Stock Market Update: Nifty holds above 25,490, Sensex slips marginally

The NIFTY 50 settled at 25,496.55, up 14 points or 0.06%, while the BSE Sensex closed at 82,248.61, down 27 points or 0.03%.

Post Published By: Sujata Biswal

Updated : 26 February 2026, 4:53 PM IST

Markets end flat in volatile trade

Mumbai: Indian equity benchmarks ended nearly unchanged after a choppy trading session, as gains in select auto and defence stocks were offset by weakness in heavyweight financial counters.

The NIFTY 50 settled at 25,496.55, up 14 points or 0.06%, while the BSE Sensex closed at 82,248.61, down 27 points or 0.03%.

Market Breadth Nearly Even

Market breadth on the Nifty remained balanced, with 26 stocks advancing and 24 declining, reflecting the day’s range-bound movement.

Top Gainers:

• Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles
• Eicher Motors
• Bharat Electronics (BEL)
• Shriram Finance
• Max Healthcare Institute
• Top Losers:
• Trent
• Coal India
• Eternal
• Tata Consumer Products
• HDFC Bank

Among the laggards, HDFC Bank weighed the most on both headline indices due to its heavy index weighting.

Sectoral Action

Auto and defence counters attracted buying interest, while FMCG and select financial stocks faced profit booking. Analysts noted that investors remained cautious ahead of global cues and domestic triggers, keeping the indices confined to a narrow range.

Global Market Snapshot

Global markets showed mixed trends:

• The STOXX Europe 600 was largely unchanged in early London trade.
• S&P 500 futures were flat.
• Nasdaq-100 futures were little changed.
• Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%.
• The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.8%.
• The MSCI Emerging Markets Index gained 0.4%.

Outlook

Market participants expect continued volatility amid global uncertainty and upcoming domestic economic data. Analysts suggest that sustained movement above 25,500 on the Nifty could trigger fresh upside momentum, while support remains near the 25,300 zone.

For now, investors appear to be adopting a wait-and-watch approach as markets consolidate near record highs.