Stock market recommendations: Arvind, and Bajaj Finance are the top stock picks by Sudeep Shah, Head – Technical Research and Derivatives, SBI Securities for the week starting February 16, 2026. He also shares his views and outlook on Nifty, Bank Nifty:Index View: NiftyLast week, the Nifty once again struggled to hold above the psychologically important 26000 mark, triggering a fresh wave of profit booking. After briefly touching 26009, the index slipped nearly 550 points in the final two sessions alone—a swift reversal that clearly reflects supply pressure at higher levels. While the headline decline may appear routine, the forces driving this correction point to deeper shifts beneath the surface.A major drag came from the Nifty IT index, which suffered a steep 8% weekly fall and is now down more than 14% month-to-date, making it one of the sharpest sectoral losers in recent months. The sell-off has been aggravated by growing concerns over the rapid rise of AIled start-ups, which investors increasingly view as structurally disruptive to traditional IT services. The speed and extent of the decline suggest this may not just be a short-lived pullback, raising the critical question of whether the sector has fully priced in the evolving risks.Technically, the IT space continues to flash strong warning signals. Every key constituent of the Nifty IT index is now trading below its major moving averages, all of which are trending firmly downward. Momentum indicators remain deeply bearish, with no signs of stabilization or reversal. In this environment, bottomfishing attempts could prove premature unless charts begin to show a meaningful shift.Turning back to the broader Nifty, the index has slipped below its 20day, 50day, and 100day EMAs, reflecting clear deterioration in both short and medium term trend strength. Notably, the 20day and 50day EMAs have also begun to slope downward—an early yet powerful indication of weakening momentum. The daily RSI’s failure to reclaim the 60 level during the recent pullback, followed by a dip below its 9day average, suggests that upside potential may remain restricted for now.Looking ahead, the 25350–25300 zone is expected to act as immediate support. A decisive break below 25300 could pave the way for a deeper slide toward 25100, and subsequently the key 24900 level. On the upside, the 50day EMA zone at 25650–25700 now stands as a stiff barrier and will need to be cleared for the index to regain any meaningful momentum.Bank Nifty ViewThe Bank Nifty outperformed the frontline indices last week, ending the week on a flat note despite heightened volatility in the broader market. For most of the week, the index remained stuck in a narrow 431point range, signalling a clear phase of consolidation. This stability, however, broke on Friday as the index slipped into a range breakdown, indicating the first signs of weakness after several sessions of subdued price action.Despite Friday’s dip, Bank Nifty continues to hold above all its major moving averages, which remain in an upward trajectory—underscoring that the broader trend structure is still intact. However, momentum indicators and oscillators are pointing towards a sideways-to-neutral bias, suggesting that the index may continue to consolidate before any meaningful directional move emerges.In the days ahead, the 20day EMA zone of 60000–59900 will act as immediate support. A sustained breakdown below 59900 could open the gates for further decline towards the 50day EMA, currently placed near 59467. On the upside, the 60600–60700 zone remains a critical resistance area, and only a decisive close above this band may set the stage for a fresh upward move.

Stock recommendations:

ArvindArvind has delivered a downward sloping trendline breakout on the weekly chart, backed by strong follow-through price action and rising volumes, which adds credibility to the move. Weekly RSI has jumped from 43 to 65, signalling a sharp improvement in bullish momentum and a shift toward strength territory. ADX is rising steadily, indicating that trend strength is expanding on the upside. Rising MACD histogram bars further show increasing positive momentum and growing bullish control. Overall, the price structure and indicator alignment suggest the stock is well positioned to extend its up move in the coming sessions. Hence, we recommend to accumulate the stock in the zone of 386-383 with a stoploss of 370. On the upside, it is likely to test the level of 420 in the short term. Bajaj FinanceBajaj Finance has broken out above a downward sloping trendline on the daily chart, pointing to a potential shift from correction to fresh uptrend. On the weekly chart, a three outside up candle pattern is visible, where a strong bullish candle fully engulfs the prior bearish candle and is followed by further upside, a classic bullish reversal structure. RSI has surged from 39 to 56 in three sessions, reflecting sharp momentum recovery. In ADX, DI+ crossing above DI− shows bullish directional strength is building. Meanwhile, shrinking red MACD histogram bars indicate that downside momentum is fading and buyers are gradually taking control. Hence, we recommend to accumulate the stock in the zone of 1025-1035 with a stoploss of 1000. On the upside, it is likely to test the level of 1100 in the short term.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

Last Updated:February 16, 2026, 08:24 IST

Sam Altman announces Peter Steinberger, creator of OpenClaw, will join OpenAI to advance personal agents. OpenClaw will remain open source.

Peter Steinberger Joins OpenAI as Personal AI Agents Become Core Focus

OpenAI founder Sam Altman has announced that Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, will be joining the AI research firm to drive the “next generation of personal agents”. Altman called Steinberger a ‘genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people’.

Altman in the X post said that the company is expecting to make personal agents core to their product offerings.

OpenClaw aka Moltbot- the open-source autonomous AI bots that can perform various tasks on a local device while also connecting with a language model – has gone viral recently. Earlier, it was known as Clawdbot.

OpenClaw is designed to perform real-world tasks on behalf of users, such as managing calendars, messaging, browsing and other actions that go beyond simple chatbot responses.

Altman said that OpenAI will continue to support OpenClaw as an open source project. ” The future is going to be extremely multi-agent and it’s important to us to support open source as part of that,” Altman added.

Screenshots of AI bots interacting to each other have gone viral recently on social platform, attracting eyeballs and raising doubts over the dystopian future.

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YouTube sensations The Sidemen have unveiled ambitious plans to expand their Sides fried chicken chain with 15 more restaurants this year.

The brand said it plans to commit further to the UK after witnessing “incredible momentum” and open sites in new international markets.

The YouTube collective consists of Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji (KSI), Harry Lewis (Wroetoshaw), Simon Minter (Miniminter), Vik Barn (Vikkstar123), Josh Bradley (Zerkaa), Ethan Payne (Behzinga) and Tobi Brown (TBJZL), and has 22 million subscribers.

They launched the brand in 2021 in partnership with Scottish-based food franchise firm Hero Brands.

Sides has since expanded to five restaurants across the UK, in Essex, Manchester, London, Kent and Birmingham, and launched its first international site in Singapore last year.

It plans to rapidly grow with a raft of new openings, including “significantly” increasing its footprint across the UK.

The hot chicken specialist said it is planning to open new restaurants across Scotland, as well as in Cardiff and Liverpool.

Sides also revealed plans to grow further in Asia and the Middle East with new openings in India, Malaysia, Singapore and the UAE.

It is among a raft of chicken brands seeking to expand across the UK, with the likes of Popeyes, Wingstop and Dave’s Hot Chicken all recently laying out plans for further openings.

Aaron Moore-Saxton, managing director at Sides, said: “This is all about doubling down on growth for Sides during 2026.

“We’re seeing incredible momentum in the UK and rising demand internationally, and that gives us real confidence in the next phase of our journey as we open new sites in Glasgow, Wales and Liverpool.

“Our expansion into India, Malaysia and the UAE is a further evolution for the brand, while our continued investment in the UK remains central to our strategy.”

In a joint statement, the Sidemen said: “We are seriously hyped to take this next step and bring even more people into our Sides journey.

“For us, it’s always been about bold flavours and great food, good energy and sharing moments that go way beyond and this is honestly just the start. We can’t wait to take you all along for what’s next.”