The domestic stock markets ticked lower on Monday amid weak global cues and the buzz of a lockdown extension beyond April 14.

S&amp;P BSE Sensex fell over 500 points after opening in the red, the 50-stock Nifty too followed the same path falling below the 9,000 mark.

Meanwhile, Oil prices rallied after top producers agreed to slash output and shore up coronavirus-ravaged energy markets, but some analysts were concerned the cuts did not go far enough.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up 7.7 percent at $24.52 a barrel in Asian trade while Brent crude, the international benchmark, put on 5.0 percent to $33.08 a barrel.&nbsp;

OPEC producers dominated by Saudi Arabia and allies led by Russia met via videoconference for an hour Sunday in a last effort to cement a deal struck early Friday.&nbsp;

The domestic stock markets ticked lower on Monday amid weak global cues and the buzz of a lockdown extension beyond April 14. S&P BSE Sensex fell over 500 points after opening in the red, the 50-stock Nifty too followed the same path falling below the 9,000 mark.

The domestic stock markets ticked lower on Monday amid weak global cues and the buzz of a lockdown extension beyond April 14. S&P BSE Sensex fell over 500 points after opening in the red, the 50-stock Nifty too followed the same path falling below the 9,000 mark. Meanwhile, Oil prices rallied after top producers agreed to slash output and shore up coronavirus-ravaged energy markets, but some analysts were concerned the cuts did not go far enough. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up 7.7 percent at $24.52 a barrel in Asian trade while Brent crude, the international benchmark, put on 5.0 percent to $33.08 a barrel. OPEC producers dominated by Saudi Arabia and allies led by Russia met via videoconference for an hour Sunday in a last effort to cement a deal struck early Friday.

Sensex slips 500 points, Nifty below 9000

Equity benchmark Sensex crashed over 2,700 points and the broader Nifty sank below 9,700 (intra-day) on Thursday, wiping off over Rs 9 lakh crore worth investor wealth, after WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, spiking fears of a global economic recession.

After opening around 1,200 points lower, equities continued their downward spiral, with domestic BSE Sensex plummeting 2,707.39 points to 32,990.01 in the morning session.

The 30-share index was trading 2,267.21 points, or 6.35 per cent, lower at 33,430.19 at 1230 hours.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty hit a low of 9,648.65, cracking 809.75 points. It was trading 658.55 points, or 6.30 per cent, down at 9,799.85.

The rupee plunged up to 82 paise to 74.50 against US dollar in the morning session. It, however, pared some losses, quoting 46 paise down at 74.14.

The carnage on Dalal Street eroded investor wealth worth Rs 9,15,113 crore, taking the total m-cap to Rs 1,27,98,444.93 crore on the BSE.

The m-cap of BSE-listed companies stood at Rs 1,37,13,558.72 crore at the end of trading on Wednesday.

The day's selloff was triggered after the World Health Organization (WHO), late Wednesday night, termed the new coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, and expressed deep concern over the "alarming levels of inaction".

Following the announcement, US President Donald Trump suspended all travel from Europe, excluding the UK, to the US for the next 30 days to stop the spread of the virus.

Brent crude oil futures were around 4 per cent down at USD 34.37 per barrel, after the travel ban.

All Sensex components were trading in the red. Axis Bank was the top loser, tanking over 10 per cent, followed by SBI, Hero MotoCorp, ITC, M&amp;M, Bajaj Auto and Titan.

According to traders, volatility peaked in global markets after WHO's announcement describing the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic.

Besides selloff in global equities, massive plunge in international oil prices and depreciating rupee added to investor concerns, they added.

Incessant foreign fund outflow also spooked market participants, traders said.

On a net basis, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 3,515.38 crore on Wednesday, data available with stock exchanges showed.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai dropped over 1.50 per cent, Hong Kong 3.50 per cent, Seoul 3.80 per cent and Tokyo cracked up to 4.40 per cent.

In overnight trade, the Dow fell into a bear market, and futures pointed Thursday to another rout in New York and Europe.

"Globally, a fall of 20 per cent from the recent peak is normally considered as a bear market. However, the definition does not hold good in India. Given its high beta, Indian markets have corrected by 25-30 per cent number of times as recovered quite quickly to resume the uptrend," said Gaurav Dua, Sr Vp, Head? Capital Market Strategy &amp; Investments, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.

COVID-19 has claimed over 4,200 lives and infected more than 117,330 people across 107 countries and territories. China remains the hardest-hit with over 80,000 infections and 3,000 deaths.

