India's services sector experienced its weakest growth in four-and-a-half years in July, as new business orders, both domestic and export, eased due to intense competition and declining demand. Despite a modest rebound in job creation and improved profit margins, overall business confidence slipped, reflecting a broader slowdown in the economy.
Accenture's revised annual revenue growth forecast and weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter guidance have sent shockwaves through the Indian IT sector, causing major IT stocks and the Nifty IT index to tumble significantly.
Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) reported encouraging results for Q4FY26 with improved asset quality and earnings, but analysts maintain a cautious near-term outlook due to geopolitical tensions, monsoon risks, and specific portfolio concerns.
Several Indian real estate companies, including BPTP Ltd and Smartworld Developers, are rethinking or shelving their initial public offering (IPO) plans, which were expected to raise around 15,000 crore, due to weaker housing demand, higher costs, and a more cautious investment climate.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has maintained its benchmark policy rate at 5.25 per cent for the fourth consecutive meeting, prioritising clarity on inflation trends, particularly concerning energy costs and geopolitical developments.
Domestic passenger vehicle dispatches in India reached a record 12,73,811 units in the first quarter of FY27, marking a 25.9 per cent growth, driven by robust domestic demand despite geopolitical headwinds, according to SIAM.
Indian paint majors, including Asian Paints, Berger Paints, and Kansai Nerolac, reported better-than-expected performance in Q4FY26, driven by steady demand, improved product mix, and strategic price hikes. The sector is also benefiting from reduced competitive intensity as new players also increase prices, narrowing the gap with incumbents.
'Healthy double-digit returns are still possible, though a sharp rally is unlikely.'
India's manufacturing sector activity growth declined to a five-year low in July, with the HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) falling to 53.5 from 54.2 in June, driven by a slower rise in new business orders and challenging market conditions.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, saw early gains driven by lower crude oil prices and buying in Reliance Industries, even as the Reserve Bank of India maintained its benchmark policy rate for the fourth consecutive meeting, reinforcing confidence in the domestic economy.
Goldman Sachs has materially lowered its earnings growth forecast for Indian companies by a cumulative 9 percentage points over the next two years.
"Our endeavour is to bring headline inflation in line with the target over the medium term," said RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, addressing concerns about the central bank's policy stance and economic outlook.
A new study by The Energy & Climate Initiative Society (ENCIS) predicts that AI adoption in India's power generation sector will surge from 35% to 65% by 2030, becoming a core operational capability. The study highlights that nearly seven out of ten professionals see power generation as offering the best opportunity for efficiency gains through AI, driven by India's expanding digital infrastructure and significant investments from energy giants. Predictive asset management and proactive maintenance are identified as key areas for AI application, with efficiency being the primary driver for AI investments.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, closed lower, primarily due to a downturn in banking and financial stocks, coupled with crude oil prices remaining above USD 80 per barrel. Geopolitical uncertainties and new regulatory proposals for the non-bank lending sector also contributed to cautious investor sentiment.
Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) is expected to benefit from higher room rates, rising occupancy, and strategic acquisitions, with analysts projecting double-digit revenue growth for FY27 driven by strong domestic demand and a favourable demand-supply dynamic.
Total automobile retail sales in India surged by 25.89 per cent year-on-year to 25,91,138 units in July, driven by GST rationalisation, ease of retail finance, and favourable festival timing, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). This marks the first time all vehicle categories recorded their best-ever July sales.
After four consecutive months of withdrawals, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) injected Rs 20,200 crore into Indian equities in July, driven by attractive valuations, improving corporate earnings, and a more favourable global environment.
Indian crypto exchanges and companies have expressed strong support for the Central Board of Direct Taxes' (CBDT) new Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), which mandates reporting and due-diligence obligations for crypto service providers on all transactions starting 2026.
A Goldman Sachs report indicates that up to 12% of India's non-agricultural workforce is at risk of substitution by generative AI, while 42-48% could be complemented. The report highlights uneven impacts across sectors and job types, with IT-enabled services facing higher risk and physical tasks remaining less affected. Gen-AI is projected to boost India's labour productivity growth over the next decade.
