Mixed Asian markets, Indian indices likely to start on a negative note

The Indian benchmark indices on Wednesday got off to a subdued start as cues from Asian markets were mixed. Thereafter, indices oscillated in a tight range through the day’s trade. At the end of the day, the NSE’s 50-share broadly followed Index - Nifty settled with a minor loss of three points above the psychological 9,600 mark, while Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensitive Index - Sensex shed thirteen points and closed above the psychological 31,100 mark.

The European markets ended the Wednesday’s session with mixed results. The DAX of Germany climbed 0.13 per cent, but the CAC 40 of France fell 0.42 per cent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 0.09 per cent, but the SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 0.10 per cent.

U.S. stocks closed marginally lower on Wednesday, but off their worst levels of the day. The S&P 500 index fell 1 point to close at 2,412. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower by 21 points at 21,009. The Nasdaq Composite Index finished down points to close at 6,199.  

Asian markets were trading mixed on Thursday. Japan’s markets Nikkei 225 surged 183 points. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 28 points. China’s Shanghai Composite slipped 14 points.

At 8:00 am SGX Nifty Index trading with a modest loss of 12 points at 9,625, indicating a flat to negative start for Indian indices. The market will react to the data released after market hours on Wednesday. The fourth quarter GDP came in lower than expectation at 6.1 per cent. The full year GDP came in at 7.1 per cent. The push to GDP came from public spending and agriculture.