Indian equity benchmarks continued to trade under pressure in the afternoon session on Thursday, February 5, 2026, with the Nifty 50 extending its losses amid persistent selling across sectors. Despite strength in a few select large-cap stocks, the broader market sentiment remained weak, reflecting cautious investor positioning and profit-booking at higher levels.
At around 12:56 IST, the Nifty 50 was trading at 25,613.75, down 163.35 points or 0.63%. The index had opened at 25,755.90, touched an intraday high of 25,757.65, and slipped to a low of 25,603.75, indicating sustained selling pressure through the session.
Other key indices also mirrored the weakness:
Nifty Next 50 fell 0.92% to 68,663.20
Nifty Financial Services declined 0.57% to 27,643.85
Nifty Bank dropped 0.43% to 59,977.55
The broader trend suggests a cautious and risk-averse mood prevailing across the market.
Top Gainers: Trent Leads, Select Stocks Show Resilience
Even as the benchmarks stayed in negative territory, a handful of stocks managed to post notable gains:
Trent surged 1.94% to ₹4,090.50, emerging as the top gainer with strong trading interest and volumes.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories rose 0.69% to ₹1,248.80, offering some support to the pharma space.
State Bank of India (SBI) advanced 0.59% to ₹1,074.50, reflecting relative stability in select banking stocks.
Sun Pharma gained 0.56% to ₹1,702.90, continuing mild positive momentum in pharmaceuticals.
Jio Financial Services edged up 0.50% to ₹269.35, backed by heavy trading volumes.
These gains, however, remained stock-specific and were insufficient to lift overall market sentiment.
Top Losers: Metals, Consumer and Defence Stocks Under Pressure
On the downside, selling pressure was visible across multiple sectors:
Hindalco declined 3.09% to ₹935.15, leading the losers amid weakness in metal stocks.
Eternal slipped 2.86% to ₹285.75, witnessing heavy volumes and sustained selling.
IndiGo fell 1.84% to ₹4,869.50, indicating continued pressure in aviation stocks.
Bharat Electronics (BEL) dropped 1.82% to ₹431.20, dragging the defence segment lower.
Titan eased 1.76% to ₹4,071.20, reflecting profit-booking in consumer discretionary names.
The breadth of declines suggests that the market weakness is not limited to a single sector.
Market Sentiment and Near-Term Outlook
The continued fall in benchmarks points to a cautious stance by investors, likely driven by a mix of global cues, valuation concerns, and near-term uncertainty. While selective buying is visible in pockets such as retail, pharma, and financials, the overall tone remains defensive.
Traders are expected to stay selective and reactive to news flow, while investors may prefer to wait for clearer signals before committing fresh capital. Volatility could remain elevated for the rest of the session.
Conclusion: February 5, 2026
The midday trade shows the Nifty 50 extending its losses, with broad-based selling outweighing gains in a few resilient stocks. Until stronger cues emerge, the market is likely to remain range-bound with a negative bias, keeping investor sentiment cautious in the near term.