Pre Market: India Markets Watch Global Cues, AI Partnerships, and Q3 Results

Pre Market: India Markets Watch Global Cues, AI Partnerships, and Q3 Results

1. GLOBAL MARKET SUMMARY

US Market Overnight:

• S&P 500 futures declined 0.32%
• Nasdaq 100 futures retreated 0.80%
• Dow Jones futures were lower by 0.13%

European Markets:

• FTSE (UK): Sterling fell as UK unemployment hit highest rate in five years
• European markets closed lower on February 17

Asian Markets:

• Nikkei 225: Rose nearly 1% as Japan’s exports growth surged to over 3-year high, up nearly 17% in January
• Hang Seng: Closed for Lunar New Year holiday
• Shanghai Composite: Closed for Lunar New Year holiday
• KOSPI: Available markets showed thin trading

2. KEY HEADLINES & EVENTS (Last 16-17 hours)

Government Announcements (India)

Union Budget 2026-27

• Budget signals strategic shift with launch of India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0, backed by semiconductor value chain focus

Regulatory Decisions

• Supreme Court allowed Aakash Educational Services to proceed with its rights issue, fundraising move challenged by Byju’s bankrupt parent company Think & Learn. Court asked Think & Learn to subscribe to shares by next Monday.

RBI Actions

• RBI’s new lending rules could pressure exchanges and capital market stocks, according to Jefferies analysis

Company Results & Announcements (India)

Infosys Partnership

• Infosys shares surged 3-4% on partnership with Anthropic. CEO Salil Parekh unveiled AI playbook. Nifty IT Index rebounded 2%.

Asian Paints Q3 Results

• Stock dropped after weak December quarter. Softening demand, extended monsoon, and competition impacted sentiment. Company expects market share gains in waterproofing and home decor. Brokerages trimmed earnings estimates.

Ola Electric Q3 Results

• Shares crashed to a lifetime low of ₹27.36 following disappointing Q3FY26 results and broker downgrades

Board Appointments

• Kotak Mahindra Bank appointed Ramesh Iyer as additional and independent director effective February 17, 2026. Dr. Ashok Gulati will retire as independent director on March 5, 2026.
• DCB Bank approved Suhail Nathani’s appointment as independent director effective February 18, 2026.

M&A & Strategic Moves

• Muthoot Microfin exploring inorganic growth by acquiring majority stake in two non-banking financial companies to expand micro loan against property business, diversifying portfolio following RBI policy changes

Other Company News

• One97 Communications among 5 stocks flashing bullish signals, hinting at possible uptrend based on “White Marubozu” technical pattern
• Adani Power among 5 NSE large-cap stocks showing bullish RSI upswing
• GIFT Nifty up 45 points
• 13 stocks crossed above their 200 DMAs in Nifty500 pack

Global News & Events

AI Impact on Markets

• US tech stocks fell on AI-led concerns. Cognizant, Accenture, and Wipro ADRs affected. Indian IT stocks likely to follow.
• Asia stock markets tracked losses on Wall Street as AI fears hit sentiment
• Tiger Global, Adage Capital trimmed stakes in AI heavyweights in Q4

Japan Trade Data

• Japan exports growth surges to over 3-year high, up nearly 17% in January, as shipments to China soar

UK Economy

• Sterling falls as UK unemployment hits highest rate in five years

Commodity Markets

• Gold rose over 2% as soft inflation data rekindles Fed rate-cut hopes
• Silver futures crashed 4.5% while MCX gold slipped 1% on February 17, 2026

IPO Developments

• Rs 53,000 crore worth of IPO shares unlock by March 30, with Urban Company and GK Energy seeing major equity unlocks
• NSE IPO clears key legal hurdle as court dismisses challenge

Stock Performance

• Amazon snapped 9-day losing streak during which it lost more than $450 billion in value

Corporate Actions

• Third Point opened positions in Spotify and Chipotle, doubled stake in train stock Union Pacific
• Ackman’s Pershing Square bet big on Amazon in fourth quarter
• David Tepper adds to big Micron position, gets bullish on Korean stocks

3. WHAT TO WATCH TODAY

Scheduled Earnings Releases

• Q3 earnings season continues. Companies reporting results today include:

Scheduled Corporate Events

• Board meetings scheduled for various companies (check specific company announcements)
• AGMs and board meetings may be announced throughout the day

Expected Economic Data Releases

• No major Indian economic data releases scheduled for today
• US markets to react to ongoing AI concerns and earnings results

Government/Regulatory Events

• Monitor RBI policy developments on lending norms
• Track semiconductor mission progress post-Budget announcements

4. SUMMARY

Today’s Indian market session opens amid mixed global cues, with US indices showing weakness driven by AI-related concerns while Japan’s exports surge. Asian markets displayed thin trading with several key markets closed for Lunar New Year holidays. Domestically, the Union Budget’s focus on India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 signals strategic policy direction. Corporate news is dominated by Infosys’s AI partnership with Anthropic, which drove positive sentiment in IT stocks, while Ola Electric and Asian Paints faced pressure following weak Q3 results. RBI’s new lending norms and significant IPO lock-in expirations worth ₹53,000 crore by March 30 present additional market dynamics to monitor. Gold prices rose on soft inflation data while silver experienced sharp declines.

Details for information purposes only. Don’t treat this as financial advice.