What’s Hot Today: Anthropic Impact, IT Stocks & Q3 Earnings Action

In Business Today's "What's Hot," anchor Sakshi Batra examines the sharp meltdown in Indian IT stocks, triggered by Anthropic's new Claude Cowork AI plugins. These agentic tools automate tasks in legal (contract review, compliance, NDAs), sales, marketing, data analysis, and more, sparking global fears of disruption to data processing, outsourcing, and professional services. Guest Expert Mayuresh Joshi (Head of Equity Research, William O'Neill India) notes US stocks like Accenture, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Gartner also fell sharply. He differentiates: US firms lead in AI products/platforms, while Indian IT excels in application-layer services and outsourcing. However, fierce global competition (including from China) demands evolution - embracing AI, upskilling, and model diversification beyond traditional outsourcing. Q3 earnings were stable but predictable; no margin surprises expected. Mid-cap IT firms may fare better short-term due to smaller-order focus. He stays cautious on the sector long-term (2-3 years of pressure), advising patience amid automation race. On the US-India trade deal (tariffs cut to 18%), sentiment improved post-overhang, but fine print awaited-limited immediate balance sheet impact; benefits for textiles, shrimp, jewellery, auto ancillaries. Budget seen balanced (capex, infra, defense focus), STT hike minor for FIIs but curbs retail speculation. Long-term themes: power/renewables, capital goods, banking, consumer durables; 5-10% gold/silver allocation for hedging. Markets poised for recovery if earnings rebound 12-14%.