Nifty Recovers to Close at 25,725 Amid IT-Led Rally

The Nifty rebounded sharply on February 17, 2026, gaining nearly 200 points from the day's low to settle at 25,725, up 42 points or 0.2%.

Buying in IT stocks fueled the recovery, with the Nifty IT index rising 1% for the second straight session following Infosys' AI partnership with Anthropic, alleviating disruption concerns. Broader markets were resilient, as Midcap (+0.3%) and Smallcap (+0.5%) indices advanced. PSU Banks led sectoral gainers at +2.1%, while Defence stocks climbed 1.3% ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with PM Narendra Modi, sparking Rafale jet talks. Metals lagged, with Nifty Metal down 1% on weak precious metal prices.

Key Market Drivers

IT Strength: Extended gains post-correction, buoyed by strategic deals.

Sector Rotation: PSU Banks and Defence outperform amid positive news flow.

Global Cues: Markets eye international developments for sustained bias.

Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, noted: "Overall, we expect markets to remain firm with a positive bias, tracking global cues and developments on the domestic sectoral front."

Source : Equity Bulls

Keywords

Nifty MotilalOswalFinancialServices MOSL