Market may open higher

The market is likely to open higher tracking positive global cues. In absence of any near term major domestic trigger with Q4 March 2008 results almost over, market is likely to dance in line with global cues.

Expiry of May 2008 futures & options series on Thursday, 29 May 2008 will keep the market volatile in the coming days. As per reports, rollover of Nifty positions from May 2008 series to June 2008 series stood at 45.63% and marketwide positions were 34%, as on 27 May 2008.

Meanwhile in a move which may dampen sentiment, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has asked foreign instutional investors (FIIs) to give an undertaking that these investment tools are not issued to non-resident (NRIs) and resident Indians, who otherwise do not need the FII route. These was done to tighten the disclosure norms on offshore derivative instruments (ODIs).

Asian markets were trading mixed today, 28 May 2008. Hang Seng (down 0.11% at 24,256.22), Nikkei 225 Average (down 0.41% at 13,836.53), Seoul Composite (down 0.57% at 1,814.82), Taiwan Weighted (down 0.28% at 8,753.76) edged lower.

However, Shanghai Composite (up 0.43% at 3,389.78), and Straits Times (up 0.35% at 3,126.10) advanced.

US markets advanced yesterday, 28 May 2008, led by technology companies and further drop in crude oil prices. The Dow Jones industrial average advanced 68.72 points, or 0.55%, to 12,548.35. The S&P 500 index gained 9.42 points, or 0.68%, to 1,385.35, and the Nasdaq Composite index surged 36.57 points, or 1.50%, to 2,481.24.

Back home, weakness in the second half of the trading session dragged the market lower yesterday, 27 May 2008. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 72.91 points or 0.45% at 16,275.59 and the broader based S&P CNX Nifty was down 15.25 points or 0.31% at 4859.80, on that day.

As per provisional data, foreign funds sold shares worth a net Rs 496.61 crore yesterday, 27 May 2008. Domestic funds bought shares worth a net Rs 529.69 crore on that day.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers of Rs 149.01 crore in the futures & options segment yesterday, 27 May 2008. They were net sellers of index futures to the tune of Rs 233.60 crore and bought index options worth Rs 319.12 crore. They were net sellers of stock futures to the tune of Rs 36.75 crore and bought stock options worth Rs 100.24 crore.

US crude fell 5 cents to $128.80 a barrel today, 28 May 2008, on weakening demand from Asia. Oil has been falling steadily every since it hit a record high $135.09 last week