Stock Market Today Highlights: Sensex gains 78 pts, Nifty 50 closes above 25,750; IT stocks drag

Stock Market Today Highlights: Today, Indian equity markets finished the session with little movement. The Sensex saw a slight rise of 79 points, closing around 83,817, while the Nifty 50 ended at 25,776. The IT sector acted as the main drag on the indices.

Overnight, global tech stocks experienced a sharp decline due to worries that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence might disrupt conventional software business models. This resulted in significant selling pressure on Indian IT stocks, with the Nifty IT index dropping nearly 6% during early trading.

The spotlight on AI continued, with Anthropic revealing significant enhancements to its Claude AI model, boosting efficiency, memory utilization, and integration within enterprises. While these advancements point to long-term potential for technology integration, they have sparked immediate worries regarding pricing pressures and profit margins for IT firms, resulting in short-term caution.

On the banking front, IDBI Bank garnered attention as the divestment process approached the final bidding stage. Fairfax Financial has emerged as a prominent bidder, with Kotak Mahindra Bank also competing. This development bolstered certain banking shares and helped mitigate losses in the Bank Nifty.

“Looking ahead, the positive impact of the India-US trade deal remains intact, and we are likely to remain selective, tracking global cues, crude prices, and Q3 earnings for further direction,” said Abhinav Tiwari, Research Analyst at Bonanza.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Rajesh Bhosale, Technical Analyst at Angel One - said - Technically, today’s rebound was seen precisely from the key 89EMA support near 25,550, which is expected to act as immediate support. This is followed by a stronger support zone around 25,250, which coincides with the 61.8% retracement of the sharp rally from the Budget-day low, the bullish gap area, and the 200DSMA. As long as these supports hold, the positive bias remains intact.

On the upside, the 26,000 mark is seen as an immediate resistance, followed by a major hurdle around 26,300. Traders are advised to keep a close watch on these levels and adopt a strategy of buying near supports and booking profits near resistance.

While the benchmark index may consolidate in the near term, selective stocks, especially those benefiting from the recent Budget announcements and the India-US trade deal are likely to continue offering outperformance opportunities.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Nifty IT experienced a significant decline of 5.87%, reflecting a worldwide pattern for IT stocks following the launch of new AI tools by Anthropic, an AI startup, which can automate tasks in areas such as legal, compliance, marketing, and data analysis.

Conversely, both Nifty Consumer Durables and Oil and Gas sectors surged by over 2%. Indices for Metal, Auto, and Realty also saw gains of more than 1% each.

Nifty Bank increased by 0.33% to close at 60,238, while Financial Services rose by 0.46%.

Stock Market Today LIVE:

Textile shares such as Gokaldas Exports and Indo Count Industries experienced increases of 20% and 13.2%, respectively, while seafood exporters Avanti Feeds and Apex Frozen saw gains of 11.7% and 6.8%.

Additionally, other stocks, including upstream oil companies like ONGC and Oil India, rose by 3.9% and 3.7%, responding to a rise in crude oil prices due to heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Infosys saw a decline of 7.37%, while TCS dropped by 7%, and HCL Technologies fell by 4.58%, making them the biggest losers in the index.

Stock Market Today LIVE: A total of 38 stocks closed in the positive territory within the Nifty 50 index, with Trent rising by 5.18%, Eternal increasing by 4.90%, and ONGC gaining 3.50%, making them the top performers.

Stock Market Today LIVE: According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments, domestic equities witnessed a volatile session, swinging between gains and losses as rising US–Iran tensions kept investors on edge. Mid‑cap and small‑cap stocks outperformed large caps as value buying emerged following a recent correction. Sectoral buying was visible in consumer durables, oil & gas, metals, and auto sectors.

However, overall upside remained limited due to weakness in IT stocks amid concerns over reduced demand for traditional outsourcing following Anthropic’s introduction of new AI‑driven automation tools.

"Going forward, market sentiment will largely be guided by the upcoming RBI policy decision and greater clarity on the newly announced US–India trade agreement," said Nair.

