Sensex Rises 283 Points, Nifty Above 25,800 for Third Straight Session; PSU Bank Index Hits Record High
- 18th February 2026
- 05:00 PM
- 3 min read
Summary
Indian equity benchmarks extended gains for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, recovering sharply from early losses. PSU banks, metals and FMCG stocks led the rally, while weakness in IT names capped the upside.Mumbai | February 18, 2026
Indian equities closed modestly higher on Wednesday, recovering from early session losses and extending gains for a third straight session, though weakness in IT stocks limited further upside.
The BSE Sensex rose as much as 606 points from the day’s lowest level before ending 283 points higher at 83,734. The Nifty 50 touched an intraday high of 25,828 after slipping to 25,645 earlier in the session and finally settled 94 points higher at 25,819.
Bank Nifty outperformed, rising 377 points or 0.6%, to close at 61,550. Notably, the Nifty PSU Bank index closed at a record high, reflecting sustained strength in state-owned lenders.
Midcap and smallcap indices also participated in the recovery, with the Nifty Midcap 150 advancing 0.6% and the Nifty Smallcap 250 gaining 0.5%.
Sectoral Performance
On the sectoral front, barring IT, most major indices ended in the green. PSU Bank, Metal and FMCG indices gained around 1% each, while Private Bank, Realty, Auto and Oil & Gas indices advanced about 0.5%.
The rally in PSU banks was broad-based. Union Bank of India, Indian Bank and Bank of Maharashtra touched fresh 52-week highs, while Punjab National Bank led the pack with gains of around 3%. The strength in state-owned lenders helped the Nifty PSU Bank index close at a record high.
Metal stocks strengthened following reports of potential simplification in U.S. steel tariffs. FMCG counters saw buying interest after tobacco product price hikes supported sentiment in the space.
However, IT stocks remained under pressure for most of the session, tracking weakness in U.S. technology shares amid ongoing concerns around AI-related disruption.
Nifty Gainers and Losers
Within the Nifty pack, Tata Steel, HDFC Life, ITC, Tata Consumer, Bajaj Auto and Reliance Industries were among the top gainers.
On the losing side, ONGC, Eternal, Wipro, Infosys and Adani Enterprises declined, with IT names contributing to the drag on the benchmark indices.
Stocks in Focus
Godfrey Phillips surged 20%, while ITC gained following tobacco product price hikes.
Apar Industries advanced around 5% after announcing its entry into the telecom services business.
Dabur India declined over 2% following a leadership reshuffle announcement.
Ola Electric jumped nearly 5% after the Bombay High Court stayed an arrest warrant against its CEO.
Among AI-linked names, E2E Networks rallied 20% after announcing a partnership with Nvidia.
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