Indian equity benchmarks made flat-to-positive start on Tuesday tracking strong global cues and fall in crude oil prices overnight. Soon, markets gained some traction and were trading higher with decent gains in early deals on account of healthy buying in auto, telecom and metal stocks. Some support came as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) showed that overall unemployment among persons aged 15 years and above fell marginally to 4.9 per cent in February from 5 per cent in January this year. Traders took note of the Commerce Ministry’s statement that India has inked terms of reference with the Philippines and the Maldives to start negotiations for free trade agreements (FTAs).

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly higher tracking overnight gains on Wall Street and as Nvidia Corp.’s upbeat outlook for artificial intelligence lifted sentiment. Back home, sugar sector stocks were in focus as the food ministry approved an additional export quota of 87,587 tonnes of sugar for the 2025-26 marketing year (October-September), following requests from sugar mills. The government had earlier permitted exports of 1.5 million tonnes for the season, and in February allocated an extra 500,000 tonnes to willing mills on a non-swappable basis.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75729.64, up by 226.79 points or 0.30% after trading in a range of 75324.73 and 75833.36. There were 18 stocks advancing against 12 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Auto up by 1.23%, Telecom up by 1.03%, Metal up by 0.75%, Consumer Discretionary up by 0.69% and Utilities up by 0.66%, while IT down by 1.65%, TECK down by 0.70%, Oil & Gas down by 0.27%, Bankex down by 0.08% and PSU down by 0.07% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Eternal up by 2.99%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 2.28%, Maruti Suzuki up by 2.20%, Tata Steel up by 2.03% and Interglobe Aviation up by 1.53%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 1.91%, TCS down by 1.60%, HCL Technologies down by 1.53%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.17% and Titan Company down by 0.66% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation in its latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) has showed that overall unemployment rate (UR) among persons aged 15 years and above fell marginally to 4.9 per cent in February from 5 per cent in January this year. The urban UR among persons aged 15 years and above declined to 6.6 per cent in February 2026 after an increase of 7.0 per cent in January 2026, it also fell below the December 2025 level (6.7%). Rural UR remained stable at 4.2 per cent in February 2026.

In February 2026, the overall UR among females aged 15 years and above declined to 5.1 per cent, compared to 5.6 per cent in January, 2026. Decline was observed in both rural and urban areas. The urban female UR decreased from 9.8 per cent in January 2026 to 8.7 per cent in February 2026, while the rural female UR declined from 4.3 per cent to 4.0 per cent during the same period. The overall male UR remained stable at 4.8 per cent in February 2026. The urban male UR decreased from 6.0 per cent in January 2026 to 5.9 per cent in February 2026, while the rural male UR inched up from 4.1 per cent to 4.2 per cent during the same period.

The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among persons of age 15 years and above remained unchanged at 55.9 per cent in February 2026. In rural areas, the LFPR stood at 58.7 per cent in February 2026. The urban LFPR was estimated at 50.4 per cent in February 2026, showing a marginal increase from 50.3 per cent recorded in January 2026. The overall female LFPR in the age group 15 years and above increased marginally from 35.1 per cent in January 2026 to 35.3 per cent in February 2026. 

The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in the age group 15 years and above remained broadly stable in both rural and urban areas in February 2026. The overall WPR was estimated at 53.2 per cent in February 2026, in comparison to 53.1 per cent in January 2026. In rural areas, WPR stood at 56.3 per cent in February, 2026. Similarly, the urban WPR observed as 47.0 per cent in February 2026, compared with 46.8 per cent in January 2026.

The all-India level, the monthly estimates are based on information collected from a total number of 3,74,879 persons surveyed. The PLFS conducted by National Statistics Office (NSO) is the primary source of data on activity participation and employment and unemployment conditions of the population. The PLFS survey methodology has been modified from January 2025 to provide monthly and quarterly estimates of labour force indicators for the country.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23484.50, up by 75.70 points or 0.32% after trading in a range of 23346.60 and 23493.20. There were 34 stocks advancing against 16 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Eternal up by 2.92%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 2.26%, Maruti Suzuki up by 2.12%, Tata Steel up by 2.11% and Interglobe Aviation up by 1.50%. On the flip side, Wipro down by 2.40%, Infosys down by 1.98%, TCS down by 1.63%, HCL Technologies down by 1.52% and Tech Mahindra down by 1.29% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Taiwan Weighted surged 473.55 points or 1.42% to 33,816.06, Hang Seng jumped 247.98 points or 0.95% to 26,082.00, Nikkei 225 rose 155.85 points or 0.29% to 53,907.00, KOSPI advanced 128.78 points or 2.32% to 5,678.63, Jakarta Composite increased 58.83 points or 0.84% to 7,081.12 and Straits Times gained 51.86 points or 1.07% to 4,920.55, while Shanghai Composite was down by 1.76 points or 0.04% to 4,083.03.