New Delhi, 19 February (H.S.): Indian equity benchmarks commenced trading positively on Thursday, the fourth session of the week, with the BSE Sensex climbing 147.46 points or 0.18% to 83,881.17 in early trade, while the NSE Nifty advanced 50.55 points or 0.20% to 25,869.90.

Sectoral Performance

The IT sector led the gains amid buzz from the India AI Impact Summit, surging approximately 1%, followed by metals with a 0.60% uptick. In contrast, banking faced mild pressure, with the Nifty Private Bank index emerging as the top loser, down 0.15%.

Previous Session Recap

Markets had closed higher on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, extending gains for a third straight day; the Sensex settled 283.29 points or 0.34% higher at 83,734.25, and the Nifty rose 93.95 points or 0.37% to 25,819.35, buoyed by buying in consumer, financials, and metals despite IT weakness.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar