BENGALURU: Information technology companies led Indian shares higher on Thursday, in line with Asian peers, after softer US data boosted hopes for a rate cut in September.
The NSE Nifty 50 was up 0.42% at 24,389.2 points, while the S&P BSE Sensex added 0.46% to 80,359.19 points, hitting record highs, as of 9:53 a.m. IST.
Asian shares rose on renewed bets that the Federal Reserve could begin cutting rates in September following soft labour data in the world’s largest economy.
Higher Fed rate makes emerging markets equities unattractive for foreign investors as elevated US bond yields offer safety over riskier assets.
“The economic data from the US is likely to give the Fed enough comfort to begin lowering the interest rate in the last quarter of the year,” said Ajit Banerjee, chief investment officer at Shriram Life Insurance.
HDFC Bank leads Indian shares to record closing highs
The sentiment in Indian markets continues to remain bullish, but the key trigger for the rally to sustain will be the national budget later in the month, besides earnings, Banerjee added.
Nine of the 13 major sectors in India logged gains. US rate-sensitive IT stocks rose 1.3%, with all 10 constituents of the index advancing.
IT companies, which earn a significant share of their revenue from the US, stand to benefit from an early rate cut, according to analysts.
Drug maker Lupin jumped 2.8% after Kotak Institutional Equities double-upgraded the stock to “add” from “sell”, citing a robust earnings outlook. Private lender ICICI Bank rose 2% on block deals.
Non-bank lender L&T Finance rose about 3% after strong loan growth and disbursal numbers in the June quarter.
Real estate developer Brigade Enterprises rose 4% after signing a joint development deal for a residential project in Bengaluru worth about 11 billion rupees (about $132 million).
Suryoday Small Finance Bank jumped 3.4% after reporting 42% rise in gross advances in the June quarter.
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