Infosys Q4 profit up 29%

A poll of 13 brokerages had estimated a net profit of 15.66 billion rupees for Infosys,which counts ABN AMRO,Goldman Sachs,Philips Electronics,and British telecommunications carrier BT Group Plc among its clients.

An army of English-speaking engineers and cheaper wages drove an outsourcing boom in India,but turmoil in global markets and a recession in the United States,which accounts for more than half the sector’s revenue,have halted the scorching pace of growth. The outsourcing sector has also been dented by the large accounting fraud at Satyam Computer Services,which on Monday said mid-sized Indian outsourcer Tech Mahindra had made the highest bid for a controlling stake in it.

Shares in Infosys,which the market values at more than $16 billion,surged 18.5 per cent in the March quarter,outperforming a 2.6 per cent rise in the sector index and 0.6 per cent in the main index.