The trade deal is anticipated to attract back foreign portfolio investors, who have been cautious due to tariff tensions and trade uncertainties, said Vipul Bhowar.
While a 25-bps cut remains possible, it’s unlikely to be the dominant driver for long-term yields, which are more sensitive to fiscal dynamics and next year’s budget, said Nimesh Chandan.
For the banking sector, Sneha Jain expects H1 2026 to reflect improved margins, healthier treasury performance, and more stable balance-sheet dynamics.
Srinivas Rao Ravuri remains positive on Indian equities, with a preference for large caps. Valuations are at a modest premium to long-term averages, which is sustainable in an earnings-upcycle, he said.
The challenges for the market are on the global side in 2026. A slowdown in US growth after a long AI driven tech cycle, volatile foreign flows and stretched pockets in small and thematic names can create air pockets, Sonam Srivastava said.
Tailwinds for India in 2026 could be the India-US trade deal and several other bilateral trade deals with other trading blocks or countries, said Vikas Gupta.
When energy realignment, tariff posture, and diplomatic signalling all shift in the same direction, they often foreshadow a breakthrough before it becomes publicly visible. Under those conditions, the emergence of a India-US trade deal within a short window would be a natural extension of the trajectory already in motion, said Anil Rego.
GST rationalisation and increased credit borrowing in the upcoming festive season is going to boost the growth in NBFCs, said Divam Sharma.
Overall, after Q2 earnings, Gautam Duggad has raised earnings estimates of coverage universe by 2.3 percentage points for FY26 led by oil & gas, PSU banks, telecom, insurance, and metals.
The prolonged corporate earnings per share (EPS) downgrade cycle has finally stabilized over the last three months. The Q2 FY26 results have tracked better than expectations, leading to selective earnings upgrades, said Pranab Uniyal.
Pradeep Gupta of Anand Rathi Group said that while some pockets still face valuation pressures and near-term volatility persists due to US policy uncertainty, the domestic backdrop remains resilient.
Aparna Shanker continues to favour financials, lenders, capital market plays and insurers, where formalization, productivity improvements, and better balance-sheet strength are translating into durable growth opportunities.
A correction is already underway in the US markets. The US has massive issues with its K-shaped recovery and now a potential nasty overhang from tariffs and over-enthusiasm towards, said P Krishnan.
For corporates, the steady wage and employment trends directly support top-line growth and improve visibility in sectors such as FMCG, autos, real estate and discretionary spending, Anirudh Garg said.
A formal announcement of India-US trade deal is expected before the holiday season, said Rohit Gulati.
Venkatesh Balasubramaniam expects GDP growth to be around 7% in FY26, on the back of revival in consumption and a pickup in capex intensity. Adequate monsoons and comfortable reservoir levels would support sowing activity, aiding overall economic growth.
Infra is another sector that Kush Gupta follows very closely. H thinks the sector has given good returns and will continue to shine.
Going forward, if valuations turn attractive or earnings upgrades gain meaningful momentum, the market could initiate its next bull phase, Shailendra Kumar believes.
Going forward, Raghvendra Nath said it would be important for inflation to remain moderate for interest rates to be cut further. If this play out, the overall demand scenario is likely to improve more, which could bring fresh momentum into the market.
For long-term investors, Ambit's Sushant Bhansali believes IT sector offers value compared to many other areas of the market.
The biggest takeaway from the September-quarter earnings season is that the downgrade cycle is finally nearing an end, said Vinit Sambre of DSP MF.
Manish Jain of Centrum would prefer large private sector banks which offer valuation comfort with relatively more secure loan book.
On the global front, any delay in India’s potential trade deal with the US or a stronger US dollar could weigh on global risk appetite, impacting flows into emerging markets, including India, said Mahesh Patil.
While a persistent global growth slowdown could weigh in on Indian economy, a flurry of fiscal and policy measures announced during the year likely limit the extent of further downside, said Himanshu Kohli.
If either of these two drivers of the current bull market falters, the outcome will be a negative surprise, said Umeshkumar Mehta.