Indian Developments
Tracking a risk-off sentiment triggered by geopolitical friction, Indian equity markets closed the week on a sour note this Friday, 20 February 2026. Escalating tensions between the US and Iran, alongside a 10-day ultimatum, severely dented investor confidence. Market breadth was deeply negative as the India VIX surged by 2.63%, settling at 14.36 and signalling a sharp rise in market fear.
Nifty 50 slumped by -2.31% to close at 25,571.25.Nifty Midcap 150 dropped -2.85%, reflecting heavy profit booking in mid-sized companies. Nifty Small cap 250 recorded a significant decline of -2.73%.
Sectoral Developments
The bloodbath was widespread, with almost all major sectors ending the day with deep cuts.
Major Laggards: Nifty IT was the worst hit, crashing -3.41% as global tech sentiment soured. Nifty Metal followed closely with a -3.21% decline, while Nifty Realty dropped -2.57%. Even defensive plays like Nifty FMCG couldn't escape the rout, falling -1.93%.
Resilient Spots: Nifty Media was the only minor outlier, showing relative strength with a marginal decline of only -0.21%. Nifty PSU Bank also fared slightly better than the broader market, slipping -0.73%.
Global Developments
Global cues remained overwhelmingly negative as investors moved toward safe-haven assets.
Other Markets
Source: www.nseindices.com; MCX Gold Prices; Economic times, Bloomberg.
Data for week ended on February 20, 2026.
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