Markets at close today: Indian benchmark indices ended the final trading session of the week on a weak note amid broad-based selling pressure. The Sensex closed at 81,287.19, falling 961.42 points or 1.17%, while the Nifty settled at 25,178.65, down 317 points or 1.25%.
Markets at 3:00 PM: With just half a minute left before the closing bell, Indian markets saw a sharp sell-off, as benchmark indices sank deeper into the red. The Sensex tumbled 1,026 points, or 1.25%, to 81,222.34, while the Nifty dropped 343 points, or 1.35%, to trade at 25,153.35.
Markets at 12:45 PM: Markets remained under pressure in afternoon trade, with the Sensex falling 596 points, or 0.72%, to trade at 81,652.66, while the Nifty slipped 220 points, or 0.86%, to hover near 25,276.75.
Markets at 10:45 AM: Markets were trading under pressure in mid-morning deals, with benchmark indices slipping deeper into the red. At around 10:45 am, the Sensex was down 478 points, or 0.58%, at 81,770.55, while the Nifty fell 173 points, or 0.68%, to trade near 25,324.
Markets at open: Markets opened lower on Friday, tracking weak global cues. The Sensex fell 264.49 points, or 0.32%, to 81,984.12 in early trade, while the Nifty declined 96.30 points, or 0.38%, to 25,400.25.
Markets at pre-open: Indian markets may begin the day on a weak footing, with early signals pointing to selling pressure at the open. GIFT Nifty was trading around the 25,562 mark, down about 102 points or 0.4%, indicating that benchmark indices could start in the red.
Traders are likely to take cues from the performance of other Asian markets and the overnight trend on Wall Street. Movements in the rupee, along with changes in crude oil and other commodity prices, will also be closely tracked as they could shape market sentiment through the day.
Key global and domestic cues to watch on February 27, 2025
Asian markets
Markets across the Asia-Pacific region showed a mixed trend. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell about 0.6%, while the broader Topix index moved in a narrow range. In South Korea, the Kospi dropped 1.1% and the smaller Kosdaq index slipped 0.35%. Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was largely unchanged in early trading.
Tech stocks under pressure in Asia
Technology counters in Asia opened weak, tracking losses in global chipmakers. SK Hynix fell over 2% in early trade, while Samsung Electronics slipped 0.69%. SoftBank Group also saw sharp selling, dropping more than 3% as investors turned cautious on AI-linked plays. The weakness followed a steep fall in Nvidia shares overnight, which tumbled more than 5% despite reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and revenue.
Q3 GDP in focus
Back home, all attention today will be on the third-quarter GDP data, a key macro trigger that could set the tone for markets. According to a Financial Express poll of economists, India’s economy is expected to grow around 7.35% in the October–December quarter. The estimate is broadly in line with the Reserve Bank of India’s projections shared in the February MPC meeting, as well as the First Advance Estimates released in January for the full FY26.
US Markets
On Thursday, February 26, U.S. markets closed on a mixed note. The broader index slipped 0.54% to end at 6,908.86, while the technology-focused Nasdaq declined 1.18%, finishing at 22,878.38. In contrast, the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average managed a marginal gain of 17.05 points, or 0.03%, to close at 49,499.20.
US dollar
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was trading 0.01% down at 97.77 on Friday 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 0.05% to close at 90.91 to the dollar on February 26.
Crude Oil
Oil prices saw a marginal uptick in early Friday trade. US West Texas Intermediate crude inched up 0.06% to around $65.46 a barrel, while Brent crude also moved slightly higher, gaining 0.04% to trade near $70.88 per barrel.
FII, DII data
Foreign portfolio investors net sold equities worth Rs 3,465.99 crore from Indian equities on Thursday, February 26. Domestic institutional investors meanwhile net bought equities worth Rs 5,032 crore, as per provisional data available on the exchanges.
Gold rate today
In the international market, gold was trading at $5,192 per ounce.
Gold prices in India remain in sharp focus. On the MCX, April 2, 2026, gold futures were trading at Rs 1,59,728 per 10 grams in the latest update.
Top sectors in last trading session
In the last trading session, the Defence sector gained 1.54%, Ethanol rose 1.48%, and Cables advanced 1.37% among other sector stocks.
Best and worst performing business group in last trading session
In the last trading session, among business groups, Pennar Group surged 6.83%, CK Birla Group gained 2.17%, DCM Group rose 2.06%, and Oswal Group advanced 1.88%. On the downside, Indiabulls Group declined 2.47%, Anil Ambani Group fell 3.18%, and Ruchi Group slipped 3.5%.