Sensex Ends Marginally Higher, Nifty Holds Above 25,450; IT, Metals Support Recovery

Mumbai | February 25, 2026

Indian equity benchmarks ended marginally higher on Wednesday, recovering from the previous session’s sharp sell-off. The markets had opened with a gap-up, tracking improved global cues, but early gains moderated in the latter half of the session as profit booking emerged at higher levels.

The BSE Sensex closed 50.15 points (0.06%) higher at 82,276.07, after rising over 700 points intraday to hit a high of 82,958. The NSE Nifty 50 advanced 57.85 points (0.23%) to settle at 25,482.50, after touching an intraday high of 25,652.60.

Broader markets outperformed the benchmarks. The Nifty Midcap index rose around 0.5%, while the Smallcap index gained nearly 1%, indicating continued participation beyond frontline stocks.

Sectoral Performance

The rebound was led by metal and IT stocks. The Nifty Metal index climbed 2.7%, while the Nifty IT index rose around 1.6%, snapping a multi-session losing streak as global technology stocks stabilised and value buying returned to domestic IT counters.

Auto and pharma sectors also gained between 1–2%.

On the downside, PSU Bank and FMCG indices ended lower, while telecom stocks also saw some pressure. Selling in index heavyweights such as Reliance Industries and State Bank of India limited the overall upside.

Nifty Gainers and Losers

HCL Technologies was top gainer in the NIFTY50 index, the stock rose 2.74% to close at ₹1,376. Bajaj Auto, Tata Steel, Shriram Finance, TCS, InterGlobe Aviation, Adani Enterprises and Sun Pharma rose between 1.8% and 2.7%.

On the other hand, Reliance Industries, State Bank of India, Adani Ports, Eternal, ITC, Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra Bank were top losers in the NIFTY50 index.

Key Stocks in Focus

Solar energy stocks witnessed heavy selling after the US announced a preliminary 126% tariff on solar imports from India. Waaree Energies declined 11.22%, while Premier Energies hit its 10% lower circuit.

Read more: Solar stocks slide on U.S. tariff move

Tata Steel gained 2.63%, hitting a 52-week high of ₹216.50, supported by strength in metal prices.

Coforge advanced 2% after securing a $158 million five-year contract with a UK-based client.

Power Grid Corporation remained in focus after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved an increase in its equity investment ceiling per subsidiary to ₹7,500 crore.

Overall, while markets have shown resilience after recent volatility, follow-through buying in leadership sectors and stability in global cues will be key to sustaining the recovery.

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