Nifty Holds Ground Above 25,700 as PSU Banks Shine and Adani Bets Big on India’s AI Future & More – Paper by Pocketful

Feb 17, 2026

Adani Enterprises (+2.67): Stock surge as management plans to invest $100 billion in AI-ready, renewable-powered hyperscale data centres across India by 2035, targets its leading role in the nation’s AI infrastructure expansion.
Cochin Shipyard (+3.82%): Shares jump as company won L1 defence contract worth ₹5,000 cr for Navy survey vessels, boosting investor sentiments.
Tata Steel (-1.33%): Stock declined mainly because metal stocks are under pressure amid a broad decline in commodity prices, especially base metals, along with weak sector sentiment dragging steel names lower.
Engineers India (-5.01%): Stock fell due to broader market weakness and profit-taking after recent strong gains, stock had rallied sharply on good Q3 results, and short-term selling pressure pushed prices lower.

PSU Bank | Nifty PSU Bank (+2.11%): Sector climbed over 2% as public sector lenders rallied, pushing the index higher for a second straight session, led by Bank of Baroda and Bank of Maharashtra. Improved sentiment, sustained buying interest, and easing volatility supported the sector’s gains.
Defence | Nifty India Defence (+1.34%): Sector rose as defence stocks rallied on optimism around strategic deals and fresh contracts, including Cochin Shipyard emerging L1 for a ₹5,000 crore Navy order and expectations of progress in India–France fighter jet talks. Strong buying pushed the sector higher, with 16 gainers and 2 losers.
Metal | Nifty Metal (-1.06%): Sector declined as commodity prices weakened, with copper falling nearly 2%, pressuring stocks like Hindustan Copper, which led losses. Profit-booking and cautious investor sentiment further weighed on the Nifty Metal index, with 12 stocks closing lower while only 2 managed gains.
Commodities | Nifty Commodities (-0.40%): Sector was down today as a broad commodity price downturn, with key raw materials like copper down about 20% from recent peaks, signaling profit-booking and possible demand-supply shifts. Gold and Silver futures also slid on weak global cues and a stronger US dollar, pressuring commodity stocks.

🔍 Market Insights

Technical Level: NIFTY 50 ended the session at 25,725.40, gaining 42.65 points or 0.17%, reflecting a mildly positive yet range-bound day. The index traded between 25,600 and 25,750 levels, showing intraday volatility but no decisive breakout. Early buying interest was met with intermittent profit booking, keeping momentum capped.
Advance-Decline Ratio: Market breadth remained positive, with 1932 advances against 1217 declines, indicating buying pressure across the broader market.
The Big Picture: Adani Group plans to invest $100 billion by 2035 to build renewable-powered, AI-ready hyperscale data centres across India, aiming to establish one of the world’s largest integrated data-centre platforms and boost its AI infrastructure ecosystem into a $250 billion market. The announcement supports India’s push into the global AI race and lifted Adani Enterprises shares on Indian markets.
FII/DII Activity (Feb 16, 2026): FIIs remained net sellers with outflows of ₹972 crore, while DIIs provided support with strong buying of ₹1667 crore.

Macro: UK’s Inflation Rate YoY (Jan) & Japan’s Balance of Trade (Jan) are scheduled to be released tomorrow
Index Watch: For tomorrow, watch whether NIFTY sustains above the 25,700 zone. A decisive move above recent intraday highs could trigger fresh momentum buying. On the downside, 25,650–25,600 remains a crucial support band. Any break below this range may invite short-term profit booking and increased volatility in early trade.

Day 2 – Types of ETFs (What role each plays + How to decide)

Not all ETFs are the same. Each one plays a different role in your portfolio.

Broad Market ETFs: These track indices like Nifty 50 or Sensex. They give you exposure to the overall market. If you want steady, long-term wealth building without complexity, this is your base.
Sector ETFs: These focus on one sector like Banking, IT, Pharma, or FMCG. If you believe a particular sector will outperform, you can allocate a small portion here. But remember- higher potential, higher volatility.
International ETFs: These invest in markets outside India, like the US. They reduce dependence on one country’s economy and currency.
Gold ETFs: These track gold prices. Useful during uncertainty or market stress. Role: Stability and hedge. How to decide? Start with one broad market ETF as your core. Then, only if needed, add small allocations to sector, international, or gold ETFs based on your goals and risk comfort.

Don’t collect ETFs like Pokémon cards. Each ETF should have a clear job in your portfolio.

📝 Word Of The Day

Passive Investing: Passive investing means investing in a market index instead of picking individual stocks. It focuses on long-term growth, low costs, minimal trading, and steady compounding rather than trying to outperform the market.

👀 Stay tuned. Stay diversified.

Until next time,

Team Pocketful.

Pocketful Paper