India’s Nifty IT Index (.NIFTYIT) rose 0.5% in Friday morning trade, extending its recent recovery as global cues turned favourable for technology exporters. The uptick comes amid renewed optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve could pivot towards interest rate cuts sooner than expected, fol...
India’s Nifty IT Index (.NIFTYIT) rose 0.5% in Friday morning trade, extending its recent recovery as global cues turned favourable for technology exporters. The uptick comes amid renewed optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve could pivot towards interest rate cuts sooner than expected, following softer U.S. inflation data and signs of cooling labour markets.
Market Snapshot
Nifty IT Index: +0.5% at ~35,920 points (intraday)
Top Gainers: Infosys, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Top Laggards: Persistent Systems, Coforge (marginal declines)
Nifty 50: +0.4% at ~24,720 points
Sensex: +0.45% at ~78,860 points
What’s Driving the Rally
1. Global Macro Tailwinds
The U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index — the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — came in softer than expected, fuelling bets that rate cuts could arrive as early as December 2025. Lower U.S. rates typically weaken the dollar, which can boost the rupee value of IT companies’ overseas earnings.
2. Stronger Demand Outlook in Key Markets
Analysts note that despite macro uncertainties, deal pipelines for large-cap Indian IT firms remain healthy, particularly in cloud migration, AI integration, and cybersecurity services. U.S. and European clients are showing signs of resuming discretionary IT spending after a year of budget caution.
3. Bargain Buying After Recent Weakness
The Nifty IT Index had underperformed the broader market in August, weighed down by concerns over delayed client decision-making and margin pressures. The recent pullback has attracted value buyers, especially in frontline names like Infosys and TCS, which are trading at a discount to their 5-year average forward P/E multiples.
Stock Movers
Infosys: Up ~1.2% after reports of a multi-year digital transformation deal with a European banking major.
HCL Technologies: Gained ~1% on optimism over its engineering R&D services pipeline.
TCS: Rose ~0.9% as investors positioned ahead of its Q2 earnings, with expectations of stable margins.
Wipro: Flat, with traders awaiting clarity on its turnaround strategy in key verticals.
Persistent Systems & Coforge: Slightly lower on profit-taking after recent rallies.
Sector Context
The Nifty IT Index tracks the performance of 10 major IT companies listed on the NSE, including Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, LTIMindtree, Mphasis, Oracle Financial Services Software, Persistent Systems, and Coforge.
The sector is heavily export-oriented, with over 60% of revenues coming from North America. As a result, it is highly sensitive to global economic trends, currency movements, and technology spending cycles in developed markets.
Macro Backdrop
India’s Q1 FY26 GDP growth came in at 7.8%, beating expectations and signalling robust domestic demand. While IT services are less dependent on domestic consumption, strong macro fundamentals help maintain investor confidence in the broader equity market.
The rupee was trading near ₹88.20 per U.S. dollar, close to record lows, which can be a double-edged sword for IT exporters — boosting rupee revenues but also raising imported input costs.
Analyst View
Market veteran Madhusudhan Kela noted that recent GST reforms and government efforts to boost liquidity could indirectly benefit IT by supporting overall economic sentiment. Brokerage houses remain selectively bullish on large-cap IT, citing resilient order books and potential margin recovery in FY27.
However, analysts caution that wage inflation, competitive pricing, and geopolitical uncertainties — including U.S. tariff policies — remain key risks.
Outlook
If global rate cut expectations solidify and client spending picks up in the December quarter, the Nifty IT Index could see further upside. Near-term resistance is pegged at 36,200, with support around 35,400.
Investors are advised to watch for:
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U.S. macro data releases (CPI, jobs report)
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Q2 FY26 earnings commentary from IT majors
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Currency trends and hedging strategies disclosed by companies
Sources: MSN, 5paisa, India Market Outlook