Markets may open flat to positive, results of major players to create ripples

Indian benchmark indices started the fresh week on a bullish tone as investors were largely influenced by the positive leads from Asian peers. However, the indices dropped into the red terrain later, lacking any significant upside cues. The indices moved only sideways thereafter, but touched intraday lows in the noon session. However, the frontline gauges managed to pare the losses and bounced into the positive terrain by the end of trade. In the end the NSE’s 50-share broadly followed index Nifty, added modest gains of 11 points to settle above the crucial 8,800 level; while Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensitive index or Sensex gained around seventeen points and ended above the psychological 28,350 mark.

The European markets ended the first session of the new trading week solidly in the green, extending their recent winning streak to five sessions. The DAX of Germany climbed 0.92 per cent and the CAC 40 of France rose 1.24 per cent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. gained 0.28 per cent.
 
The U.S. stock market finished Monday's session at a record high for a third session in a row, led by gains in the financials and industrials sectors. The Dow Jones rose 142.79 points and Nasdaq and S&P 500 gained 0.5 per cent each.

Asian stocks are lacklustre on Tuesday, where Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 31 points, while Hang Seng fell 13 points and Shanghai Composite lost 10 points.  

At 8:07 am, SGX Nifty index has gained 21.50 points to 8,842.50, indicating a positive start for Indian equities. On Monday, post market hours, the CPI numbers were released for the month of January 2017. CPI inflation for the month came in at 3.17 per cent compared with 3.41 per cent in the previous month. On the earnings front, companies such as Tata Motors, Sun Pharmaceuticals, DLF and Vedanta are scheduled to post their results.