Sensex Today Tanks 1,236 Points Lower; Nifty Below 25,500

Although the benchmark indices opened higher, they traded negatively throughout the session and ultimately closed red.

Indian equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty50, witnessed heavy selling pressure on Thursday, logging their sharpest decline in over two weeks as geopolitical concerns weighed on investor sentiment.

At the closing bell, the BSE Sensex closed lower by 1,236 points (down 1.4%).

Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty closed 365 points lower (down 1.4%).

M&M, Trent, Bharat Elec, on the other hand, were among the top losers today.

The GIFT Nifty was trading at  25,806, higher by 96 points at the time of writing.

The BSE MidCap index ended 3.1% higher, and the BSE SmallCap index ended 3.8% higher.

Sectoral indices are trading negatively today, with stocks in the power sector and realty sector witnessing selling pressure.

The rupee is trading at Rs 90 against the US$.

Gold prices for the latest contract on MCX are trading 0.5% higher at Rs 156,672 per gram.

Meanwhile, silver prices were trading 1% higher at 2,46,790 per 1 kg.

Here are five reasons why Indian share markets are falling:

Here's a simplified reframing of each point in two-line paragraphs:

#1 Profit Booking After Recent Gains

The Indian market is seeing some profit-taking after consecutive gains, with the Sensex and Nifty 50 rising for the third day in a row. With major events like the Budget, India-US deal, RBI policy, and Q3 results behind, the market is now moving stock by stock.

#2 Fed's Mixed Signals Weigh on Sentiment

Minutes from the US Fed's January meeting show officials are split-some favor easing if inflation falls, while others may tighten policy if prices remain high. A pause in rate cuts or a Fed hike could strengthen the dollar, affecting foreign investments into India, which recently saw FII inflows resume.

#3 Focus Stays on US-Iran

Markets are watching US-Iran tensions closely after reports that the US may strike Iran soon, potentially leading to a large-scale conflict. Investors are taking money off the table, anticipating that the situation could escalate over the weekend.

#4 An Uptick in Crude Oil Prices

Crude oil prices have risen sharply, with Brent at $70.53 per barrel and WTI at $65.4 per barrel. Higher oil costs can negatively affect India's economy and currency, as the country imports a significant portion of its crude.

#5 Lack of Immediate Positive Triggers

Experts say the domestic market has potential for gains in 2026 due to earnings growth and a strong economic backdrop, but the lack of fresh triggers is keeping the market range bound. Large-cap valuations are fair, but mid- and small-cap stocks remain expensive, making stock selection crucial.

BL Kashyap Rallies on Housing Project

In the news from the construction sector, shares of BL Kashyap and Sons came into focus after the company informed stock exchanges that it had secured a work order worth Rs 3 billion (bn) from CRC Greens Private Limited.

In its regulatory filing, the company stated that the contract involves construction and supervision of civil and structural works for a group housing project in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

The order has been awarded by a domestic client and is scheduled to be completed over a period of approximately 42 months.

BL Kashyap and Sons Limited further informed that it received and accepted the Letter of Intent (LoI) for the project on 17 February 2026.

OpenAI Partnership Lifts TCS Shares

Moving on to the news from IT sector, shares of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) came into focus the Tata Group announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI to build AI infrastructure in the country and offer joint market solutions.

Under this partnership, thousands of Tata employees will get access to OpenAI's enterprise ChatGPT to improve productivity and innovation. TCS will also use OpenAI's Codex to enhance software engineering results.

As part of a multi-year plan, TCS' HyperVault unit will build AI-ready, green-energy-powered infrastructure to support next-generation AI workloads.

The facility will have specially designed, liquid-cooled data centers with high rack densities and strong connectivity across major cloud regions, helping position India as a global AI hub.