Benchmarks end flat; Nifty above 25,950 amid caution before US jobs data

The key domestic indices ended almost flat on Wednesday, as gains in select sectors were offset by caution ahead of global triggers. The market opened on a positive note, with the Nifty reclaiming the 26,000 mark in early trade. However, momentum faded as the session progressed, and the index moved in a narrow range for the remainder of the day as investors refrained from aggressive bets ahead of Wednesdays US jobs report. The Nifty eventually settled above the 25,950 mark. Sectorally, auto, PSU bank and pharma stocks witnessed buying interest, while IT and private bank shares came under pressure.

The S&P BSE Sensex declined 40.28 points or 0.05% to 84,233.64. The Nifty 50 index rose 18.70 points or 0.07% to 25,953.85.

TCS (down 2.51%), Infosys (down 1.75%) and HDFC Bank (down 0.54%) put pressure on the Nifty today.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index shed 0.02% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.13%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,913 shares rose and 2,316 shares fell. A total of 162 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, fell 1% to 11.56.

Numbers to Track:

The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper shed 0.25% to 6.710 compared with previous session close of 6.727.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 90.6800 compared with its close of 90.5600 during the previous trading session.

MCX Gold futures for 2 April 2026 settlement rose 1.71% to Rs 159,485.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.34% to 96.53.

The United States 10-year bond yield fell 0.39% to 4.129.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for April 2026 settlement rose 93 cents or 1.35% to $69.73 a barrel.

Global Markets:

Most European indices declined as traders remained cautious ahead of closely watched U.S. jobs data later in the day that could reshape expectations for Federal Reserve interest rates.

Asia market ended higher as investors assessed soft Chinese inflation figures.

China's consumer price index rose 0.2% in January from a year earlier. Thats below the widely reported forecast of 0.4% increase, a sign of continued deflationary pressure in the absence of stronger stimulus.

Japans markets were closed for a public holiday.

In U.S, December retail sales report showed that consumer spending was flat following a 0.6% increase in November, missing the 0.4% monthly gain that was widely expected.

Overnight, the S&P 500 slipped on Tuesday as investors reacted to weaker-than-expected retail sales data and grew concerned about the threat artificial intelligence poses to the financial sector.

The broad-based index lost 0.33% and ended at 6,941.81, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.59% and closed at 23,102.47. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 52.27 points, or 0.10%, posting a closing record of 50,188.14.

Financial stocks also took a hit Tuesday after tech platform Altruist launched a new AI-powered tax planning tool. Shares of LPL Financial declined 8.3%, while shares of Charles Schwab dropped 7.4% and Morgan Stanley dipped more than 2%.

Stocks in Spotlght:

Eicher Motors rallied 6.53% after the company reported a 21.38% year-on-year (YoY) increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,420.61 crore in Q3 FY26, compared with Rs 1,170.50 crore posted in Q3 FY25. Total revenue from operations surged 22.94% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 6,114.04 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2025.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) shed 0.02%. The companys standalone net profit jumped 32.62% to Rs 3,931.30 crore in Q3 FY26 as against Rs 2,964.31 crore reported in Q3 FY25. Total income increased by 26.93% year on year to Rs 39,639.45 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2025.

Britannia Industries gained 2.43% after reporting steady growth in the quarter ended 31 December 2025. On a consolidated basis, net profit stood at Rs 679.96 crore in Q3 FY26, up 16.89% YoY from Rs 581.69 crore in Q3 FY25. On a sequential basis, profit rose 3.89% from Rs 654.47 crore in Q2 FY26. Revenue from operations increased 9.45% YoY to Rs 4,885.23 crore, compared with Rs 4,463.30 crore in the year-ago quarter. Sequentially, revenue grew 2.80% from Rs 4,752.17 crore.

Juniper Hotels gained 0.92% after the company reported a strong performance for the quarter ended 31 December 2025. On a consolidated basis, profit after tax more than doubled to Rs 65.4 crore in Q3 FY26, registering a 101% YoY increase from Rs 32.5 crore. On a sequential basis, PAT rose sharply by 277% from Rs 16.8 crore in Q2 FY26. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 295.1 crore in Q3 FY26, up 17% YoY from Rs 252.5 crore in Q3 FY25 and 28% QoQ from Rs 230.3 crore in Q2 FY26.

Titan Company fell 0.45%. The company has reported 61% increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,684 crore on a 40% increase in total income to Rs 24,592 crore in Q3 FY26 as compared with Q3 FY25.

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise jumped 3.93% after the company reported 34.91% surge in consolidated net profit to Rs 502.29 crore on 17.19% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 6,477.40 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q3 FY25.

Britannia Industries gained 2.43% after reporting steady growth in the quarter ended 31 December 2025. On a consolidated basis, net profit stood at Rs 679.96 crore in Q3 FY26, up 16.89% YoY from Rs 581.69 crore in Q3 FY25. On a sequential basis, profit rose 3.89% from Rs 654.47 crore in Q2 FY26. Revenue from operations increased 9.45% YoY to Rs 4,885.23 crore, compared with Rs 4,463.30 crore in the year-ago quarter. Sequentially, revenue grew 2.80% from Rs 4,752.17 crore.

Laxmi Dental dropped 9.07% after its consolidated net profit fell 59.45% to Rs 1.95 crore in Q3 FY26 as against Rs 4.81 crore in Q3 FY25. However, total income rose 9.43% to Rs 68.11 crore in Q3 FY26 as against Rs 62.24 crore in Q3 FY25.

Avantel advanced 2.62% after the company said that it has secured an order worth Rs 122.58 crore from NewSpace India for the supply of S/X-band with Ka-band-ready full-motion antennas. The contract, covering supply, installation, and commissioning, is scheduled for completion by August 2027. Key terms include a 2.5% security deposit and a 0.5% performance bank guarantee. The order has been awarded by a domestic entity.

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) slumped 5.58% after the companys promoter announced an offer for sale to pare its stake in the company. As of December 2025, the Government of India held a 63.17% stake in BHEL. The floor price has been set at Rs 254 per share, a discount of 7.99% to the stocks previous close of Rs 276.05 on January 27, 2026.

At 3:30 p.m. on T Day, the non-retail portion was subscribed 234.81% of the base offer size. Bids were received for 22.07 crore shares against 9.40 crore shares on base non-retail offer.

TVS Supply Chain Solutions surged 14.01% after the company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 10.72 crore in Q3 December 2025 compared with a net loss of Rs 24.65 crore posted in Q3 December 2024. Revenue from operations jumped 11.09% YoY to Rs 2,715.81 crore during the quarter, supported by continued strength in Integrated Supply Chain Solutions (ISCS) segment and a significant recovery in volumes in the Global Forwarding Solutions (GFS) segment.

IPO Update:

Fractal Analytics received bids for 4,94,59,568 shares as against 1,85,79,360 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 16:50 IST on Wednesday (11 February 2026). The issue was subscribed 2.66 times.

The issue opened for bidding on 9 February 2026 and it will be close on 11 February 2026. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 857 and 900 per share.

Aye Finance received bids for 4,42,03,308 shares as against 4,55,32,785 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 16:50 IST on Wednesday (11 February 2026). The issue was subscribed 0.97 times.

The issue opened for bidding on 9 February 2026 and it will be close on 11 February 2026. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 122 and 129 per share.

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