India's Satyam sees FY09 margins flat to down

BANGALORE, April 21 (Reuters) - India's Satyam Computer Services Ltd (SATY.BO) expects margins in the fiscal year ending in March 2009 to remain flat or fall by 40 to 50 basis points from a year earlier, an official said on Monday.

Satyam, India's fourth-largest software services exporter, expects wage rises of about 12-14 percent for most of its staff during the year to impact the margins, Tan Murthy, head of global investor relations told reporters.

Earlier, New York-listed Satyam (SAY.N), which specialises in business software and offers back-office outsourcing services, posted a lower-than-expected 18.5 percent rise in quarterly profit, but forecast a strong full-year outlook despite fears of a slowdown in its key U.S. market. [ID:nBOM293491] (Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by John Mair)