January 14, 2021 -- 12:49 PM
By Sethuraman N R
Brokers react while trading during the presentation of the federal budget at a stock brokerage firm in Mumbai, February 1, 2018. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade/Files
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Indian shares edged lower on Thursday as investors booked profits in IT stocks after heavyweights Infosys and Wipro posted December-quarter results, while awaiting details on a major U.S. stimulus package due later in the day.
The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index fell 0.2% to 14,543 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was down 0.2% at 49,382.53 by 0506 GMT.
The Nifty IT index, which gained 55% in 2020 and has risen 9.3% so far in January, was down 1.9% in morning trade to be a major laggard in the Nifty 50 index.
Infosys Ltd shares, which rose over 6% this week in the run-up to the company's results till Wednesday, were down 2.8%. India's second-biggest software services firm by market value raised its annual revenue growth forecast after posting a rise in December quarter profit and revenue.
Smaller rival Wipro also reported an increase in consolidated net profit.
"Profit booking has come in the IT stocks after a stupendous run since last year. Some of the stocks including Infosys have more than doubled since the pandemic unfolded in March," said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice president of research at SMC Global Securities in New Delhi.
Also in focus was a hefty COVID-19 relief package, costing "trillions of dollars" as promised by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, due to be unveiled later in the day.
Indian markets have hit new record highs in the past few days, helped by continued foreign fund inflows and progress in COVID-19 vaccine developments. Foreign investors pumped more than $20 billion into Indian equities last year, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.
Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Ramakrishnan M.

Sumber : Reuters