New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) A suspected data‑feed anomaly and algorithm‑driven buying — rather than company‑specific news — seems to have triggered the sudden surge of around 50 per cent in Infosys Ltd’s American Depository Receipts (ADRs), a report has said.

The report from The Chronicle Journal said the spike in Infosys ADRs on December 19, 2025, was likely caused by a ticker‑mapping error across multiple financial data platforms that confused automated trading systems and set off a self‑reinforcing buying loop in a thinly traded counter.

The sharp move prompted multiple Limit Up–Limit Down volatility halts on the New York Stock Exchange, the report said.

Several data providers had erroneously mapped the “INFY” ticker to an unrelated entity while continuing to attach it with Infosys‑specific metrics and headlines.

This mismatch led algorithmic models to interpret as a pricing anomaly and triggered aggressive buy orders, and the impact was magnified by low liquidity and thin trading volumes.

The ADRs, which had closed the previous session near $19.18, spiked to as high as $27 within minutes of the market opening before volatility controls kicked in to bring prices down. Corresponding reaction was absent in the company’s India‑listed shares, the report noted.

The market anomaly underlined the vulnerabilities of ADRs, which trade when home markets are closed, exposing the system to more data errors, liquidity gaps and automated trading feedback loops.

US exchanges and regulators are expected to review the anomaly to assess whether data inconsistencies played a material role and whether volatility safeguards functioned as intended.

Meanwhile, US tech giant Microsoft recently announced strategic partnerships with IT companies including Infosys to deploy over 50,000 Microsoft Copilot licenses, collectively surpassing 200,000 licenses and accelerating the adoption of agentic AI.

This partnership underscores the transformative potential of agentic AI — intelligent systems capable of taking initiative, driving decisions, and generating insights autonomously — aims to create new avenues for growth and competitiveness.

–IANS

aar/na