Equity benchmark Sensex crashed over 2,700 points and the broader Nifty sank below 9,700 (intra-day) on Thursday, wiping off over Rs 9 lakh crore worth investor wealth, after WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, spiking fears of a global economic recession.

Equity benchmark Sensex crashed over 2,700 points and the broader Nifty sank below 9,700 (intra-day) on Thursday, wiping off over Rs 9 lakh crore worth investor wealth, after WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, spiking fears of a global economic recession. After opening around 1,200 points lower, equities continued their downward spiral, with domestic BSE Sensex plummeting 2,707.39 points to 32,990.01 in the morning session. The 30-share index was trading 2,267.21 points, or 6.35 per cent, lower at 33,430.19 at 1230 hours. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty hit a low of 9,648.65, cracking 809.75 points. It was trading 658.55 points, or 6.30 per cent, down at 9,799.85. The rupee plunged up to 82 paise to 74.50 against US dollar in the morning session. It, however, pared some losses, quoting 46 paise down at 74.14. The carnage on Dalal Street eroded investor wealth worth Rs 9,15,113 crore, taking the total m-cap to Rs 1,27,98,444.93 crore on the BSE. The m-cap of BSE-listed companies stood at Rs 1,37,13,558.72 crore at the end of trading on Wednesday. The day's selloff was triggered after the World Health Organization (WHO), late Wednesday night, termed the new coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, and expressed deep concern over the "alarming levels of inaction". Following the announcement, US President Donald Trump suspended all travel from Europe, excluding the UK, to the US for the next 30 days to stop the spread of the virus. Brent crude oil futures were around 4 per cent down at USD 34.37 per barrel, after the travel ban. All Sensex components were trading in the red. Axis Bank was the top loser, tanking over 10 per cent, followed by SBI, Hero MotoCorp, ITC, M&M, Bajaj Auto and Titan. According to traders, volatility peaked in global markets after WHO's announcement describing the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. Besides selloff in global equities, massive plunge in international oil prices and depreciating rupee added to investor concerns, they added. Incessant foreign fund outflow also spooked market participants, traders said. On a net basis, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 3,515.38 crore on Wednesday, data available with stock exchanges showed. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai dropped over 1.50 per cent, Hong Kong 3.50 per cent, Seoul 3.80 per cent and Tokyo cracked up to 4.40 per cent. In overnight trade, the Dow fell into a bear market, and futures pointed Thursday to another rout in New York and Europe. "Globally, a fall of 20 per cent from the recent peak is normally considered as a bear market. However, the definition does not hold good in India. Given its high beta, Indian markets have corrected by 25-30 per cent number of times as recovered quite quickly to resume the uptrend," said Gaurav Dua, Sr Vp, Head? Capital Market Strategy & Investments, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas. COVID-19 has claimed over 4,200 lives and infected more than 117,330 people across 107 countries and territories. China remains the hardest-hit with over 80,000 infections and 3,000 deaths.

Sensex crashes over 2,700 points; Nifty falls below 9,700

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/us-china-trade-deal-what-were-the-key-issues-and-are-they-resolved-275073">Phase 1&nbsp;deal</a>&nbsp;that will roll back some tariffs and see China boost purchases of US&nbsp;goods and services, defusing a prolonged conflict between the world's two largest economies.

Liu said in remarks at the White House that the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/nifty-sensex-settle-near-record-highs-after-us-china-trade-deal-274867">United States and China</a> need to step up cooperation and that the&nbsp;deal&nbsp;benefits both countries and the world. The&nbsp;deal&nbsp;capped an 18-month dispute that had roiled&nbsp;markets.

The centrepiece of the&nbsp;deal&nbsp;is a pledge by China to purchase at least an additional $200 billion worth of US&nbsp; farm products and other goods and services over two years, over a baseline of $186 billion in purchases in 2017.

Key world equity indexes&nbsp;climbed to&nbsp;new&nbsp;records on Wednesday on hopes a US-China&nbsp;trade&nbsp;deal&nbsp;will <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/us-china-trade-pact-fails-to-resolve-three-fundamental-issues-274848">reduce harmful tensions</a>, but&nbsp;oil&nbsp;prices slid on doubts the pact will spur world growth and boost crude&nbsp;demand.

