Markets at close: At the closing bell, the selling pressure persisted in the domestic markets. The Sensex ended at 82,225.92, down 1,068.74 points or 1.28%, while the Nifty settled at 25,424.65, lower by 288.35 points or 1.12%.
During the session, the BSE Sensex touched a high of 83,079.51 and a low of 81,934.73. From the day’s high to the closing level, the index fell 853.59 points.
Markets at 12 PM: Markets extended their losses in the afternoon trade, with selling pressure intensifying across sectors. The Sensex slipped nearly 900 points, or 1.08%, to 82,397.65, while the Nifty dropped 244.20 points, or 0.95%, to trade at 25,468.80.
Markets at 10 AM: The domestic Indian indices are trading in the red. The Sensex has plummeted by 710.21 points (0.85%) to hover around the 82,584.45 mark, while the Nifty is mirroring this weakness, sliding 199.05 points (0.77%) to trade at 25,513.95.
Markets at 9:30 am: At 9:30 am, the Indian domestic indices continued to trade lower, with the Sensex falling 554.29 points, or 0.67%, to 82,740.37, and the Nifty declining 144.35 points, or 0.56%, to 25,568.65.
Markets at open: At the Tuesday opening bell, the Sensex slipped 388.54 points, or 0.47%, to 82,906.12, while the Nifty declined 118.15 points, or 0.46%, to 25,594.85, indicating a weak start to the trading session.
In the early trade, the key laggards from the Sensex pack include Tech Mahindra, which declined 2.16%, TCS falling 2.42%, HCLTech down 2.65%, Eternal slipping 2.69%, and Infosys leading the losses with a drop of 2.89%.
“President Trump’s State of the Union address today and the message that he would convey will be keenly watched by markets globally. The EU freezing the deal with US in the light of the tariff changes following the US Supreme Court verdict and Trump’s warnings to countries backing away from deals indicate that the tariff drama has more in store for economies and markets. We will have to wait and watch how this drama plays out,” said Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments
“Meanwhile the trend of weakness in tech stocks stemming from the potential AI impact continues. The weakness in the ADRs of Indian IT companies indicates that this segment will continue to remain under pressure,” he added.
Markets at pre-open: In the early trade, GIFT Nifty was hovering around the 25,614 mark, down 0.4%, and hinting at a negative start for benchmark indices.
Investors are likely to take cues from overseas markets, especially trends across Asia and the previous session’s movement on Wall Street. Currency movements, particularly the rupee’s trend against the US dollar, and changes in commodity prices such as crude oil could also influence intraday trade. At the same time, stock-specific news and domestic developments will play a key role in shaping overall sentiment as the trading session unfolds.
Key global and domestic cues to watch on February 23, 2026
Asian Markets
Asian markets were mixed on Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.77%, while South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.1%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1%.
Tech stocks in focus
IT shares may see weakness today after their US-listed American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) fell sharply overnight. Infosys dropped 5% and Wipro declined 3% in US trading. The fall comes as concerns around artificial intelligence disruption continue to affect global technology stocks.
US markets
On February 23, US markets ended lower, with the Dow Jones falling 1.66%, the Nasdaq declining 1.13%, and the S&P 500 dropping 1.04%.
US dollar
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was trading 0.18% up at 97.88 on Tuesday morning. The index evaluates the strength or weakness of the US dollar in comparison to major currencies. The basket contains currencies such as the British Pound, Euro, Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, etc. The rupee depreciated 0.11% to close at 90.88 to the dollar on February 23.
Crude Oil
Crude oil prices edged lower in early trade today. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped about 0.13% to around $66.22 per barrel, while Brent crude declined nearly 0.15% to trade near $71.43 per barrel.
FII, DII data
Foreign investors turned bullish on February 23, purchasing Indian stocks worth Rs 3,483 crore. On the other hand, domestic institutional investors sold shares worth Rs 1,292 crore, according to provisional exchange data.
Gold rate today
Gold prices in India remain in sharp focus. On the MCX, April 2, 2026, gold futures were trading at Rs 1,61,382 per 10 grams in the latest update.
In the international market, gold was trading at $5,194 per ounce.
Top sectors in last trading session
In the last trading session, infrastructure stocks gained 2.93%, alcoholic beverages rose 1.79%, and the tea and coffee sector increased by 1.44%.
Best and worst performing business group in last trading session
In the last trading session, the Yash Birla Group saw its market cap rise 3.6%, L G Balakrishnan Group gained 3.08%, and Ramco Group increased by 2.93%. On the other hand, Oswal Group fell 1.82%, Garware Group declined 2.25%, and Anil Ambani Group dropped 3.32%.