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Below the Quote on Daily Market Commentary for February 17th 2026 by By Siddhartha Khemka - Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd

Nifty recovered sharply after opening lower and gaining nearly 200 points from the day’s low to close at 25,725, up 42 points (+0.2%). The recovery was led by buying interest in IT shares, which helped the benchmark regain lost ground. Broader markets remained firm, with the Midcap index rising 0.3% and the Smallcap index advancing 0.5%. Sectoral performance was largely positive. PSU Banks emerged as the top gainers, climbing 2.1%. IT stocks extended gains for the second consecutive session after the recent sharp correction, with the Nifty IT index rising 1%. Sentiment in the sector improved after Infosys announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic, easing concerns around AI-led disruption. Defence stocks gained 1.3% ahead of the meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as expectations rose around potential discussions on the acquisition of additional Rafale fighter jets. On the downside, metal stocks came under pressure tracking weakness in precious metal prices, dragging the Nifty Metal index down 1%. Overall, we expect markets to remain firm with a positive bias, tracking global cues and developments on the domestic sectoral front.

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