Markets may open flat on Friday

The Indian benchmark indices on Thursday started off the session on a positive note, however, profit booking dragged indices into negative territory and thereafter it traded in a narrow range. Finally indices settled marginally below the neutral line. To end with, the Nifty lost 17 points to settle below the crucial 9,650 mark, while Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensitive Index-Sensex shed over 50 points and closed at 31,213 mark.

The European markets ended Thursday's session with mixed results, but overall there were little changes. The European Central Bank left its key interest rates and massive monetary stimulus unchanged for a 10th successive policy session, but in its latest meeting virtually ruled out further rate cuts. The DAX of Germany climbed 0.32 per cent, but the CAC 40 of France fell 0.02 per cent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 0.38 per cent.

U.S. stocks closed with marginal gains on Thursday, tech-heavy Nasdaq closed at a record high. The Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 24 points at a record high of 6,322. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 9 points at 21,183. The S&P 500 closed flat at 2,434.  

Asian markets were trading in green on Friday. Japan’s markets Nikkei 225 has surged 181 points. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng has advanced 2 points. China’s Shanghai Composite has gained 14 points. 

At 8:15 am SGX Nifty Index trading with marginal gains of 5 points at 9,680, indicating a flat start for Indian indices.