A weak opening may mark the beginning of weekend

The Indian equity markets ended flat with marginal losses on the last day of derivatives expiry for January series. The Sensex closed at 24,469.57, a fall of 22.82 points, or 0.09% and the Nifty ended lower by 13.10 points, or 0.18%, at 7,424.65 after trading between 7,409.60 and 7,468.85. Selling pressure also dragged down the BSE mid-cap index by 0.36% and small-cap index by 0.04%. Investors are still concerned over dull corporate earnings so far; and mixed global cues in the markets. The rupee has depreciated by 4 paise to 68.07 which is extending losses in the third consecutive session.

U.S. stocks rebounded Thursday, boosted by a jump in oil prices along with strong Facebook earnings, outweighed pressure from declines in health-care stocks, and concerns about economic growth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 125.18 points, or 0.8%, to 16069.64. The S&P 500 added 10.41, or 0.6%, to 1893.36, while the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 38.51, or 0.9%, to 4506.68.

Oil, meanwhile, continued to be a key factor in momentum for equities. Oil prices surged on hopes for production cuts, but OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) officials denied plans for a meeting. WTI oil futures settled 2.9% higher at USD 33.22, but well below session’s USD 34.82 high. Brent crude was up about 2.4% at USD 33.89 a barrel after trading as high as USD 35.84.

European stocks ended lower on Thursday following a cautious stance from the Federal Reserve’s most recent policy update and weak reading on eurozone consumer confidence. The Stoxx Europe 600 dropped 1.6% to close at 334.89. The FTSE closed 0.98% lower, the DAX was down 2.44%, and the CAC 40 declined 1.33%.

Asian markets traded in the mix on Friday as investors awaited a Bank of Japan decision on monetary policy. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost early gains and was down 0.39%. South Korea’s Kospi index lost 0.52%. New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index traded flatly. Chinese markets opened in the positive territory with the main Shanghai composite up 1.69%.

While on domestic front, a SGX Nifty 50 index future for January series traded down 7 points at 7,424. Indian markets may open in the negative on account of Nifty stocks like Airtel, Maruti and ICICI bank posting dull results after market hours.