New Delhi, Feb. 18 -- With Indian shares showing a bearish trend, hopes have been riding on a corporate-earnings pick-up to provide relief. Unfortunately, new data on that front doesn't seem encouraging.

after-tax of Nifty 50 companies grew a modest 5% from a year earlier in the three months ended 31 December, according to research by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

This marks the third quarter in a row of single-digit profit growth, a weak run unseen since the pandemic. Segment-wise, large-cap companies met earning expectations, mid-caps outperformed and small-caps reported significant misses.

This doesn't bode well for India's broader markets.

As earnings fail to catch up with the steep share-price rises seen during the bull run t...