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Stock Market Today LIVE: The Indian stock market traded flat after opening marginally lower on Friday, 20 February, extending losses from previous session’s crash, amid cautious investor sentiment over escalating tensions between US and Iran.

The Sensex opened 225.65 points, or 0.27%, lower at 82,272.49, while the Nifty 50 opened 47.80 points, or 0.19%, lower at 25,406.55. Bank Nifty fell 111.70 points, or 0.18%, to open at 60,627.85.

Broader markets gained, with the Nifty Smallcap 100 and the Nifty Midcap 100 indices trading higher.

Among sectors, Nifty IT and Nifty Media indices traded in the red, while gains were seen in Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Metals, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Pharma indices.

In the previous session, the domestic equity market indices ended sharply lower, with the Nifty 50 closing below 25,500 level. The Sensex crashed 1,236.11 points, or 1.48%, to close at 82,498.14, while the Nifty 50 settled 365.00 points, or 1.41%, lower at 25,454.35.

Globally, Asian markets traded mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei and Topix falling over 1% each and South Korea’s Kospi bucking the trend. The US stock market ended lower overnight, with all three major Wall Street indices closing in the red.

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East escalated after US President Donald Trump warned Iran that it must make a deal over its nuclear program or “really bad things” will happen, and set a deadline of 10 to 15 days.

Gold and silver prices on Multi Commodity Exchange of India opened higher amid safe-haven buying on rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

MCX gold rate today opened 0.18% higher at ₹1,55,105 per 10 grams level as against its previous close of ₹1,54,819 level. MCX silver rate opened higher by ₹2,481, or 1.02%, at ₹2,43,874 per kg as against its previous close of ₹2,41,393 level.

In the international market, spot gold price eased 0.1% to $4,995.91 per ounce, while US gold futures for April delivery were up 0.3% at $5,013.60. Spot silver price fell 0.1% to $78.29 per ounce.

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Bitcoin prices are trading within the $65,700 – $67,300 range. A brief dip toward $65,800 was quickly bought, reinforcing $66,000 as near-term support, while $67,000 – $67,300 continues to cap upside. In the absence of a clear catalyst, price action remains in short-term consolidation. Bitcoin price is on track for a fifth consecutive monthly decline, a pattern last seen in 2018–19, when six straight red months preceded a sharp multi-month rally of over 300%. With a similar pattern, momentum could should begin shifting in early Q2 2026. Liquidity positioning suggests a move above $68,000 may trigger a short squeeze, while a break below $66,000 may trigger heavy long liquidations, said CoinSwitch Markets Desk.

Following a sell-off in US software stocks on Thursday and rising US-Iran tensions, Indian IT stocks saw selling pressure in early-morning deals on Friday. Indian IT majors — Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Firstsource Solutions, TCS, etc., witnessed sharp selling within a few minutes of the Opening Bell.

Nifty 50 opened on a flat note around 25,400, reflecting a cautious undertone after recent weakness. Immediate support is placed in the 25,400 – 25,300 zone; a decisive breakdown below this band could extend the decline toward 25,200 – 25,100, which coincides with the 200-day EMA area, and potentially lower in case of aggressive selling. On the upside, 25,600 stands as the first resistance, acting as a prior support-turned-hurdle that needs to be reclaimed for stabilization. Further higher, the 25,700 – 25,800 zone will require a sustained breakout to restore near-term positivity, said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.

The RSI around 45–46 is flattening, indicating a lack of strong momentum and reinforcing a range-bound bias. Selective dip-buying may emerge near key supports if volatility cools, but an elevated India VIX (around 13.46+) warrants caution against sharp intraday swings, he added.

Sumeet Bagadia recommended buying these five breakout stocks for intraday trading: SBI Card, NTPC Green, Navin Fluorine, HDFC Life, and Data Patterns (India).

Persistent Systems, Mphasis, Infosys and LTI Mindtree were the top losers in the Nifty IT pack.

Gold and silver prices on Multi Commodity Exchange of India opened higher amid safe-haven buying on rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. MCX gold rate today opened 0.18% higher at ₹1,55,105 per 10 grams level as against its previous close of ₹1,54,819 level.

MCX silver rate opened higher by ₹2,481, or 1.02%, at ₹2,43,874 per kg as against its previous close of ₹2,41,393 level.

