Market Update: Power Grid Soars, Kwality Wall's Declines on February 16

On February 16, 2026, the Indian stock market experienced positive momentum, with the SENSEX rising by 650 points, a 0.79% increase, to close at 83,277.15. The NIFTY50 Index also saw gains, climbing 211.65 points or 0.83%, finishing at 25,682.75. Additionally, the NIFTY Midcap 100 index rose 0.48%, adding 285 points to reach 59,723.

Power Grid Corporation of India was a notable contributor to the NIFTY50, registering a rise of 4.74%. Other significant gainers included Coal India, which increased by 3.26%, HDFC Bank with a 2.39% rise, Adani Enterprises at 2.09%, and Max Healthcare Institute, which gained 2.03%.

Conversely, Kwality Wall's Industries, the ice cream brand owned by Hindustan Unilever, saw a challenging market entry. The stock debuted on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) at a 25.87% discount, trading at ₹29.80 compared to its adjusted price of ₹40.20. On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), it opened at ₹29.90, reflecting a 21.6% discount from the adjusted price of ₹38.15.

Additional notable losers included Tech Mahindra, which fell by 1.34%, Bajaj Finance down 1.15%, Maruti Suzuki India reduced by 1.14%, and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, which dipped 0.91%.

The NIFTY Midcap 100 movement was buoyed by GMR Airports, which soared by 6.99% after it announced profitability for the December FY26 quarter, posting a net profit of ₹50 crore compared to a previous loss of ₹133 crore.

In contrast, shares of BSE Ltd faced a decline of 7.45% as a response to new regulatory measures introduced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). These rules target capital market intermediaries, tightening restrictions on loans used for proprietary trading, which is a system where financial institutions trade their capital rather than clients'. According to the RBI, all lending must be backed by collateral, and speculative trading practices are being curtailed.

Furthermore, IRB Infrastructure Developers saw a considerable decrease of 4.11% after reporting a staggering 96.5% year-on-year drop in consolidated profits for Q3 FY26, amounting to ₹210.71 crore. This decline is attributed to the new labour code, which increased provisions for employee benefits significantly.

The NSE’s small-cap index, the NIFTY Smallcap 100, ended at 17,050.90, marking a modest gain of 18 points or 0.11%. Among the small-cap winners, Natco Pharma surged 6.57%, followed by BLS International Services and Signatureglobal at 6.20% and 5.43%, respectively.

Top losers in this segment included Brainbees Solutions, plunging 11.25%, and Ola Electric Mobility falling 6.77%. This volatile trading day is a reflection of the ongoing adjustments in the Indian financial markets, as institutions react to both market trends and regulatory changes.