Stock Market Today LIVE: At 15:30 IST, the Nifty 50 rose by 0.19% or 48.45 points to reach 25,776, while the BSE Sensex was flat or up by 78.56 points to 83,817.69.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Adani Power, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and Adani Enterprises were among the Adani Group stocks that extended their rally on Wednesday, driven by strong buying interest following the announcement of the India–US trade deal. The continued gains lifted the combined market capitalisation of all listed Adani Group companies to over ₹14 lakh crore.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Rahul Kalantri, VP Commodities, Mehta Equities ltd said - On Tuesday, Rupee extended its gain and posted highest single day gain in last six years after India and the U.S. are agreed on the trade deal. Big tax holiday’s to the offshore data center tech giants for investment in India could attract foreign investments in India in longer-term and also supported the rupee at lower levels.

However, higher crude oil prices and easing benefits of cheap Russian crude oil after US-India trade deal could limit gains of the rupee. Rupee could face steep resistance around 89.80-89.20 price zone. We expect a rupee to remain volatile this week amid volatility in the dollar index, volatility in the domestic equity markets and geo-political tensions and a pair could trade in the range of 89.10-92.40 this week.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Asian software shares fell, continuing a worldwide downturn as investors worry that swift developments in artificial intelligence might disrupt conventional business models.

Cloud-based accounting software provider Xero Ltd. dropped 16% in Sydney, marking its biggest decline since 2013. TIS Inc. in Japan and Hong Kong-listed Kingdee International Software Group Co. both plummeted by as much as 16%.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments, said that Rupee is on a strengthening trend. The broad economic outlook for India has improved significantly after the trade deals with EU and IS and the growth-oriented and fiscally prudent Budget. The trend of the rupee will be largely dictated by the FII flows. There is a high probability of FIIs ceasing to sell in India and even turning buyers soon. This can appreciate the rupee to below 90 to the dollar soon.

The monetary policy is unlikely to influence the rupee much since we don’t expect any change in rates and stance.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has obtained a contract valued between ₹1,200 crore and ₹1,500 crore from Hindalco Industries for the Aditya Expansion Project Phase II in Odisha. This contract involves the design, engineering, supply, installation, commissioning, and performance acceptance testing (PAT) of a 2 × 150 MW Boiler Turbine Generator (BTG) package at Aditya Aluminium, which is located at Hindalco's facility in Lapanga, Sambalpur district, Odisha.

Stock Market Today LIVE: According to Ruchit Jain, VP - Head of Equity Technical Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, post the overnight news flows, most of the IT stocks have witnessed volume based selling. The Nifty IT index as well as Infosys breached the 200 DEMA support today with a gap down opening, turning the trend bearish. Hence, traders should stay away and avoid any bottom fishing as of now.

Stock Market Today LIVE: According to Rajesh Bhosale, Equity Technical and Derivative Analyst at Angel One, the entire IT space is under tremendous pressure, and this heavyweight has witnessed a sharp cut of over 7%, slipping below all key moving averages. With this decline, the stock has erased its entire gains since November.

Given the weak momentum, the downside is likely to extend in the near term, potentially towards 1,400. On any rebound, the 89-EMA along with the bearish gap near 1,600 is expected to act as immediate resistance. Traders are advised to keep positions light in the IT space, as relative underperformance is likely to persist in the near term.

Stock Market Today LIVE:

Net loss at 10.3 cr vs loss of 0.5 cr (YoY)

Revenue up 11.3% at ₹1,440 cr vs ₹1,294 cr (YoY)

EBITDA up 8% at ₹230 cr vs ₹213 cr (YoY)

Margin at 15.97% vs 16.46% (YoY)

Stock Market Today LIVE: Anthropic is an artificial intelligence firm developing sophisticated tools capable of performing tasks such as coding, testing, and data analysis—activities that previously needed sizable IT teams. This creates concerns that businesses might depend more on AI solutions and less on conventional IT service providers, which could put strain on revenues and profit margins that rely on human labor.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Prasenjit Paul, Equity Research Analyst at Paul Asset & Fund Manager at 129 Wealth Fund, said - ''Sharp correction in IT heavyweights stocks like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, etc validates a structural shift: generic service models relying on headcount are facing an existential test as agentic AI automates volume-based tasks.

