Stock markets trade higher in early deals on buying in IT shares, fresh foreign fund inflows

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty climbed in early trade on Thursday (February 26, 2026) led by buying in IT stocks and fresh foreign fund inflows.

A rally in the U.S. markets also helped the benchmark indices build gains during initial trading.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 303 points to 82,579.16 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up 85.1 points to 25,567.60.

From the Sensex pack, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Tech, Eternal, Tata Consultancy Services and Maruti were among the biggest gainers.

InterGlobe Aviation, UltraTech Cement, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank were among the laggards.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹2,991.64 crore on Wednesday (February 25, 2026), according to exchange data. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also bought stocks worth ₹5,118.57 crore.

“Strong buying by both FPIs (₹2,991 crore) and DIIs (₹5,118 crore) in the previous session is likely to provide added comfort to investors. Domestic fundamentals remain stable, and ongoing sectoral rotation is helping the indices absorb periodic profit-booking at higher levels,” Ponmudi R., CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 were trading in positive territory, while Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index quoted lower.

The U.S. market ended higher on Wednesday (February 25, 2026).

Brent Crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed 0.25% to $71.03 per barrel.

On Wednesday (February 25, 2026), the Sensex ended 50.15 points, or 0.06%, higher at 82,276.07. The Nifty went up by 57.85 points or 0.23% to settle at 25,482.50.