<img alt="Stock Exchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="745cf3ce-50b4-48b1-8998-5f886a9a8990" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202020-01-20T183634.573.jpg" /> 
[&nbsp;Traders work on the floor at the&nbsp;New&nbsp;York Stock Exchange (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

MSCI's all-world stock index and the three major indexes on Wall Street set record intraday highs. The MSCI benchmark, along with the Dow and S&amp;P 500, also posted record closing highs, while the Dow closed above the 29,000 mark for the first time.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/china-will-increase-imports-from-us-according-to-market-principles-official-275252">China will increase imports from US according to 'market principles': Official</a>

The&nbsp;deal&nbsp;is unlikely to significantly change the growth outlook, but it should allow companies to make the capital investments they have not, which is positive, said Marvin Loh, senior&nbsp;global&nbsp;macro strategist at State Street&nbsp;Global&nbsp;Markets.

"What's most important to investors is a potential de-escalation and signs that de-escalation will continue this year, which is the outlook period for a lot of investors," he said.

"If we can somehow take this out as one of the bigger risks that we had all last year, it does give some confidence to the market. Not necessarily from an economic but from a risk parameter perspective," Loh said.

MSCI's gauge of&nbsp;stocks&nbsp;across the globe gained 0.07%. Earlier in Europe, the pan-regional STOXX 600 index closed up 0.1% while MSCI's broadest measure of Asia-Pacific&nbsp;markets&nbsp;outside Japan closed down 0.35%. Japan's Nikkei lost 0.45%.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 90.55 points, or 0.31%, to 29,030.22. The S&amp;P 500 &nbsp;gained 6.14 points, or 0.19%, to 3,289.29 and the Nasdaq Composite added 7.37 points, or 0.08%, to 9,258.70.

Emerging market&nbsp;stocks&nbsp;lost 0.53%.

Oil&nbsp;prices slipped on concerns the&nbsp;trade&nbsp;agreement may not provide much of a&nbsp;demand&nbsp;boost because the United States intends to keep tariffs on Chinese goods until a Phase 2&nbsp;deal&nbsp;is reached.

Prices were also under pressure from a report by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC expects lower&nbsp;demand&nbsp;for its&nbsp;oil&nbsp;in 2020 even as&nbsp;global&nbsp;demand&nbsp;rises, as rival producers grab market share and the United States looks set for another output record.

Brent crude fell 49 cents to settle at $64.00 a barrel. US&nbsp;West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled down 42 cents at $57.81 a barrel.

The dollar pared losses but remained lower against the euro and the yen after the signing of a&nbsp;trade&nbsp;deal&nbsp;that may prove a mild negative for the greenback as it removes uncertainty.

The dollar index, tracking the unit against six major peers, fell 0.14%, with the euro up 0.18% to $1.1147.

US&nbsp;Treasury yields declined as investors repositioned around&nbsp;new&nbsp;data showing producer prices barely rose in December.

A rise in the cost of goods was offset by weakness in services, the latest indication of tame inflation pressures that could allow the Federal Reserve to stand pat on interest rates this year.

Benchmark 10-year notes last rose 9/32 in price to push its yield lower to 1.7864%.

In Europe, investors flocked to&nbsp;new&nbsp;fundraisings by Italy and Belgium a day after Spain saw record&nbsp;demand.

The 10-year German bond yield fell 3 basis points to -0.201%, not too far from the more than six-month highs of -0.157% touched at the start of January.

