Infosys profits zoom 37%

‘‘In marginally revising the revenue guidance upwards by $10 million for the current fiscal, last week’s London bomb blasts, which might affect business travel plans, have also been factored in,’’ said Infosys President and MD Nandan M. Nilekani.

For Q2 ending September 30, Infosys expects income in the Rs 2,215 crore range, which places yearly growth expectations at 25.88 per cent.

In the nine months ahead, Nasdaq-listed Infosys will focus on the rising wage bill, forex movement and volumes. Chief Financial Officer T.V. Mohandas Pai said margins had been maintained despite the salary hikes and depreciating Euro and Pound Sterling.

‘‘The movement in forex had a negative impact to the extent of Rs 14.9 crore in revenue for Q1,’’ he said.

New business, which has continued to flow in, growth, and stable pricing will retain the highlight of attention, the company said.

Infosys added 36 new clients including nine relationships now underway with global Fortune 500 firms from diverse sectors such as pharma, supermarkets, equipment manufacturing, automotive, utilities, insurance and banking in the US and Europe.

‘‘We have successfully completed the largest international equity offering from India of over a billion dollars. Our offering in Japan through the public offer without listing has enhanced Japanese investor interest in India and opened the market for Indian companies,’’ Pai said.

Infosys will add 13,500 more employees globally this fiscal, said COO and Deputy MD S. Gopalakrishnan.

Sensex hits new high

MUMBAI: The Sensex on Tuesday hit a new all-time trading high of 7,352.46 before ending flat at 7,303.95 in an otherwise choppy business on the BSE even as IT bellwether Infosys announced its quarterly results this morning. The benchmark BSE sensitive index witnessed a downward spiral falling by 135 points from the intra-day high following heavy sell-off by a leading foreign fund. Despite somewhat disappointing Q1 performance by Infosys, the market had extended gains during morning trade on the back of sustained FII inflows that crossed Rs 22,000 crore in the current calendar year. IT counters were at the receiving end with investors by and large choosing to book profits in reaction to Infosys Q1 results. PTI