The frontline indices traded with substantial losses in the early afternoon, snapping a three-day rally as investors resorted to profit booking at higher levels. Broader market indices mirrored the weak trend and traded under pressure.
The Nifty traded below the 25,650 mark. Realty shares declined after advancing in the past three consecutive trading sessions.
At 12:28 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 494.95 points or 0.59% to 83,322.74. The Nifty 50 index fell 146.70 points or 0.57% to 25,629.55.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.86% and the S&P BSE 250 SmallCap Index tanked 1.02%.
The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,462 shares rose and 2,450 shares fell. A total of 186 shares were unchanged.
Derivatives:
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 0.28% to 12.29. The Nifty 24 February 2026 futures were trading at 25,716.90, at a premium of 87.35 points as compared with the spot at 25,629.55.
The Nifty option chain for the 24 February 2026 expiry showed a maximum call OI of 67.7 lakh contracts at the 26,000 strike price. Maximum put OI of 55.6 lakh contracts was seen at 25,500 strike price.
RBI MPC:
The Reserve Bank's rate-setting panel has started its three-day meeting for the next bi-monthly monetary policy on Wednesday. The decision of RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra-headed six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will be announced on Friday.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Realty index declined 1% to 816.20. The index rallied 7.67% in the past three consecutive trading sessions.
Brigade Enterprises (down 3.48%), Godrej Properties (down 2.02%), Prestige Estates Projects (down 2%), Sobha (down 1.37%), Lodha Developers (down 1.34%), Anant Raj (down 1.13%) and DLF (down 1.05%) declined.
On the other hand, SignatureGlobal India (up 0.63%), Phoenix Mills (up 0.46%) and Oberoi Realty (up 0.01%) edged higher.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Indo Tech Transformers dropped 5.58%. The company reported a 29.2% rise in net profit to Rs 24.90 crore on 10.7% rise in net sales to Rs 196.30 crore in Q3 FY26 as compared with Q3 FY25.
Keystone Realtors declined 4.66% after the company’s consolidated net profit fell 77.57% to Rs 3.38 crore on 42.64% fall in revenue from operations to Rs 266.17 crore in Q3 December 2025 over Q3 December 2024.
NHPC added 1.54% after the company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 320.60 crore in Q3 FY26, down 2.89% as against Rs 330.13 crore in Q3 FY25. Total income declined 4.74% year-on-year to Rs 2,492.83 crore for the quarter ended 31 December 2025.