Amidst the many crises, the strength of the Indian economy and the recovery in corporate earnings as reflected in Q3 numbers, are positives for the market. If, hopefully, the US-Iran standoff gets resolved in the coming days, the market will bounce back. Therefore, investors may wait and watch the unfolding developments in West Asia. Meanwhile, investors who are optimistic about a possible deal can use the current weakness in the market to buy fairly valued high quality stocks in banking and financials, autos, pharmaceuticals, hotels, leading capital goods and telecom. Crisis have proved to be buying opportunities, in hindsight, said Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments.

Novartis India share price jumped nearly 18% after its promoter Novartis AG entered into an agreement for the sale of its 70.68% stake in the Indian subsidiary, Novartis India, to WaveRise Investments, ChrysCapital Fund X, and Two Infinity Partners. Novartis India share price rallied as much as 17.7% to ₹977.95 apiece on the BSE.

Bharat Electronics, Larsen & Toubro, Power Grid Corporation of India, NTPC and Titan Company were the top gainers on Sensex.

Infosys, Kwality Wall’s India, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies and UltraTech Cement were the top losers on Nifty 50, while ONGC, Eicher Motors, Titan Company, Hindalco Industries and Power Grid Corporation of India were the top index gainers.

The Indian stock market opened marginally lower on Friday, extending losses from previous session’s crash, amid cautious investor sentiment over escalating US-Iran tensions.

The Sensex opened 225.65 points, or 0.27%, lower at 82,272.49, while the Nifty 50 opened 47.80 points, or 0.19%, lower at 25,406.55. Bank Nifty fell 111.70 points, or 0.18%, to open at 60,627.85.

The Indian rupee opened 27 paise weaker at 90.94 against the US dollar versus its previous close of 90.67 level.

Stock market experts — Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director at Choice Broking; Ganesh Dongre, Senior Manager of Technical Research at Anand Rathi; and Shiju Koothupalakkal, Senior Manager of Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, recommended these seven intraday stocks for today: UPL, Biocon, HDFC Life, Fortis Healthcare, Tata Technologies, Samman Capital, and MM Forging.

Chandan Taparia has recommended two stocks to buy today, 20 February 2026, and one stock to sell. Taparia recommends buying Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and RBL Bank shares. On the other hand, he recommends selling Info Edge (India) stock futures.

Crude oil prices steadied near a six-month high on mounting fears of a military conflict between the United States and Iran. Brent crude oil price rose 1.86% to $71.66 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 0.11% to $66.50.

Gift Nifty, US-Iran tensions, crude oil prices to gold rates - Read 10 key things that changed for the market overnight.

Nifty index formed a sizable bearish candle on the daily chart and slipped below the lower boundary of the 25,500 – 26,000 consolidation range, indicating a decisive loss of short-term momentum. What to expect from the Nifty 50 and Bank Nifty in trade today?

Gold prices edged lower as the dollar firmed to a near one-month high. Spot gold price fell 0.1% to $4,995.91 per ounce, while US gold futures for April delivery were up 0.3% at $5,013.60. Spot silver price eased 0.1% to $78.29 per ounce.

US stock market ended lower on Thursday, weighed down by losses in private equity companies and weakness in Walmart and Apple shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.54% to 49,395.16, while the S&P 500 declined 0.28% to end the session at 6,861.89. The Nasdaq closed 0.31% lower at 22,682.73.

Asian markets traded mixed on Friday, following overnight losses on Wall Street indexes and rising Iran-US tensions. Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 1.04%, while the Topix fell 1.12%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.66%, but the Kosdaq dropped 0.19%. Markets on mainland China and Hong Kong are closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Indian stock market ended sharply lower on Thursday, snapping its three-day winning streak, amid cautious global cues. The Sensex crashed 1,236.11 points, or 1.48%, to close at 82,498.14, while the Nifty 50 settled 365.00 points, or 1.41%, lower at 25,454.35.

The trends on Gift Nifty also signal a muted start for the frontline indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex today. Gift Nifty was trading around 25,430 level, a discount of nearly 16 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close.

The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open on a tepid note on Friday, 20 February, as investor sentiment remains cautious globally amid rising fears of military conflicts between US and Iran.

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