Closing Bell: Dalal Street bloodbath erases Rs 7.5 lakh crore m-cap; Sensex slides 1,236 points, Nifty below 25,500

Stock Market Highlights: Dalal Street witnessed a sharp decline on Thursday as benchmark indices closed deep in the red amid broad-based selling and profit booking. The BSE Sensex fell 1,236.11 points to end at 82,498.14, while the Nifty 50 dropped 365 points to 25,454.35.

Other key indices also reflected weakness, with the Nifty Next 50 down 1.86 per cent to 69,028.75 and the Nifty Midcap 100 falling 1.59 per cent to 59,227.65. Midcap and smallcap indices too were under pressure, indicating a market-wide correction rather than isolated sectoral weakness.

The Sensex has seen a decline in market capitalisation from Rs 4,72,01,224.67 crore to Rs 4,64,46,169.05 crore. This means the market has eroded by Rs 7,55,055.62 crore. In other words, the Indian equity market lost over Rs 7.5 lakh crore in value during this period.

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Top Gainers and Losers

On 19-Feb-2026, most large-cap stocks ended lower. IndiGo fell the most, down 3.23 per cent, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra 2.97 per cent, UltraTech Cement 2.90 per cent, Trent 2.89 per cent, and BEL 2.70 per cent.

Other major decliners included Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone 2.50 per cent, Kwality Limited 2.31 per cent, Kotak Mahindra Bank 2.29 per cent, and Reliance Industries 2.11 per cent.

ITC, Eternal Enterprises, and Power Grid Corporation also dropped over 1.9 per cent. Among the relative top performers, TCS fell 0.53 per cent, Sun Pharma 0.83 per cent, HDFC Bank 0.93 per cent, and Bajaj Finance 0.93 per cent, making them the least affected stocks of the day.

Nifty Sectoral Indicies

On 19-Feb-2026, sectoral indices ended lower. Nifty Auto fell 2.10 per cent, Nifty Realty 2.56 per cent, Nifty Media 2.23 per cent, Nifty FMCG 1.76 per cent, Nifty Bank 1.32 per cent, Nifty Private Bank 1.46 per cent, Nifty Financial Services 1.38 per cent, Nifty PSU Bank 1.24 per cent, Nifty Metal 1.20 per cent, Nifty IT 1.07 per cent, Nifty Pharma 0.50 per cent, and Nifty Healthcare 0.51 per cent.

Sector-wise performance

Sectoral indices reflected a mixed degree of weakness. The Nifty Auto index fell 2.10 per cent to 27,734.00, while Nifty Realty dropped 2.56 per cent to 817.85. Nifty Media also declined sharply by 2.23 per cent to 1,430.75.

FMCG stocks were down 1.76 per cent while the Nifty IT index fell 1.07 per cent to 32,319.40, showing relatively lesser pressure compared to other sectors.

Banking indices like Nifty Bank and Nifty Private Bank fell 1.32 per cent and 1.46 per cent, respectively, reflecting profit booking in financial stocks.

Why the Stock Market Is Down Today

Global factors also played a role in weakening the market. Investors remain cautious amid geopolitical tensions, uncertainty over global growth prospects, and mixed signals on interest rate movements from major central banks.

Such conditions often prompt a shift from equities to safer assets like gold and government bonds. The risk-off sentiment in global markets tends to impact emerging markets like India, contributing to declines in benchmark indices.

Another key factor behind the market slide is profit booking. Investors, after recent gains, sold shares to secure profits. Profit booking often leads to a cascading effect as automated trading systems and technical triggers amplify selling once key levels are breached.

This was visible during Thursday’s session as markets gradually slid through the afternoon, highlighting how intraday declines can intensify when investor sentiment turns cautious.

Stock Market Update

As of 19-Feb-2026, a total of 3,249 stocks were traded on the NSE. Out of these, 831 stocks advanced, 2,308 declined, and 110 remained unchanged. Seventy-six stocks were at their 52-week high, while 118 hit their 52-week low.

The market saw 84 stocks in the upper circuit and 63 in the lower circuit. The total market capitalisation stood at Rs 463.40 lakh crore.