Flat to positive opening likely on mixed cues

The Indian markets may start the week on a flat to positive note owing to mixed cues. FII flows will decide market direction for the day.

Headlines for the day

TRAI moves court against Loop Mobiles on MNP.

ONGC plans capex of Rs33K crore for next fiscal.

Budget imposes 1% TDS on property sales.

CIL board may meet this week for new fuel supply pact

ONGC gives 30% dividend, govt nets Rs888 crore.

Steel prices to rise by up to Rs1K on excise duty hike.



Events for the day:

Ex date for 2nd interim dividend of ONGC

Indian indices

After union budget and Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) monetary policy being a non event for the markets, investors will now look for cues from international events and foreign inflows.

The Indian markets may start the week on a flat to positive note The European Central Bank's aggressive liquidity injection has soothed fears about credit crunch in the euro zone and stabilized market rates, but worries persist about the risk of other highly indebted euro zone countries needing similar debt swaps to Greece.

Daily trend of FII/MF investment in equities

The FIIs have been net buyers of the Indian stocks to the tune of Rs182.90 crore on March 15, 2012. The domestic investors sold Indian shares worth a net of Rs472.60 crore on March 14, 2012. The data is as per the SEBI website.

Global Cues:

The Asian stock markets edged higher on Monday (March 19, 2012), with investors buoyed after the U.S. market hit an almost four-year high last week and with higher European stocks reflecting signs of growing stability in the euro zone. SGX Nifty was trading 7.50 points higher.

The European shares closed in green on Friday (March 16, 2012), climbing for the fourth straight day and hitting their highest level since before the market's slump in late July, as demand for the region's equities recovered while sovereign
debt fears abated.

The US stocks closed mostly lower on Friday, punctuating the broader market's biggest weekly gain of the year in muted fashion after a soft reading on consumer sentiment.

Commodity cues

Oil prices rose on Friday on support from the continuing tensions over Iran's disputed nuclear program and the potential for supply disruptions in the region