Stock Market Today: Dalal Street Under Pressure!
The stock market opening brought positive sentiment, but trading activity quickly stalled. The main stock indices started the day with strong initial momentum, but then shifted to a more cautious approach, creating uncertainty for traders. The current market situation reflects either temporary price fluctuations or hidden pressure building before the next major move. The upcoming trading session will test our strongest beliefs about the market.
Stock Market Today : Market Snapshot (18 February, 2026)
Pre-Opening Market
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Sensex: Up 401.65 points (0.48%) at 83,852.61
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Nifty: Up 65.20 points (0.25%) at 25,790.60
Indian benchmark indices traded firm in the pre-opening session, with the Sensex and Nifty posting solid early gains, signaling a positive start to the trading day amid supportive market cues.
Stock Market Opening Bell
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Sensex: Down 22.42 points (0.03%) at 83,428.54
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Nifty: Down 9.15 points (0.04%) at 25,716.25
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Market Breadth: 1,292 shares advanced, 921 declined, 176 unchanged
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Top Gainers (Nifty): Hindalco, Tata Steel, Apollo Hospitals, Cipla, L&T
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Top Losers (Nifty): ONGC, Coal India, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, TCS
Indian markets opened marginally lower on February 18, with the Sensex and Nifty slipping slightly amid mixed sectoral trends, though broader market breadth remained positive in early trade.
Stocks To Watch Today
- BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited): Received LOA worth ₹1,200–1,500 crore from SAIL for a captive power plant at IISCO Steel Plant, Burnpur.
- Adani Enterprises: Arm Adani Road Transport completed acquisition of 49% stake in Sree Vishwa Varadhi Pvt Ltd.
- Dabur India: Appointed Herjit S Bhalla as CEO – India Business; Mohit Malhotra redesignated as Global CEO.
- Easy Trip Planners: Arthkumbh Ventures acquired 1.08% stake.
Stock Market On Tuesday
Broad-based buying lifts benchmarks, but metals and realty play spoilsport
The Indian markets extended their winning streak on February 17, with the Sensex rising 173.81 points to 83,450.96 and the Nifty closing above 25,700 at 25,725.40. Strong buying in IT, FMCG, and banking stocks drove the gains, while the PSU banking index led sectoral performance with a 2 % rise.
Midcap and smallcap indices outperformed the benchmarks, adding further momentum to the session. However, profit booking in metal and realty stocks limited sharper gains. Among the top gainers were Adani Enterprises, ITC, Infosys, and L&T, while Eternal, Trent, Hindalco Industries, Reliance Industries, and Tata Steel ended the day lower.