Barometers trade with significant gains; auto shares rally for 2nd day

The domestic equity benchmarks traded with robust gains in the afternoon trade as investors cheered the long-awaited trade agreement between India and the United States. The announcement sparked broad-based buying across sectors, enabling domestic markets to recoup losses triggered by the recent Union Budget.

The Nifty traded above the 25,750 marks. Auto shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading sessions.

At 12:28 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, zoomed 2,314.43 points or 2.83% to 83,980.89. The Nifty 50 index added 696.15 points or 2.78% to 25,784.55.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE 150 MidCap Index rallied 3.02% and the S&P BSE 250 SmallCap Index jumped 3.14%.

 

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 3,259 shares rose and 848 shares fell. A total of 179 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, slipped 2.14% to 13.57. The Nifty 24 February 2026 futures were trading at 25,935.10, at a premium of points as compared with the spot at ...

The Nifty option chain for the 24 February 2026 expiry showed a maximum call OI of 54.1 lakh contracts at the 26,000 strike price. Maximum put OI of 48.7 lakh contracts was seen at 25,500 strike price.

India-US Trade Deal:

India and the United States on Monday announced a landmark trade deal following a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump, marking a clear thaw in bilateral ties after months of tariff-related tensions.

Under the agreement, Washington will cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 25% and scrap the additional 25% penalty imposed earlier over Indias purchases of Russian crude oil. Trump said New Delhi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and would move to reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers on U.S. goods to zero.

The deal is seen as a major boost to trade relations between the two countries, which are targeting bilateral trade of $500 billion by 2030. Market participants expect the agreement to lift sentiment for Indian equities and the rupee, while export-oriented sectors such as textiles, apparel and seafood are likely to be key beneficiaries.

Modi welcomed the announcement, saying reduced tariffs on Made in India products would unlock immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between the worlds two largest democracies. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal called the pact a historic turning point, saying it would open new opportunities for farmers, MSMEs, entrepreneurs and skilled workers, while accelerating Indias progress towards Viksit Bharat 2047.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Auto index soared 3.09% to 27,574.75. The index climbed 5.28% in the two consecutive trading sessions.

Tube Investments of India (up 8.74%), Bharat Forge (up 7.69%), Samvardhana Motherson International (up 6.28%), Sona BLW Precision Forgings (up 5.64%), Exide Industries (up 3.53%), Uno Minda (up 3.46%), Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (up 3.31%), Eicher Motors (up 3.29%), Maruti Suzuki India (up 2.86%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (up 2.50%) advanced.

Stocks in Spotlight:

AWL Agri Business rose 0.99%. The company has posted 35% drop in consolidated net profit to Rs 269 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 411 crore in Q3 FY25. Revenue from operations increased by 10% YoY to Rs 18,603 crore in Q3 FY26.

RailTel Corporation of India shed 0.13%. The companys standalone net profit declined 4.07% to Rs 62.40 crore in Q3 FY26, compared with Rs 65.05 crore in Q3 FY25. However, revenue from operations rose 18.99% YoY to Rs 913.45 crore in Q3 FY26.

Dhampur Sugar Mills advanced 2.16% after the companys consolidated net profit climbed 75.2% to Rs 26.49 crore on 9.54% increase in revenue from operations (excluding net excise duty) to Rs 451.18 crore in Q3 December 2025 over Q3 December

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