Stocks in Focus as Markets Recover After Crash

Indian stock markets are trading higher on Friday, 20 February, recovering from Thursday’s sharp selloff even as global tensions continue to weigh on sentiment.

The Nifty 50 is up 90.25 points, or 0.35%, while the BSE Sensex gained 223 points, or 0.27%, in intraday trade. This follows Thursday’s steep decline, when the Sensex fell 1,236 points, and the Nifty closed below 25,500.

Why Did The Market Rebound After Thursday’s Crash?

The session began on a cautious note, with both indices opening marginally lower. However, buying interest emerged through the morning, helping benchmarks move into positive territory.

The Bank Nifty also recovered from early weakness, suggesting support from financial stocks.

Broader markets are comparatively stronger. Midcap and smallcap indices are trading in the green, indicating selective risk appetite. Among sectors, PSU banks, metals, FMCG, and pharma are witnessing gains, while IT and media stocks remain under pressure.

Are Global Cues Still Influencing Sentiment?

Global developments remain a key factor.

Asian markets traded mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei and Topix down over 1%, while South Korea’s Kospi edged higher.

Geopolitical tensions escalated after US President Donald Trump warned Iran to agree to a nuclear deal within 10 to 15 days, cautioning that “really bad things” could follow otherwise. That uncertainty has kept investors cautious. US markets ended lower overnight.

Safe-haven demand is visible in bullion markets. On the Multi Commodity Exchange of India, gold opened at ₹1,55,105 per 10 grams, while silver rose to ₹2,43,874 per kg. International gold prices are hovering near the $5,000 per ounce level.

Which Stocks Are In Focus Today?

Stock-specific developments are driving much of Friday’s activity.

Federal Bank: The lender is set to receive a ₹686 crore tax refund tied to older assessment years. The amount relates to past disputes and is expected to reflect in financials once accounted for.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance: An appellate authority has upheld a ₹984 crore tax demand under GST provisions. The insurer has said it will move the appropriate forum to challenge the order.

Karur Vysya Bank: The bank has trimmed its Marginal Cost of Funds-Based Lending Rate (MCLR) by 10 basis points across select tenors, effective 22 February. The revision applies to short- and medium-term maturities.

ABB India: December-quarter profit declined 18% year-on-year to ₹432.85 crore, even as revenue rose to ₹3,557 crore. The divergence between profit and topline growth comes after a strong comparative base.

CIE Automotive India: The company reported a 10.4% rise in quarterly profit, with revenue up 13.4% year-on-year. The numbers reflect steady demand across segments.

Waaree Energies: The board has approved expanding lithium-ion advanced chemistry cell and battery energy storage capacity from 3.5 GWh to 20 GWh. The plan involves an additional capital outlay of around ₹8,000 crore through its wholly owned subsidiary.

RailTel Corporation of India: The PSU received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) worth ₹35.54 crore for a railway signalling project, with execution scheduled over 24 months.

Pace Digitek: The company secured an advance Letter of Award valued at ₹89 crore from RailTel for the installation of IP-based video surveillance systems in LHB coaches, including warranty and maintenance support.

Texmaco Rail & Engineering: The rail solutions provider has entered into a joint venture shareholders’ agreement with Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) aimed at strengthening rail manufacturing capabilities and expanding infrastructure operations.

Zydus Lifesciences: The company launched its first indigenously developed biosimilar for visual impairment treatment. Separately, the USFDA concluded a pre-approval inspection at its Ahmedabad facility with nil observations.

Hindustan Unilever: The FMCG major plans to invest up to ₹2,000 crore over the next two years to scale manufacturing capacity in premium beauty, wellbeing and home care liquid categories.

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What Should Investors Watch Next?

For now, markets have recovered some of Thursday’s losses. Whether this move continues is still uncertain.

Global news remains a factor, especially around geopolitical tensions and foreign investor activity. At home, company updates are driving most of the action. The next few sessions should make it clearer if this rebound has strength behind it or if it was just a short-term bounce.

Sources

Mint

Business Standard

Economic Times

Markets Mojo

Moneycontrol