Goldman hires India analysts from rivals - source

HONG KONG, Sept 11 - Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs has hired two India analysts from its rivals as it looks to strengthen its industry coverage of Asia's third-biggest economy, said a source briefed on the appointments on Friday.

Tabassum Inamdar, a former analyst at UBS, has agreed to join Goldman as its Indian financial services research analyst. She will start in December, the source said.

Inamdar, rated by many industry magazines as one of the top India equities analysts last year, will also serve as a managing director at Goldman, the source added.

Former Morgan Stanley India analyst Sachin Salgaonkar has joined Goldman as a vice president for research in India's telecoms sector.

A Goldman Sachs spokesman in Hong Kong confirmed two appointments for the India research team.

Bankers and dealmakers have expected deal flows to pick up in major Asian economies such as China and India, which are helping pull the world out of the financial crisis.

Some buyout funds remain cautious on India's economic prospects, with analysts predicting domestic industry consolidation may accelerate before a new wave of foreign investment.