The Pentagon included major Chinese companies such as Alibaba and Baidu in a military support list, prompting a stock sell-off. The list was later withdrawn, allowing shares to slightly recover.

Indian equities snapped their winning streak as a global technology sell-off, mixed earnings commentary and profit booking weighed on benchmarks. Sectoral rotation intensified, with IT sliding sharply while consumption and select financials offering pockets of resilience.

Precious metals are benefiting from softer US inflation data, prompting expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts. The April futures contract on Comex rebounded $81 per troy ounce to reach the day's high of $5,029.

The Sebi move seeks to remove the one-day lag that can misalign price bands with prevailing market conditions, particularly during periods of volatility.

Bhatia Communications & Retail has set February 20 as the record date for a third interim dividend of Re 0.01 per equity share for FY 2025–26. Investors must own shares before this date to qualify. The company reported improved revenue and net profit for the December quarter.