Electric vehicle retail sales in India reached a new monthly record of 3,27,901 units in July, marking a 66 per cent increase over the previous year, with nearly one in eight vehicles retailed now being electric.
India is projected to attract between $80 and $85 billion through the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) concessional swap facility, designed to boost foreign currency inflows, according to an SBI research report.
India's eight core infrastructure sectors recorded a two-month high growth of 1.7 per cent in April, primarily boosted by strong performances in steel, cement, and electricity production, according to government data.
Domestic rating agency Icra on Monday upped its banking sector outlook to 'positive' on healthy asset growth, improving asset quality and stronger capital buffers. The agency expects asset quality to improve to a decadal best of 4 per cent from a gross non-performing assets (NPAs) perspective by the end of FY24. The banking system's credit growth will slow down to 11-11.6 per cent in FY24, after a very healthy growth of 15.2-16.1 per cent expected in FY23, the rating agency said.
The Nifty and Sensex outperformed Asian peers in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China.
Hiring demand strongest in ecommerce, tech startups, healthcare, and energy sectors, with Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune leading.
Analysts predict that the US-Iran geopolitical conflict, upcoming quarterly earnings announcements, and fluctuations in crude oil prices will be the primary drivers of investor sentiment in the Indian equity markets.
IT major Tech Mahindra reported a 28.4 per cent increase in consolidated net profit for the June quarter, reaching Rs 1,465 crore, driven by broad-based growth across manufacturing and financial services, and expressed confidence in a positive demand environment for the rest of the year.
Shares of power generation-related companies surged on Wednesday, with the BSE Power index hitting a new high of 8,497, driven by strong demand, robust order books, and significant capital expenditure announcements from key players like Hitachi Energy India, Adani Green Energy, and CG Power and Industrial Solutions.
India's finance ministry anticipates inflation will remain relatively contained in the coming months, supported by a correction in crude oil prices and softening input costs following the cessation of the West Asia conflict, despite earlier spikes in wholesale and retail inflation.
'1991 was an exceptional period in Indian history.' 'A big 400-volt shock was administered to the system, which was required. Today, we are in a much, much better position.'
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) reported a 14 per cent year-on-year increase in Q1 FY27 profit attributable to owners, reaching Rs 3,926 crore, surpassing analyst estimates, despite facing significant supply-chain disruptions in West Asia.
A new survey indicates that Indian employers are planning to increase hiring in the April-June quarter, driven by strong business confidence and domestic demand. The survey also highlights the impact of AI adoption on workforce strategy and the challenges of talent scarcity.
India's passenger vehicle industry is poised for a record-breaking year in 2026, propelled by robust dispatches in the first half of the calendar year and strong demand for utility vehicles, despite facing several economic challenges.
Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank), or FCNR (B), deposits mobilised under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) concessional swap facility may have already surpassed the amount raised during the 2013 scheme in just about 45 days, prompting SBI Research to sharply raise its estimate for inflows under the facility to $65-70 billion.
Indian IT stocks have seen a significant decline of up to 33 per cent year-to-date in 2026, largely due to artificial intelligence (AI) disrupting traditional outsourcing models, leading analysts to predict a challenging FY27 for the sector despite some cushion from rupee depreciation.
Analysts have largely maintained a bullish outlook on HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank following their Q4FY26 results, though their perspectives on future growth drivers differ. HDFC Bank's near-term performance is tied to accelerating loan growth, while ICICI Bank is seen as a strong candidate for a valuation rerating.
Commercial banks in India recorded their highest credit growth in two years, accelerating to 18.6 per cent year-on-year by June 27, while also mobilising nearly 7 trillion in deposits, marking the third-highest fortnightly deposit growth in 29 years.
India's automobile retail sales surged by 21.83 per cent year-on-year in June, reaching 25,57,234 units, marking the best June ever recorded across all segments, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).
Markets will look for clear guidance on how the MPC interprets the uncertainty and what it implies for the future course of monetary policy, points out Rajeswari Sengupta.
India's electric vehicle market is experiencing an unprecedented boom with a 37 per cent increase in new entrants, driven by supportive policies and infrastructure.
