The Indian rupee maintained a steady stance on Friday, February 13, 2026, as the **USD/INR** exchange rate hovered near **90.65**. The currency faced a tug-of-war between high interbank dollar demand and strategic defense from the Reserve Bank of India. Market participants noted that the central bank likely utilized state-run banks to sell dollars, preventing the rupee from slipping past the psychological **90.75** level. Equity Market Turbulence Domestic sentiment was dampened by a significant sell-off in the technology sector. The **BSE Sensex** crashed by **883 points**, or **1.05%**, to settle near **82,791**. The **NSE Nifty 50** followed suit, dropping **262 points** to **25,544**. Heavy selling was triggered by the "Anthropic shock," as new developments in artificial intelligence raised concerns over the long-term viability of traditional IT outsourcing models. Major laggards included industry heavyweights like Infosys and TCS, which bore the brunt of the **5.5%** slide in the IT index. Economic Indicators and Inflation Fresh data released this week showed India’s retail inflation rising to **2.75%** in January 2026. This figure, calculated under the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series with a **2024 base year**, remains well within the central bank’s target range of **2% to 4%**. Despite this uptick, the Reserve Bank of India recently maintained the repo rate at **5.25%**, signaling a neutral stance for the foreseeable future. Commodities and Global Context Gold prices saw a modest recovery of **0.97%**, trading near **₹154,324** per 10 grams on the MCX. The metal's volatility is being driven by shifting expectations regarding US Federal Reserve interest rates and safe-haven demand stemming from US-Iran geopolitical tensions. Meanwhile, global oil prices remained relatively soft, with **Brent crude** trading at **$67.41** per barrel, providing a slight cushion against India's widening trade deficit. Outlook Traders expect the rupee to remain range-bound between **90.40** and **90.80** in the near term. Stabilizing factors include a revival in Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) inflows, which recently turned net positive after a period of sustained selling. However, continued volatility in global tech stocks and the evolving AI landscape are expected to keep pressure on local equity indices and the currency's immediate upside.