SGX Nifty February 2026 futures increased by 54.00 points, indicating a positive opening for the Nifty 50 today.

Institutional Flows:

On 19 February 2026, provisional data indicated that foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) divested shares amounting to Rs 880.49 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) also recorded net sales of Rs 596.28 crore in the Indian equity market.

Foreign institutional investors have divested shares amounting to Rs 1,076.63 crore in the cash market up to 19 February 2026. This comes after their cash sales of Rs 41,435.22 crore in January 2026 and Rs 34,349.62 crore in December.

Global Markets:

Asian markets experienced a predominantly downward trend on Friday, following a decline in all three major Wall Street indexes overnight, influenced by a decrease in private credit stocks and ongoing tensions between Iran and the U.S. The likelihood of a military strike on Iran has increased, as U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly indicated that he will make a decision regarding military action against Tehran within the next 10 days. This led to an increase in Brent Crude, which rose by 0.26%, settling at $71.92. In Asia, market participants evaluated the most recent inflation figures from Japan. The headline inflation rate in the island nation decreased from 2.1% in December to 1.5% in January, marking its lowest point since March 2022. The reading concluded a streak of 45 consecutive months during which inflation consistently exceeded the Bank of Japan’s 2% target.

The core inflation rate, excluding fresh food prices, has decreased to 2%, marking the lowest point since January 2024. It decreased from 2.4% in December. According to reports, even with the deceleration in headline inflation, the Bank of Japan is expected to proceed with rate hikes due to the volatility in fresh-food prices, while energy costs have decreased following Japan’s removal of the fuel tax in December.

Overnight on Wall Street, US stocks ended lower on Thursday, bringing the S&P 500 near flat for the year, as investors shifted away from financials and kept an eye on rising tensions between the US and Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 267.50 points, representing a decline of 0.54%, and concluded the day at 49,395.16. The S&P 500 decreased by 0.28%, closing at 6,861.89, whereas the Nasdaq Composite fell by 0.31% to 22,682.73.

Stocks in the financial sector experienced a downturn after Blue Owl Capital announced plans to tighten investor liquidity following the sale of $1.4 billion in loan assets, which has raised concerns regarding possible losses in the private credit market. Blue Owl’s shares declined by approximately 6%, whereas both Blackstone and Apollo Global Management experienced drops exceeding 5%. Software stocks continued to face challenges due to ongoing concerns regarding the impact of artificial intelligence disruption. The sector has faced challenges in recent weeks as investors evaluate the potential impact of AI on enterprise software demand.

Domestic Market:

On Thursday, the Indian benchmark indices faced a significant downturn, with the Sensex dropping by 1,236 points and the Nifty 50 falling below the 25,500 level, marking a notable sell-off across the board. This significant drop has allegedly erased more than Rs 7.5 lakh crore in investor wealth in just one session. The decline was prompted by multiple elements, such as rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran and a significant increase in global crude oil prices. Furthermore, persistent uncertainty surrounding the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate path impacted sentiment after the release of its most recent meeting minutes.

Despite a strong start, driven by the IT sector, the market faced significant profit-taking as a cautious mood prevailed. This pulled down every major sectoral index, especially auto, realty, and banking, resulting in the benchmark indices breaking their strong three-day winning streak. The benchmark index S&P BSE Sensex fell by 1.48%, finishing at 82,498.14. The Nifty 50 index fell by 365 points, which is a decrease of 1.41%, concluding the session at 25,454.35.