Tue Feb 18 03:07:33 UTC 2025: **Indian Markets Halt Two-Year Losing Streak, Buoyed by Banking and Energy Stocks**

MUMBAI, INDIA – Indian equities staged a remarkable turnaround on Monday, halting their longest losing streak in two years. After a shaky start that saw the Nifty 50 index dip below 22,800 and the Sensex fall below 75,300, a late rally pushed the indices into positive territory. The Nifty 50 closed 0.13% higher at 22,959.5, while the Sensex gained 0.08%, ending at 75,996.86.

The recovery was largely attributed to gains in shares of HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, and Bajaj Finserv. However, the gains were partially offset by losses in Bharti Airtel, Mahindra & Mahindra, and ICICI Bank. The pharmaceutical sector outperformed, fueled by strong earnings and positive market sentiment, while information technology and auto stocks underperformed.

Despite the positive close, analysts remain cautious. Shrikant Chouhan of Kotak Securities noted that the market’s short-term outlook remains bearish, despite the recovery from support levels around 22,725. Aditya Gaggar of Progressive Shares pointed to the Nifty 50’s repeated defense of the 22,800 level as a positive sign.

The broader market showed mixed results. The BSE Midcap index closed 0.51% higher, while the BSE Smallcap index finished down 0.56%. Market breadth favored sellers, with nearly twice as many stocks declining as advancing. While HSBC maintains an optimistic outlook, concerns remain regarding potential US tariffs. Monday’s session marked a respite from the previous week’s 2.8% drop in the Nifty 50, its worst performance since December 2024.

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