Mumbai: Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened in the red on Monday, February 16, 2026, amid mixed global cues. While the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 146.36 points to start the session at 82,480.40, the Nifty shed 47.5 points to open at 25,423.60. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 82,626.76 and the Nifty 50 at 25,471.10. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index dropped 12.22 points, or 1.21 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap Select Index was down by 93.40 points or 1.21 per cent, to trade at 7,649.48.
"We believe that the intraday market texture is still on the weak side, but a fresh selloff is possible only if the market dismisses the 20-day SMA (Simple Moving Average) or 25,400/82500. Below this level, the market could extend the correction to 25,300/82200. Further downside may continue, potentially dragging the index to 25200-25050/81800-81400. On the upside, 25,600/83100 would act as an immediate resistance for the bulls. Above this, a pullback could continue towards the 50-day SMA, around 25,700–25,800/83400-83700," said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a strong start as it opened with a gain of 41 points at 25,494.50, compared to the previous close of 25,453.50. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned aggressive sellers in the last trading session and offloaded equities worth Rs 7,395 crore. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), however, provided strong counter-support with net buying of Rs 5,554 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Asian stocks continued to trade in green after the S&P 500 ended marginally higher on Friday. While Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 118.03 points or 0.21 per cent to trade at 57,060, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up by 159.88 points. However, Shanghai's SSE Composite index was down by 51.95 points or 1.27 per cent.
