Domestic equity markets opened lower on Monday, extending the weakness seen in the previous session as investors adopted a cautious stance in early trade.
On February 16, 2026, the BSE Sensex opened 146.36 points lower at 82,480.40, marking a decline of approximately 0.18 percent. The NSE Nifty 50 also began the session in negative territory, falling 47.50 points to open at 25,423.60, a decline of about 0.19 percent.
The subdued opening followed a sharp decline in the previous trading session. On Friday, the Sensex had closed more than 1,048 points lower at 82,626.76, while the Nifty ended 336 points down at 25,471.10.
At the opening bell on Monday, 15 of the 30 Sensex constituents traded in positive territory, while the remaining 15 opened lower, indicating the absence of a clear directional trend in early trade.
In the Nifty 50 index, 16 of the 50 constituents opened higher, while 34 stocks began the session in the red, reflecting broader selling pressure across sectors.
Among Sensex constituents, Tata Consultancy Services opened approximately 1.03 percent higher, emerging as the top gainer in early trade. In contrast, Adani Ports opened about 1.07 percent lower, marking the steepest decline among index stocks at the start of the session.
Other Sensex stocks that opened with gains included Power Grid Corporation of India, up 0.71 percent; HCL Technologies, up 0.57 percent; ITC, up 0.30 percent; NTPC, up 0.29 percent; and Bajaj Finserv, up 0.27 percent. Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, InterGlobe Aviation, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finance, and Reliance Industries also opened in positive territory.
On the downside, ICICI Bank opened approximately 0.94 percent lower. Infosys, Bharat Electronics, UltraTech Cement, Tata Steel, and Mahindra & Mahindra each declined by more than half a percent at the open. State Bank of India, Titan Company, Larsen & Toubro, Axis Bank, Maruti Suzuki India, Trent, Bharti Airtel, and Eternal also traded lower in early deals.
