On Monday, the Indian equity markets traded higher with the Nifty 50 opening at 25,678.40, reaching a high of 25,771.45, and closing at 25,713.00, up by 0.55%. Similarly, the BSE Sensex opened at 82,906.83, reached a high of 83,486.15, and ended at 83,294.66, up by 0.58%.Dalal Street traded in green amid positive sentiment, driven by a stronger rupee and a sharp decline in crude oil prices, as well as a weaker dollar.Reasons for the positive sentimentThe following are the reasons for the positive sentiment:Buying sentiment across the sectors.India VIX dropped by 1.32% to 14.17, indicating decreased volatility in Indian markets.Positive cues from broader Asian markets.Major Indices Today IndicesLTPPrev closeChangeNifty 5025,713.0025,571.250.55%BSE Sensex83,294.6682,814.710.58%Next 5069,723.1069,453.650.39%Bank Nifty61,264.2561,172.000.15%Fin Nifty28,455.0028,210.600.87% The benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex, traded in green, led by Banking and FMCG stocks.Nifty Next 50 was higher due to gains in Finance, Power, Pharma, and FMCG stocks.Nifty Bank traded higher, led by the gains in PSU banking stocks.Sectoral Indices Today IndicesLTPPrev closeChangeNifty IT31,550.5032,004.05-1.42%Nifty Auto28,077.0027,846.800.83%Nifty FMCG52,136.3551,772.700.70%Nifty Pharma22,578.5522,452.400.56%Nifty Healthcare14,632.6014,560.750.49%Nifty Oil & Gas12,151.1512,092.300.49% Nifty IT traded in the red after brokerage Jefferies downgraded Indian IT stocks. Nifty Auto traded higher after TVS Motor Company CEO KN Radhakrishnan said the two-wheeler industry is expected to grow at an 8-9% CAGR in the long term, amid the momentum of the GST rate cut, government spending on infrastructure, and overall economic growth.Nifty FMCG traded in green after the FMCG companies expect volume-driven growth in the upcoming fiscal year, led by easing inflation and stable commodity prices, which are expected to boost demand.Nifty Pharma was up following India and Brazil signed multiple MoUs during Brazilian President Lula da Silva's visit, with key agreements including a pact to develop a breast cancer medicine and R&D on strategic pharmaceutical ingredients.Nifty Oil and Gas traded higher amid broader market sentiment.Market Movers Today RailTel Corporation of India shares rose by 2% after the company, in a consortium with Ashoka Buildcon, was selected as the Managed Service Provider (MSP) for the modernisation of the offices of the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) and the Controller of Stamps under the Government of Maharashtra. Adani Ports shares rose by 2.5% after signing a strategic MoU with NMDC and Vale S.A. to develop an iron ore blending and export ecosystem at Gangavaram Port.Pine Labs shares rose 3.5% after securing multi-year contracts from Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, and Indian Oil Corporation to manage and maintain digital payments infrastructure at petrol pumps and merchant outlets across the country.IDFC First Bank shares dropped by 19% after disclosing a ₹590 crore fraud committed by its employees and others in accounts held by the Haryana government with the bank.Top Gainers Company NameLTPPrev CloseChangeIndian Bank982.75946.703.81%Bajaj Holdings & Investments11,501.0011,188.002.80%Cummins4,884.304,733.903.18%Adani Ports & SEZ1,555.801,511.502.93%PI Industries3,119.503,048.002.35% Top Losers Company NameLTPPrev CloseChangeIDFC First Bank70.0483.51-16.13%UPL644.80752.35-14.30%AU Small Finance Bank974.101,029.65-5.40%Dixon Technologies10,599.0011,072.00-4.27%Coforge1,289.001,340.60-3.85% 52W High Stocks Company NameLTP52W highChangeState Bank of India1,227.801,231.100.96%Larsen & Toubro4,418.104,431.600.86%NTPC375.45376.500.67%SBI Life Insurance2,109.602,132.001.42%Bank of Baroda313.35315.251.39% 52W Low Stocks Company NameLTP52W lowChangeWipro205.89204.28-1.89%Mankind Pharma2,046.602,012.301.10%Info Edge1,069.701,054.40-0.47%Tata Elxsi4,714.004,679.00-2.98%L&T Technology Services3,439.403,361.201.26% High Volume Stocks Today Company NameLTPPrev CloseChangeVodafone Idea10.9811.16-1.61%Suzlon Energy44.2544.46-0.47%Yes Bank20.8921.04-0.71%Eternal268.00269.45-0.54%Punjab National Bank130.27129.590.52% IPOsClean Max Enviro Energy Solutions and Shree Ram Twistex IPOs opened today and will close on 25th February. The price bands set for the IPOs are ₹1000 to ₹1053 and ₹95 to ₹104, respectively.Gaudium IVF & Women Health IPO is open and will close on 24th February 2026. The price band set for the IPO is ₹75 to ₹79.Market AnnouncementsCohance Lifesciences shares rose by 8% after 7.7 million shares, or 2% of stake, were traded in a block deal at an average price of ₹306 per share on NSE.Shankara Building Products shares rose by 2% after Ballygunge Family Trust bought 5.1 lakh shares, about 2.1% of the company's paid-up equity, for ₹5.35 crore from Marval Guru Fund via open-market transactions on February 20.