However, we view this as a bifurcation opportunity and are actively allocating capital to specialized IT firms; those serve niche verticals like healthcare giants and global OEMs. By deploying agentic AI to decouple revenue from manpower costs, niche smaller IT firms are poised for significant margin expansion and a massive valuation re-rating.

We strongly advise investors to look beyond the suffering giants and focus on these specialized 'AI beneficiaries' to capture the next upcycle."

Stock Market Today LIVE: Tamilnad Mercantile Q3 earning

Net Profit Up 13.8% At ₹341.5 Cr Vs ₹300.2 Cr (YoY)

NII Up 13.3% At ₹646 Cr Vs ₹570.4 Cr (YoY)

Gross NPA At 0.91% Vs 1.01% (QoQ)

Net NPA At 0.20% Vs 0.26% (QoQ)

Stock Market Today LIVE: According to Aakash Shah, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Equity Broking, Oil India is displaying a strong bullish continuation structure on the daily chart, with price breaking out to fresh 52-week highs, confirming sustained upward momentum. The recent rally has been supported by a series of higher highs and higher lows, highlighting a well-established uptrend.

According to Shah, ONGC has witnessed a sharp bullish breakout from its recent consolidation range, supported by strong bullish candles and rising volumes. The stock has decisively moved above its short-term and medium-term moving averages, indicating a shift in momentum in favour of buyers.

Further,Aakash highlighted that BPCL is showing strong relative strength, with price trading near all-time highs, confirming a powerful bullish trend. The stock has maintained a clean structure of higher highs and higher lows, indicating sustained institutional accumulation.

Stock Market Today LIVE: The United States has consented to lower the reciprocal tariff on imports from India from 50% to 18%. To reiterate, the US had previously imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff alongside an additional punitive tariff of 25% for buying oil from Russia.

This major reduction in tariff represents a substantial boost for market sentiment, as well as for sectors that were affected by the 50% reciprocal tariff. Recently, India has also established trade agreements with areas such as the EU, UK, Oman, New Zealand, and EFTA.

Stock Market Today LIVE: “We expect crude oil prices to remain volatile in today’s session. Crude oil is having support at $62.55-61.00 and resistance is at $64.40-65.10 in today’s session. In INR crude oil has support at Rs5,630,-5,560 while resistance at Rs5,800-5,865,” said Kalantri.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Oil prices increased for the second consecutive day as geopolitical tensions flared up again after the US shot down an Iranian drone close to an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.

Brent advanced to around $68 a barrel, after adding 1.6% on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate was near $64.

Stock Market Today LIVE: India's services sector activity strengthened in January, with the Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rising to a two-month high of 58.5, while the Composite PMI, which combines manufacturing and services, increased to 58.4, according to data released by HSBC.

Stock Market Today LIVE: According to Reuters, yields on Japanese government bonds slightly decreased on Wednesday as concerns about deteriorating fiscal conditions diminished amid speculation that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi might retract her commitment to reduce consumption taxes on food.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year JGB decreased by 1 basis point (bp) to 2.245%. The five-year yield also dropped 1 bp to 1.670%. Similarly, the two-year yield fell 1 bp to 1.27%.

Tomoaki Shishido, a senior rates strategist at Nomura Securities, noted, "There is an increasing likelihood in the JGB market that Takaichi may not push forward with food tax cuts, as she has not prioritized this issue during her election campaign."

Stock Market Today LIVE: L&T shares have increased by 7.5% over the past three trading days, following the acquisition of several orders last week. The firm is optimistic about exceeding its order inflow target for the entire year, while also sustaining its projections for revenue growth and core margins. L&T is adding 15 points to the gains seen in the Nifty.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Shares of Reliance Industries have risen for three consecutive days, helping to stabilize the Nifty 50's declines. On Wednesday, the stock was the leading contributor to the gains of the Nifty. Over the past three trading sessions, RIL has seen an increase of 8%. RIL is adding as much as 30 points to the Nifty's overall gains.

Stock Market Today LIVE: According to Bhavik Joshi, Business Head, INVasset PMS, the sharp correction in the Nifty IT index—down nearly 10% over the last two sessions—needs to be viewed through the lens of structural disruption rather than just cyclical weakness. Recent commentary from global enterprise technology leaders highlights a shift that markets are still in the process of digesting: AI is no longer augmenting services, it is beginning to replace large portions of traditional, labor-intensive workflows.

