COMPANIES BANK ON FED RATE CUT, FESTIVE Q3 SPEND

THE Q2 earnings season has just begun, but analysts expect a rather muted quarter as key sectors like banking, IT and FMCG may turn in moderate revenue growth.

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Unhelpfully, the current quarter too doesn't seem rosy, notwithstanding festive season sales, and the US Federal Reserve's jumbo 50 bps policy rate cut, which is expected to boost market sentiment. As it is, financial markets are witnessing a meltdown of their own with equities and bonds getting whiplashed across geographies, thanks to geopolitical tensions and unenthusiastic economic data everywhere. While price rise fears have subsided with headline inflation showing firm signs of easing, rural demand recovery remains weak, and much depends on the southwest monsoon to improve agricultural output, which in turn may revive private consumption. Government spending, which has been holding the