Lower opening on cards

Key benchmark indices started the session on a positive note and thereafter, it traded in a narrow range. In the second half, the markets turned red and extended fall despite the Reserve Bank of India cutting repo rate by 25bps, as the markets appeared to have already factored in 25bps cut. BSE Sensex slipped 98 points to settle at 32,477 and Nifty 50 index declined 33 points to settle at around 10,082.

The European indices ended lower on Wednesday as earnings proved to be a mixed bag. The DAX of Germany slipped 70 points to 12,181. The CAC 40 of France fell 20 points to 5,107. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. shed 12 points to 7,411.

U.S stock-market indices ended mixed on Wednesday, with Dow Industrials closing above important psychological 22,000 mark on the back of strong performance by Apple as the company reported strong earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 52 points to close at 22,016. The S&P 500 ended with a gain of about a single point at 2,478. The Nasdaq Composite Index finished down less than a point at 6,363.

Asian markets were trading in negative terrain in early trade on Thursday. Hong Kong Hang Seng has lost 59 points. China’s Shanghai Composite has shed 6 points. Japan’s Nikkei 225 has slipped 76 points.

Indian markets may open the day on a negative note tracking negative cues from Asian markets. The SGX Nifty was trading at 10,073 lower by 15 points, indicating a negative start for the day. Key stocks which will report their quarterly earnings on Thursday are as follows Bajaj Electricals, Ceat, Colpal, Cummins, HCC, IOC and Titan.