Nimesh Chandan expects corporate profit growth to move closer to double-digit in the second half of FY26 and further accelerate into the mid-teens in FY27.
On the domestic side, the surprise for markets could be earnings related. Either earnings come in weaker-than-expected, or they surprise positively if demand and margins improve faster than anticipated, said Rishabh Nahar.
Rohit Sarin's preference for 2026 is tilted toward large-cap stocks. This is primarily because large caps are currently more favourably valued relative to mid- and small-cap stocks.
Banks and financial services are relatively safer investment options for 2026 as the credit costs are low, monetary easing is underway and valuations are reasonable, said Sandeep Bagla.
Avinash Agarwal believes 2026 will be much better for the mid and small-cap segment given that the earnings growth is expected to improve and the full benefit of rate cuts, GST reforms, and other announcements will flow into the economy.
IT and healthcare appear promising at this juncture which are both export-oriented, said Sanjay Chawla.
With reasonably healthy current account and inflation, Manish Gunwani thinks bright chances of the rupee having a much better year ahead.
With 125 bps of rate cuts, RBI shall use other tools in its arsenal to ensure transmission of lower rates, according to Raghvendra Nath.
The probability of a 15–20 percent rally exists, but it is not a default. The more dependable strategy is to focus on breadth of earnings, balance-sheet strength, and valuation discipline rather than targeting a specific index number, said Anirudh Garg.
Sonal Minhas believes that high quality banks/NBFCs with MSME, personal and corporate credit exposure should grow well from hereon.
While global risks and sector-specific challenges remain, the broader economy today is supported by stronger balance sheets, healthier financial system plumbing, and greater policy flexibility than in past cycles, said Anil Rego.
According to Nilesh Shah of Kotak Mahindra AMC, FII flows are likely to return in 2026 as global rate cycles ease, US growth softens, and doubts grow around overhyped AI trades elsewhere.
Poonam Tandon prefers sectors such as BFSI, select consumption names (discretionary) and commodities for next year.
Any positive development on the US trade deal could act as a catalyst to trigger a reversal in sentiment for Indian equity markets in 2026, said Himanshu Kohli.
Pradeep Gupta of Lighthouse Canton expects the government to announce additional reforms in 2026 to keep the growth engine strong going forward.
If earnings stabilise and domestic liquidity stays healthy, 2026 still has room to surprise on the upside for the market, said Nikhil Khandelwal.
Dinshaw Irani of Helios India does not like but loves the quick commerce space as this segment, given the under penetration, is expected to see exponential growth in the near future.
The big wildcard for 2026 is whether the war in Europe can end, delivering a major peace dividend for markets, said Stefan Hofer.
With inflation below the lower end of the RBI’s target range, another rate cut in 2026 cannot be ruled out, said Ashwini Shami.
The trade deal with US has been anticipated by the markets for some time now since the additional tariffs in August 2025, said Karthikraj Lakshmanan.
Aman Chowhan feels it is unlikely that rupee will further weaken on its own against the dollar in 2026.
A key positive trigger for the Indian market is the expected improvement in earnings, supported by the fact that valuations for the Nifty 50 and several large-cap stocks are now at reasonable levels, said Shailendra Kumar.
While Iow inflation opens up quite a bit of space for rate cuts, the extremely bullish growth numbers do not leave much room for soft policy, said Thomas
Key challenge for Indian equity market is global economic conditions and geo-political crisis, said Akhil Bhardwaj.
The most significant tailwind for 2026 is simply the mean reversion from the recent under-performance and under-ownership, said Prabhakar Kudva.