IT stocks lift Nifty as Infosys and HCL Tech outperform; Bharti Airtel, Tata Consumer slip

Indian IT majors extended gains on October 23, pushing the Nifty IT index up 2% while the Private Bank index rose 0.5%. Infosys advanced 4% after promoters dropped plans for an ₹18,000 crore share buyback, HCL Technologies gained 3.2%, and TCS rose 2.7%. Conversely, Bharti Airtel and Tata Consumer Products declined 1.4% and 0.9%, respectively, on profit-booking. Broader indices showed mixed sentiment with small-caps under pressure. Analysts said selective rotation toward export-driven tech counters is likely to continue as investors position for steady Q3 results amid global macro uncertainty.