HOME > MARKETS > MARKET COMMENTARY
  MARKET COMMENTARY
EQUITY
Benchmarks likely to make cautious start ahead of India’s CPI data
Feb-12-2026

Indian equity markets are likely to make cautious start on Thursday tracking mixed global cues. Traders likely to adopt cautions approach ahead of the release of the India’s consumer price inflation (CPI) data later in day. However, continued Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) buying may offer some support during the day. On February 11, FIIs were net buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 943.81 crore.

Some of the key factors to be watched:

Direct tax collection up 9.4% to Rs 19.44 lakh crore: Data released by the Income Tax Department showed that net direct tax collection grew 9.4 per cent to about Rs 19.44 lakh crore in the current fiscal till February 10 on slower refunds and higher corporate tax mop-up.

Piyush Goyal urges exporters to use FTAs: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal urged exporters to take full advantage of the series of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed with developed countries to boost exports of goods and services.

Commerce secretary to meet WTO Chief in Geneva: Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal will meet the chief of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva this week ahead of the ministerial meeting of the multi-lateral body next month in Cameroon. 

RBI curbs bank mis-selling with incentive ban: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed that banks should refrain from placing any incentives which may lead to mis-selling of any product or service.

Insurance stocks will be in focus: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Commerce and Industry Ministry has notified 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector following the enactment of legislation in this regard.

On the global front: The US markets ended in red on Wednesday even after Labor Department said that non-farm payroll employment jumped by 130,000 jobs in January after rising by a downwardly revised 48,000 jobs in December. Asian markets are trading mostly in green on Thursday despite the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. 

Back home, Indian equity benchmarks ended on a flat note in a choppy session on Wednesday as gains in Healthcare and Auto shares were offset by losses in IT stocks. Investors were cautious ahead of January domestic inflation data, scheduled to be released tomorrow, that could signal the RBI's next move on interest rates. Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 40.28 points or 0.05% to 84,233.64 and the CNX Nifty was up by 18.70 points or 0.07% to 25,953.85.

Some of the important factors in trade: 

Unemployment declines marginally to 6.7% in October-December 2025: The National Statistics Office (NSO) in its quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) has showed that the rate of unemployment among persons aged 15 years and above in cities declined marginally to 6.7 per cent in October-December 2025 from 6.9 per cent in the previous quarter. 

India-EU agreement 'truly mother of all deals': Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has said that the recent conclusion of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the 27-nation European Union (EU) is 'truly a mother of all deals' as it covers together nearly one-fourth of the global economy. 

India reducing reliance on Russian oil, diversifies energy sources: United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer said that India has already started winding down its purchases of Russian oil, while stepping up its energy imports from America and other sources.

  RELATED NEWS >>