The September quarter results show that out of a total 92 sectors that have announced their numbers so far, 29 have outperformed the average growth in profitability.

The 92 sectors together have notched up an average growth of 30.5 per cent in the bottomline, while the outperforming sectors have shown a profit growth of between 31 and 243 per cent.

And as many as 42 sectors reported sales growth of over 15 per cent, while the topline of 9 sectors was down by more than ten per cent.

The engines, hotel, plastics, power cables, steel and textiles -- both man-made fibre and readymade apparel -- sectors have reported more than 100 per cent growth in bottomline.

Nine sectors, including auto ancillaries, cement, chemicals, industrial gases and packaging, have posted sharp turnarounds.

At the top of the profit growth list were four readymade apparel companies that carved out an aggregate 258 per cent growth in net on a 77 per cent rise in sales.

The bottomline for eight plastics units rose an aggregate 243 per cent, while seven manmade fibre companies reported an aggregate net profit growth of 161 per cent.

The arrival of tourists after the end of the Iraq war helped the hotel industry to post healthy numbers. Seven hotel companies have together dished out a 146 per cent rise in net profit during the latest quarter.

The rise in the prices of steel products during the last few quarters has helped manufacturers to post shimmering bottomlines during the quarter.

Four hot and cold-rolled steel producers together have reported a 112 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 109.01 crore (Rs 1,090.1 million) during the period, compared with Rs 51.50 crore (Rs 515 million) posted in previous year quarter.

But the numbers went red for breweries, castings units, electronic picture tube makers, sugar mills, solvent extraction and vanaspati manufacturers and telecommunications firms.

And as many as nine fertilisers companies reported a 62 per cent drop in their aggregate net profit during the quarter.

Four pumps and compressor firms and twenty one cotton textiles companies saw their profitability decline by 38 per cent, while it turned out to be a stale season for five tea and coffee firms who reported a 27 per cent drop in the aggregate net.

The top performing sectors by sales turnover were: textiles -- readymade apparel -- up 77 per cent, steel (hot and cold rolled units) up 48 per cent, telecommunications up 45 per cent, non-ferrous metals up 38 per cent, general electrical equipment manufacturers up 38 per cent, machine tool units up 37 per cent, forging firms up 34 per cent and steel alloy producers by 28 per cent.