Markets may open flat to positive; auto stocks and liqour stocks to be in focus

Indian benchmark indices got off to a soft start, and thereafter indices traded in a narrow range with negative bias for the better part of the trading session, however, recovery was seen in the later part of the trading session and indices closed the last trading session of Financial Year 2016-17 on a flattish note, and unchanged compared to previous trading session's closing. However, the financial year 2016-17 had been fruitful for investors as Nifty registered gains of about 19 per cent.

The European markets ended the final day of the trading week with mixed results. The markets began the session in negative territory and remained locked in a narrow trading range for much of the session. However, some of the markets managed to inch into positive territory in late trade. The DAX of Germany climbed 0.46 per cent and the CAC 40 of France rose 0.65 per cent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 0.63 per cent.

The U.S. stocks ended with marginal losses on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 65 points to finish at 20,663. The S&P 500 shed 5 points at 2,363. The Nasdaq Composite Index finished down 3 points at 5,912.

Asian stocks are trading in green. Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 68 points. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is trading with gains of 111 points and the Shanghai Composite remains shut.

At 8:09 am, SGX Nifty Index was trading up by 12 points at 9210, indicating a flat to positive start for Indian equities. Market participants will react to March sales numbers from automakers like Maruti Suzuki, Eicher Motors, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. Stocks of liquor companies such as Radico Khaitan and United Spirits will be in focus as well after the Supreme Court order banning of liquor sale in hotels and restaurants or liquor outlets, within 500 meters of State and National Highways. Market participants will take cues from Nikkei India Manufacturing PMI data which will be released today.