IT meltdown drags markets, Sensex falls 1,048 pts, Nifty below 25,500

The Indian share market ended sharply lower on Friday, with the Nifty closing below the 25,500 mark amid broad-based selling pressure.At close, the Sensex was down 1,048.16 points or 1.25 percent at 82,626.76, and the Nifty was down 336.10 points or 1.30 percent at 25,471.10. About 1236 shares advanced, 2784 shares declined, and 148 shares unchanged.
Bajaj Finance, Eicher Motors, SBI Life Insurance, State Bank of India, and Cipla were the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers included Hindalco Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Eternal, Adani Enterprises, and ONGC.On the sectoral front,  all major indices ended in the red. Energy, Metal, and Realty indices declined 2–3 percent each, while IT, Consumer Durables, FMCG, Telecom, Infra, Auto, Power, PSU, and Oil & Gas indices fell around 1 percent each.Broader markets also witnessed heavy selling, with the Nifty Midcap and Smallcap indices shedding nearly 2 percent each.

#Markets tumble as global tech rout deepens, dragging Sensex down 820 points and Nifty over 1%, with IT and broader markets under sharp pressure. pic.twitter.com/EX8Us6ed8o

— newsinc24 (@newsinc24) February 13, 2026

Rupee Close:
On 13 Feb'26,the Indian rupee consolidated in a narrow range and settled for the day 3 paise lower at 90.64 against the U.S. dollar on Friday , tracking the strength of the American currency in the overseas market and a negative trend in domestic equities.Forex traders said rupee traded in a narrow range with a weakening bias as a firm dollar limited the upside for emerging market currencies including the rupee.
Trading Guide:
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments stated domestic equities ended lower following a highly volatile session, weighed down by weak global cues ahead of the upcoming US inflation data. Sentiment gains from the US–India trade deal have faded as renewed AI driven disruption fears weigh on risk appetite, with markets worrying that Indian IT firms dependent on labour arbitrage model may face tougher competitive pressure than their Nasdaq peers.This cautious tone extended across the broader market, pulling all major indices into negative territory, with most sectors closing in the red.
Metal stocks saw profit booking amid a stronger dollar index, as reports of Russia’s return to the US dollar settlement system heightened expectations of potential sanctions relief and raised concerns over weaker realisations for metal companies. Realty stocks declined on the back of weak results and delayed launches.
Market experts recommended  have recommended eight stocks to buy on Friday-Honasa Consumer, Krishana Phoschem, Delhivery, BDL, Oberoi Realty, Cummins India, LT Foods, Sharda Cropchem.

(Business Correspondent)