US&nbsp;gold futures settled up 0.6% at $1,554 an ounce.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed a Phase 1 deal that will roll back some tariffs and see China boost purchases of US goods and services, defusing a prolonged conflict between the world's two largest economies.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed a Phase 1 deal that will roll back some tariffs and see China boost purchases of US goods and services, defusing a prolonged conflict between the world's two largest economies. Liu said in remarks at the White House that the United States and China need to step up cooperation and that the deal benefits both countries and the world. The deal capped an 18-month dispute that had roiled markets. The centrepiece of the deal is a pledge by China to purchase at least an additional $200 billion worth of US farm products and other goods and services over two years, over a baseline of $186 billion in purchases in 2017. Key world equity indexes climbed to new records on Wednesday on hopes a US-China trade deal will reduce harmful tensions, but oil prices slid on doubts the pact will spur world growth and boost crude demand. [ Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (Courtesy: Reuters) ] MSCI's all-world stock index and the three major indexes on Wall Street set record intraday highs. The MSCI benchmark, along with the Dow and S&P 500, also posted record closing highs, while the Dow closed above the 29,000 mark for the first time. Also Read: China will increase imports from US according to 'market principles': Official The deal is unlikely to significantly change the growth outlook, but it should allow companies to make the capital investments they have not, which is positive, said Marvin Loh, senior global macro strategist at State Street Global Markets. "What's most important to investors is a potential de-escalation and signs that de-escalation will continue this year, which is the outlook period for a lot of investors," he said. "If we can somehow take this out as one of the bigger risks that we had all last year, it does give some confidence to the market. Not necessarily from an economic but from a risk parameter perspective," Loh said. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe gained 0.07%. Earlier in Europe, the pan-regional STOXX 600 index closed up 0.1% while MSCI's broadest measure of Asia-Pacific markets outside Japan closed down 0.35%. Japan's Nikkei lost 0.45%. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 90.55 points, or 0.31%, to 29,030.22. The S&P 500 gained 6.14 points, or 0.19%, to 3,289.29 and the Nasdaq Composite added 7.37 points, or 0.08%, to 9,258.70. Emerging market stocks lost 0.53%. Oil prices slipped on concerns the trade agreement may not provide much of a demand boost because the United States intends to keep tariffs on Chinese goods until a Phase 2 deal is reached. Prices were also under pressure from a report by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC expects lower demand for its oil in 2020 even as global demand rises, as rival producers grab market share and the United States looks set for another output record. Brent crude fell 49 cents to settle at $64.00 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled down 42 cents at $57.81 a barrel. The dollar pared losses but remained lower against the euro and the yen after the signing of a trade deal that may prove a mild negative for the greenback as it removes uncertainty. The dollar index, tracking the unit against six major peers, fell 0.14%, with the euro up 0.18% to $1.1147. US Treasury yields declined as investors repositioned around new data showing producer prices barely rose in December. A rise in the cost of goods was offset by weakness in services, the latest indication of tame inflation pressures that could allow the Federal Reserve to stand pat on interest rates this year. Benchmark 10-year notes last rose 9/32 in price to push its yield lower to 1.7864%. In Europe, investors flocked to new fundraisings by Italy and Belgium a day after Spain saw record demand. The 10-year German bond yield fell 3 basis points to -0.201%, not too far from the more than six-month highs of -0.157% touched at the start of January. US gold futures settled up 0.6% at $1,554 an ounce.

US stocks climb to new peak after trade deal

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/royal-jordanian-gulf-air-suspend-flights-to-baghdad-after-us-strikes-kill-top-iran-commander-qasem-soleimani-272050">Gulf</a>&nbsp;stocks fell sharply in early trade on Sunday, led by&nbsp;Kuwaiti shares, on escalating&nbsp;tensions&nbsp;between the United States and&nbsp;Iran.

Iranian military commander <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-will-respond-to-soleimani-killing-any-time-in-any-manner-foreign-minister-zarif-272013">Qassem Soleimani</a>, the architect of Tehran's overseas clandestine and military operations was killed on Friday in a&nbsp;US&nbsp;drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport.

The killing is seen by Tehran as an act of war that risks regional conflagration.

The&nbsp;Kuwaiti index, the best performer in the region in 2019, was down nearly 3.8 per cent&nbsp;in early trade, Dubai stocks were down 1.8 per cent&nbsp;and the Abu Dhabi index fell 1.1 per cent.

The Saudi market&nbsp;plunged 2 per cent&nbsp;at the market open, with shares of in oil giant <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/global-markets-oil-gold-safe-haven-assets-gains-as-us-strike-kills-iranian-commander-271901">Saudi Aramco</a> down 0.7 per cent.

"A <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/us-iran-tensions-and-why-india-should-care-271967">US-Iran</a>&nbsp;war could shave 0.5 percentage points or more off global GDP, mainly due to a collapse in&nbsp;Iran’s economy but also due to the impact from a surge in oil prices," Jason Tuvey, senior emerging&nbsp;markets&nbsp;economist at Capital Economics, said in a note last week.

He said while a&nbsp;US-Iran&nbsp;conflict would probably pressure equity and bond&nbsp;markets&nbsp;in the Middle East,&nbsp;Gulf&nbsp;countries' currency pegs to the&nbsp;US <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/safe-haven-yen-lifted-us-dollar-hits-in-grim-data-after-qassem-soleimani-strike-272054">dollar</a> would likely remain intact.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/us-oil-workers-leave-iraq-air-strike-on-iranian-leader-qassem-soleimani-272049">Oil prices</a> jumped to $63.05 a barrel on Friday, their highest level in more than three months, after Soleimani's killing sparked fears that conflict in the region could disrupt global oil supplies.&nbsp;

Gulf stocks fell sharply in early trade on Sunday, led by Kuwaiti shares, on escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Tehran's overseas clandestine and military operations was killed on Friday in a US drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport.

