Indian stock market: The equity benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open lower on Thursday, following weak global market cues.
Asian markets traded mixed, while the US stock market ended lower overnight, extending its fall for the second straight session.
On Wednesday, the Indian stock market ended lower, extending losses for the fourth consecutive session, amid selling across the board.
The Sensex declined 386.47 points, or 0.47%, to close at 81,715.63, while the Nifty 50 settled 112.60 points, or 0.45%, lower at 25,056.90.
“Overall, while festive demand and GST-led structural reforms provide support, currency weakness and global headwinds including uncertainty related to India-US trade deal are likely to keep markets range-bound in the near term,” said Siddhartha Khemka – Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.
Here are key global market cues for Sensex today:
Asian Markets
Asian markets traded mixed on Thursday, following overnight losses on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.11%, while the Topix gained 0.18%. South Korea’s Kospi eased 0.02%, and the Kosdaq dropped 0.27%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a lower opening.
Gift Nifty Today
Gift Nifty was trading around 25,065 level, a discount of nearly 47 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a negative start for the Indian stock market indices.
Wall Street
US stock market indices ended lower for a second straight session on Wednesday, as investors booked profits.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 171.50 points, or 0.37%, to 46,121.28, while the S&P 500 fell 18.94 points, or 0.28%, to 6,637.98. The Nasdaq Composite closed 75.62 points, or 0.33%, lower at 22,497.86.
Nvidia share price fell 0.82%, Apple shares dropped 0.83%, while Microsoft shares gained 0.18%. Tesla stock price rallied 3.98%, Freeport-McMoRan share price plunged 16.95%, and General Motors shares rose 2.3%. Micron Technology stock declined 2.8% and Oracle shares dropped 1.7%.
US Home Sales
Sales of new US single-family homes surged 20.5% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 800,000 units in August. The sales pace for July was revised higher to a rate of 664,000 units from the previously reported pace of 652,000 units. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast new home sales, which make up about 14% of US home sales, easing to a rate of 650,000 units.
RBI Bulletin
The goods and services tax (GST) reforms should help lower retail prices and support consumption growth, the Reserve Bank of India said in its monthly bulletin. The GST reforms should “progressively result in a sustained positive impact through significant gains in ease of doing business, lower retail prices and strengthening of consumption growth drivers”, the bulletin said. Higher seasonal agricultural sowing is also expected to keep food prices in check, it said.
Gold Prices
Gold prices rebounded, driven by expectations of further US interest rate cuts, geopolitical risks, and a slightly weaker dollar. Spot gold price rose 0.3% to $3,747.59 per ounce, while US gold futures for December delivery gained 0.3% to $3,778.50.
Dollar
The US dollar was steady, holding its overnight gains. The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six other units, was at 97.813, hovering near a three-week high. The euro was steady at $1.17425, while Sterling was little changed at $1.3451. The yen was last at 148.62 per US dollar.
Crude Oil Prices
Crude oil prices fell as investors booked profits after a jump to a seven-week high during the prior session. Brent crude futures fell 0.03% to $69.29 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 0.15% to $64.89 a barrel. Both benchmarks gained 2.5% in the previous session.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.