The significance of platforms now deploying AI-driven systems capable of executing complex SAP migrations and enterprise transformations in weeks—work that previously required years of human-led effort—cannot be overstated. This is not incremental automation; it represents a fundamental compression of time, cost, and manpower across core enterprise processes. For service-heavy IT models built on long execution cycles and linear headcount growth, this creates understandable near-term anxiety.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Foreign institutional investors turned buyers on Tuesday as they bought equities worth ₹5,236.28 crore, according to exchange data. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth ₹1,014.24 crore.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Asian shares traded mixed on Wednesday following a decline on Wall Street triggered by a sell-off in technology stocks, while gold and silver continued to recover from a recent downturn.

US futures saw a modest increase and oil prices rose.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.6% to 54,391.58, although it remained above its levels from the start of the week. Shares of chipmaker Tokyo Electron declined by 2%, while testing equipment manufacturer Advantest decreased by 1.6%. SoftBank Group increased by 0.2%.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) announced on Wednesday that it has received an order for 35,000 units of its Scorpio Pik Up light commercial vehicle from Indonesia's state-owned Agrinas Pangan Nusantara.

These vehicles are scheduled for delivery in 2026 as part of a cooperative initiative in the Southeast Asian nation.

The pick-up trucks designated for the Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDKMP) project will be essential in improving logistics for the cooperatives being established throughout the country.

Furthermore, the company noted that this recent vehicle order exceeds its total export volumes recorded in FY25.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money said that - Bank Nifty opened flat to slightly positive near the 60,100 zone, showing relative strength compared to the broader market. Immediate support is seen near 59,800, while resistance is placed in the 60,300–60,500 band. A sustained breakout above this zone could open the path toward 61,000.

The short-term bias remains neutral to mildly bullish. As long as the 60,000–59,800 support zone holds, banking stocks are likely to either lead further upside or consolidate with limited downside pressure. A decisive close above 60,300, supported by strong volumes, would confirm a resumption of bullish momentum.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited said that - We had noted yesterday that inability to float above the 25,800 region after the rise to 26,200 could see Nifty 50 settling in the 25,430-340 region. Yesterday’s close near 25,700 raises the possibility of such an outcome today, but we do not see enough signals to support such an outright slippage. Dips may be restricted to 25,600, while a direct rise above 25,840 could lead to a test of 25,923-26,020.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments said that - "The rally fuelled by the US-India trade deal will face hurdles to sustain. The IT selloff in the US yesterday will drag the Indian IT index,too, constraining the rally in the Indian market. Since valuations continue to be high there is no fundamental support for a sustained rally. A trigger from monetary policy scheduled on 6th Feb is unlikely since the MPC is expected to retain the rates and stance with a dovish tone. The economy is now in a state where a monetary stimulus is not required. So, it is likely that the MPC will wait to see the monetary transmission play out. The auto numbers on January suggest that the buoyant demand continues.

Yesterday’s 639 point rally in the market was mainly driven by FII short covering and their buying of ₹5236 crores in the cash market. Given the valuations, this bullish trend is likely to run out of steam. Investors should stick to fairly valued largecaps. The sectors that are expected to gain from exports to US, like textiles and apparels, gems and jewellery and marine processing will witness some more price action."

Stock Market Today LIVE: MCX silver price for March futures contracts opened higher by ₹10,000, or 3.73%, at ₹2,78,015 per kilogram as against its previous close of ₹2,68,015 level.

Stock Market Today LIVE: MCX gold rate for April futures contracts opened 3% higher at ₹1,58,420 per 10 grams as against its previous close of ₹1,53,809 level.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Nifty IT down 5.33%

Stock Market Today LIVE: Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) fell by more than 6% during early trading on Wednesday, February 4, following a report indicating it is no longer competing to develop a stealth fighter jet.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times on Wednesday, which cited unnamed sources, HAL is out of the running for India's fifth-generation stealth fighter jet project or the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The sources also indicated that this marks the first occasion where HAL will not be participating in a major military initiative, as mentioned in the report.

