By Anubhav Maurya

Copyright republicworld

IT Stocks Today: Equity benchmarks edged higher on Thursday, with information technology (IT) shares leading the rally, after the US Federal Reserve delivered its first rate cut of the year.The move, aimed at supporting the world’s largest economy, buoyed investor sentiment in export-driven sectors like IT, which earn a large share of revenues from the USThe Nifty 50 rose 97.85 points, or 0.39%, to 25,428.10, while the Sensex climbed 350.82 points, or 0.42%, to 83,044.53 as of late morning trade.Gains were broad-based, with 14 of the 16 major sectors advancing, but the spotlight was firmly on the IT index, which surged up to 0.95%.A lower US interest rate environment not only eases borrowing costs for American companies but also signals potential economic resilience—positive news for Indian IT firms that service global clients.Additionally, a softer dollar outlook makes Indian assets more attractive to foreign portfolio investors, strengthening flows into equities.“Markets are cheering the rate cut as lower borrowing costs ease pressure on businesses in the US, which is a positive for sectors exposed to the world’s largest economy,” Ross Maxwell, global strategy lead at VT Markets, told Reuters.Market expert Ajay Bagga noted that the rate cut was widely anticipated, and the immediate market reaction was broadly in line with expectations. “Indian markets are pointing to some strength at the open. There was a Fed rate cut as expected. It was 25 bps as expected. The Trump nominee to the Fed Board sought a 50 bps cut as expected. The commentary sounded dovish as the Fed pivoted to managing employment from concern over persistent inflation,” Bagga told ANI.He added that while markets had already rallied in anticipation of policy easing, investor focus is now shifting to the Fed’s long-term outlook. “Markets had run up on expectations of the rate cut and two more cuts in 2025 coming up. The Fed delivered on that. What did not go well was the Fed SEP or Dot Plot, which showed just 1 cut in 2026 and 1 cut in 2027,” he said.Explainer: Why the Federal Reserve Cut Rates for the First Time in 2025Among IT heavyweights, LTIMindtree (LTIM) led the pack, jumping 2.25% to Rs 5,545 after touching an intraday high of Rs 5,619. Infosys (INFY) gained 1.66% to Rs 1,547.70, while Wipro rose 1.37% to Rs 257.64.Other notable performers included Mphasis (+1.33%), Coforge (+1.08%) and HCLTech (+0.76%).Tech majors TCS (+0.14%) and Tech Mahindra (+0.24%) also edged higher, reflecting steady investor appetite across the sector.The upbeat mood was not limited to IT stocks. The small-cap and mid-cap indices added about 0.4% each, while blue chips such as Hindustan Unilever, Sun Pharma, and HDFC Bank also posted healthy gains.However, select names like Bajaj Finance (-0.76%) and Bharti Airtel (-0.34%) slipped, capping broader market gains.