record date for its 1:10 stock split scheduled for Thursday.

The domestic brokerage firm has fixed February 26 as the record date for the stock split that was approved earlier, following clearance from its board last month. The board had given its approval for the sub-division of equity shares on January 15.

As per the approved proposal, one fully paid-up equity share with a face value of ₹10 will be split into 10 fully paid-up equity shares with a face value of Re 1 each. As a result, shareholders will receive 10 equity shares for every single share currently held. Read more

Stock Market Today LIVE: Canara Bank share price added 1% on Tuesday, February 24, said it plans to raise up to ₹5,000 crore by issuing Tier 2 bonds as part of its efforts to bolster capital adequacy and fund future growth.

In a press release, the public sector lender said the fundraising is aimed to “strengthen its capital base and support future growth plans.” The proposed Basel III-compliant Tier 2 bond issue will comprise a base size of ₹2,000 crore, along with a green shoe option of up to ₹3,000 crore.

Tier 2 bonds are long-term subordinated debt instruments that banks use to enhance their capital structure and meet regulatory requirements.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) share price fell over 4% to ₹105.29 apiece in Wednesday's trading session as the central government will divest up to 4% stake in the company via offer for sale (OFS), which opens today.

IRFC offer for sale (IRFC OFS) has opened on Wednesday for non-retail investors. Meanwhile, the IRFC OFS will open for retail investors tomorrow, Thursday, February 26.

The government has proposed to sell a 2% stake of the company, along with an additional 2% through a green shoe option. As part of the OFS, more than 26.13 crore equity shares will be divested, with a face value of ₹10, with the option to offload a further 26.13 crore shares in case of oversubscription.

The floor price has been fixed at ₹104 per share, valuing the OFS at about ₹5,436 crore for the total 4% equity sale. Read more

Stock Market Today LIVE: Indian IT stocks rallied in early trade on Wednesday, recouping some of the heavy losses from previous session, following a rally in global technology stocks. The Nifty IT index gained 3%, emerging the top-performing sector on the NSE.

Mphasis, Infosys, LTIMindtree, HCL Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) were the top gainers on the Nifty IT index. All the index constituents rose in the range of 2%-4%.

Indian IT stocks surged following an overnight rally in software and technology stocks on Wall Street. The Nasdaq Composite index ended 236.41 points, or 1.05%, higher at 22,863.68 on Tuesday. Read more

Stock Market Today LIVE: The Sensex rose as much as 632 points or 0.76% to its day's high of 82,857.99 while the broader Nifty 50 advanced 201.65 points or 0.8% to 25,626.30.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities:

We are of the view that the intraday market texture is weak, but a fresh selloff is possible only after the market breaches the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) or 25,300/82000. If the market manages to trade above this level, it could bounce back to 25,500-25,650/82500-82800. Conversely, if it falls below 25,300/82000, it could slip to 25,150-25050/81400-81200. The current market texture is volatile; hence, level-based trading would be the ideal strategy for day traders.

Stock Market Today LIVE: VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments said: "There are two significant trends in the market - one negative, other positive - which will have a bearing on how the market moves in the near-term. The negative factor is the continued weakness in IT stocks triggered by the Anthropic shock. Many leading IT names have crashed between 18 % to 26 % in the last one month alone.

The positive factor is the FIIs turning buyers in February after a long time. The negative factor of sustained selling in IT stocks may be over and there is a possibility of some rebound in the segment.

News of Anthropic’s Claude chatbot building partnership in software and services with IT firms indicate that there will be collaboration opportunities for Indian IT firms. If the weakness in IT stocks subsides and the segment recovers, the tailwind of FII buying can lift the markets.

Importantly, FII buying has fundamental support from strong economy and rising corporate earnings. Segments witnessing FII buying like financials, capital goods and pharmaceuticals are likely to remain resilient."

Most stocks trade in the green led by IT

Stock Market Today LIVE: Sensex jumps over 400 points at opening, Nifty stated the day above 25,500 following gains in the Asian and US markets.

After opening, Sensex extended gains to rise as much as 558 points to its day's high of 82,784.71 in early deals. Nifty added 157.7 points to day's high of 25,581.70.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Bank Nifty index ended 216.95 points, or 0.35%, lower at 61,047.30 on Tuesday, forming a small-bodied bearish candle with a lower shadow on the daily chart, suggesting buying support at lower levels.

“For Bank Nifty, the immediate resistance is placed in the 61,400 – 61,500 zone. Any sustainable move above this zone could result in Bank Nifty extending its up move towards 62,000, followed by 62,500 in the short term. On the downside, the zone of 60,800 – 60,700 zone is likely to act as an immediate support,” said Sudeep Shah - Head, Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Sensex formed a long bearish candle on the daily charts and a lower top formation in intraday charts, indicating further weakness from the current levels.

“We are of the view that the intraday market texture is weak, but a fresh selloff is possible only after the Sensex breaches the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) or 82,000. If Sensex manages to trade above this level, it could bounce back to 82,500 - 82,800. Conversely, if it falls below 82,000, it could slip to 81,700 - 81,500,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.

The current market texture is volatile; hence, level-based trading would be the ideal strategy for day traders, he added.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Gaurav Udani - Founder, Thincredblu Securities said, "Gift nifty is indicating a strong opening in Nifty , it is expected to open positive , up by 250 points at 25650. Nifty has strong resistance in 25850-26000 and strong support in 25350-25400 range. Currently nifty is trading sideways to bullish, traders can use buy on dips strategy.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Crude oil prices gained as investors remained cautious ahead of the US and Iran nuclear talks on Thursday amid a huge deployment of American forces in the Middle East. Brent crude oil price rose 0.83% to $71.36 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 0.84% to $66.19.

Stock Market Today LIVE: The dollar index held on to recent gains. The US dollar index rose 0.02%, extending a 0.14% gain from the previous session. The euro hovered at $1.1776 and sterling sat at $1.35. The yen dropped 0.8% overnight to as weak as 156.28 to the dollar and was a fraction stronger than that at 155.88.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Gold prices were broadly unchanged on Wednesday, after falling more than 1% in the previous session. Spot gold price held its ground at $5,146.18 per ounce, after hitting a more than three-week high in the previous session. US gold futures for April delivery fell 0.2% to $5,165.10. Spot silver price declined 0.2% to $87.13 per ounce, after hitting a more than two-week high on Monday.

Stock Market Today LIVE: US stock market ended higher on Tuesday, led by a rally in software stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 370.44 points, or 0.76%, to 49,174.50, while the S&P 500 rallied 52.32 points, or 0.77%, to 6,890.07. The Nasdaq Composite closed 236.41 points, or 1.05%, higher at 22,863.68.

Nvidia stock price rose 0.68%, AMD share price jumped 8.8%, Intel shares rallied 5.71%, Microsoft stock gained 1.18%, Apple share price rose 2.24%, Amazon stock price advanced 1.60%, and Meta shares inched 0.3% higher.

Tesla stock price surged 2.39%, Keysight Technologies share price jumped 23.1%, FactSet stock rose 5.9%, Salesforce shares added 4.1%, and US-listed shares of Thomson Reuters jumped 11.5%.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Asian markets traded higher on Wednesday, following overnight rally on Wall Street, led by technology stocks. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.11%, while the Topix was flat. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.77% to above 6,000 level for the first time, while the Kosdaq gained 0.22%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a higher opening.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Gift Nifty was trading around 25,672 level, a premium of nearly 72 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a positive start for the Indian stock market indices.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Indian equity benchmarks, the Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open higher on Wednesday, supported by positive global cues, as markets look to stabilise after a sharp selloff in the previous session amid renewed risk appetite.