Post-Market Report: Dalal Street Bleeds as AI Fears and Global Cues Trigger 1,000-Point Sensex Crash
Published: 2026-02-13 17:00 IST | Category: Markets | Author: Abhi
Market Performance Today
The Indian equity markets faced a "Friday the 13th" bloodbath as bears took full control of the trading floor. The BSE Sensex plummeted 1,048.16 points, or 1.25%, to settle at 82,626.76. Similarly, the NSE Nifty 50 tanked 336.10 points, or 1.30%, to close the session at 25,471.10. The sharp decline wiped out approximately ₹7.4 lakh crore in investor wealth, reflecting widespread panic across the board.
Top Movers (Sectors and Stocks)
The sell-off was broad-based, with almost all sectoral indices ending in the red. The Nifty Metal and Nifty IT indices were among the hardest hit, with the metal index leading the losses.
Top Gainers:
- Bajaj Finance (up 2.57%)
- Eicher Motors (up 1.49%)
- SBI Life Insurance (up 0.39%)
- HDFC Bank (up 0.39%)
- Bharti Airtel (up 0.27%)
Top Losers:
- Muthoot Finance (down 11.82%)
- Hindalco Industries (down 5.74%)
- Hindustan Unilever (HUL) (down 4.34%)
- Eternal (down 4.30%)
- Adani Enterprises (down 3.90%)
- Tata Steel (down 2.50%)
Key Drivers of Today's Market
Several factors converged to trigger the sharp correction in the domestic market:
- AI Disruption Fears: The IT sector faced a second consecutive day of intense selling following the launch of a new enterprise-focused AI tool by U.S. startup Anthropic. The tool's ability to automate complex corporate tasks raised structural concerns regarding the long-term business models of Indian IT giants.
- Global Tech Rout: Weakness in Wall Street, particularly the tech-heavy Nasdaq which fell over 2% overnight, weighed heavily on domestic sentiment. Repricing of AI valuations globally led to a sharp correction in SaaS and technology stocks.
- US Rate Cut Uncertainty: Stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data has dampened hopes of a near-term interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, leading to a stronger U.S. dollar and putting pressure on emerging market equities and commodities.
- Metal Price Weakness: A strengthening dollar led to a slump in global commodity prices, causing heavy selling in metal heavyweights like Hindalco and Tata Steel.
- Leverage Unwinding: Analysts noted that the fall was exacerbated by the unwinding of leverage trades by retail investors who had built significant positions in the F&O and cash segments.
Broader Market Performance
The carnage was even more pronounced in the broader markets, where midcap and smallcap stocks faced severe selling pressure.
- The Nifty Midcap 100 index fell 1.71%, closing at 58,432.
- The Nifty Smallcap 100 index dropped 1.79%, reflecting a total lack of buying support in the second half of the session.
- India VIX, the market's volatility gauge, surged by over 15%, indicating heightened anxiety among market participants as they head into the weekend.
TAGS: Post-Market, Stock Market, Nifty, Sensex, Market Analysis
Tags: Post-Market Stock Market Nifty Sensex Market Analysis