India’s equity markets opened flat on Wednesday, as benefits from the US-India trade agreement were countered by declines in IT stocks following a global technology selloff, which limited overall gains.

As of 9:21 IST, the Nifty 50 declined by 0.03% to reach 25,720.65, while the BSE Sensex decreased by 0.12% to 83,653.21.

Most major sectors saw slight advances, with 14 out of 16 showing gains, although these were minimal and overshadowed by a 3.75% drop in IT firms.

Shares in U.S. and European data analytics, professional services, and software experienced declines after AI company Anthropic introduced productivity tools for the workplace, raising worries about disruption in the sector.

The broader small-cap stocks remained flat, while mid-cap stocks fell by 0.3%.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Market opened largely in red. Sensex at 83,252.06, down 487.07 points or 0.58%. Nifty 50 starts at 25,675.05, lower by 52.50 points or 0.20%

Stock Market Today LIVE: Rahul Kalantri, VP Commodities, Mehta Equities ltd, said that Gold has support at $4855-4775 while resistance at $5060-5150. Silver has support at $79.80-74.75 while resistance is at $89.15-94.80. In INR gold has support at Rs1,,47,650-1,45,310 while resistance at Rs1,52,850-1,55,950. Silver has support at Rs2,59,810, 2,52,170 while resistance at Rs2,74,810, 2,80,470.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Indian rupee is likely to open lower against the US dollar after posting its biggest single-day rise in seven years following the India-US trade deal announcement. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated the rupee will open in the 90.35-90.40 range versus the US dollar, having climbed 1.36% on Tuesday to 90.2650, Reuters reported. The currency hit an intraday high of 90.0450 before easing.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Indian rupee is likely to open lower against the US dollar after posting its biggest single-day rise in seven years following the India-US trade deal announcement. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated the rupee will open in the 90.35-90.40 range versus the US dollar, having climbed 1.36% on Tuesday to 90.2650, Reuters reported. The currency hit an intraday high of 90.0450 before easing.

Stock Market Today LIVE: US stock market ended sharply lower on Tuesday, weighed down by selloff in technology stocks on worries about AI creating more competition for software makers.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.34% to 49,240.99, while the S&P 500 fell 0.84% to end the session at 6,917.81. The Nasdaq closed 1.43% lower at 23,255.19.

Nvidia stock price dropped 2.84%, Microsoft shares fell 2.87%, Meta Platforms stock declined 2.08%, Alphabet share price fell 1.22% and Amazon shares declined 1.79%. Salesforce, Datadog and Adobe shares lost about 7%, Synopsys and Atlassian fell about 8%, and Intuit slumped 11%.

Stock Market Today LIVE: Asian markets traded mostly lower on Wednesday, following overnight losses on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 1.2%, while the Topix fell 0.39%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.4%, while the Kosdaq rallied 1.01%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a lower opening.

Nifty 50 (+639, 25728)

Sensex (+2073, 83.729)

Bank Nifty (+1422, 60041)

Stock Market Today LIVE: 5-positive catalysts

1) India–EU Trade Deal Buzz: Investor sentiment is buoyed by strong cues on the India–EU bilateral trade deal, dubbed the “mother of all deals”. The pact spans 2 billion people, a $27 trillion market, and nearly 25% of global GDP.

2) India–US Trade Pact Nearing Closure: The long-awaited deal is close to finalisation, with reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods cut to 18% from 25%, in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and easing select trade barriers.

3) Wall Street in Risk-On Mode: The S&P 500 flirts with the 7,000 milestone, reinforcing global risk appetite.

4) FII Short-Covering & Fresh Buying: FIIs turned net buyers, pumping in ₹3,404 crore over the last two sessions. The US–India deal could reverse the massive $34 billion FII outflow since Oct 2024 — the largest among EMs — with the US accounting for ~41% of FII AUC.

Stock Market Today LIVE: The Indian stock market is expected to open flat on Wednesday, following weakness in the global markets. The trends of Gift Nifty also signal a flattish start for the frontline indices, Sensex and Nifty 50. Gift Nifty was trading around 25,808 level, a discount of nearly 9 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a flat start for the Indian stock market indices.