Gulf stocks fell sharply in early trade on Sunday, led by Kuwaiti shares, on escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Tehran's overseas clandestine and military operations was killed on Friday in a US drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport. The killing is seen by Tehran as an act of war that risks regional conflagration. The Kuwaiti index, the best performer in the region in 2019, was down nearly 3.8 per cent in early trade, Dubai stocks were down 1.8 per cent and the Abu Dhabi index fell 1.1 per cent. The Saudi market plunged 2 per cent at the market open, with shares of in oil giant Saudi Aramco down 0.7 per cent. "A US-Iran war could shave 0.5 percentage points or more off global GDP, mainly due to a collapse in Iran’s economy but also due to the impact from a surge in oil prices," Jason Tuvey, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said in a note last week. He said while a US-Iran conflict would probably pressure equity and bond markets in the Middle East, Gulf countries' currency pegs to the US dollar would likely remain intact. Oil prices jumped to $63.05 a barrel on Friday, their highest level in more than three months, after Soleimani's killing sparked fears that conflict in the region could disrupt global oil supplies.

Gulf markets plunge on US-Iran tensions, Kuwait lead fall

Equities continued to rally on the second day of the new calendar year with benchmark indices closing 0.8 per cent higher due to global gains and stellar performance domestically by infrastructure majors. 
 
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced a Rs 102 lakh crore infrastructure project pipeline for the next five years, a move that is likely to help the country nearly double GDP's size to five trillion dollars by 2025. 
 
The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/equity-indices-close-in-the-green-adani-ports-gains-by-31-per-cent-271482">BSE S&amp;P Sensex</a> closed 321 points up at 41,627 while the Nifty 50 edged higher by 100 points at 12,283. 
 
Except for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/indian-shares-slip-on-year-end-profit-booking-nifty-set-for-13-jump-in-2019-271230">Nifty IT</a> which wound up 0.03 per cent lower, all sectoral indices at the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/equities-begin-2020-on-a-positive-note-led-by-metal-stocks-271361">National Stock Exchange</a> were in the green with Nifty metal shoring up by 2.68 per cent, bank by 1.04 per cent and realty by 0.92 per cent. 
 
Among stocks, auto major <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/market-closing-sensex-ends-17-points-lower-nifty-at-12256-271060">Tata Motors</a> gained by 5.1 per cent intraday to close at Rs 193.85 after global research firm Citi maintained a buy rating on the stock with a target of Rs 200. The firm has a positive stance on JLR recovery while domestic commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle volumes remained weak in December. 
 
But the overall rally was led by infra-led stocks, especially metal majors. Tata Steel gained by 4.3 per cent, JSW Steel by 3.2 per cent, Vedanta by 3.1 per cent and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-rallies-by-413-points-to-scale-new-high-nifty-closes-at-12165-268755">Hindalco</a> by 2.4 per cent. 
 
Aditya Birla-led UltraTech Cement and Grasim added gains of 4.2 per cent and 3 per cent respectively while engineering major Larsen &amp; Toubro edged higher by 2.6 per cent. Private sector lender IndusInd Bank ticked up by 3.2 per cent. 
 
However, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-falls-by-298-points-psu-banks-underperform-270367">Eicher Motors</a> fell by 2.3 per cent while Bajaj Auto, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Cipla and Tata Consultancy Services closed in the red. 
 
Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/global-markets-asian-shares-lower-as-investors-book-decade-end-profits-271229">Asian shares</a> were buoyed by Chinese markets after Beijing eased monetary policy to support slowing growth. Investors also cheered news that the United States and China will sign a trade pact soon after a year of volatile negotiations between the world's two largest economies. 
 
In China, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-falls-181-points-to-close-at-4146126-nifty-at-1221455-270010">Shanghai Composite Index</a> was 1.15 per cent higher but Seoul's Kospi began the year down by 1.02 per cent. Markets in Japan were closed for a national holiday. 
 
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that phase one of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-phase-one-trade-deal-to-be-signed-january-15-trump-271308">trade deal</a> with China will be signed on January 15 at the White House, though uncertainty surrounds details about the agreement.

Equities continued to rally on the second day of the new calendar year with benchmark indices closing 0.8 per cent higher due to global gains and stellar performance domestically by infrastructure majors.

Equities continued to rally on the second day of the new calendar year with benchmark indices closing 0.8 per cent higher due to global gains and stellar performance domestically by infrastructure majors. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced a Rs 102 lakh crore infrastructure project pipeline for the next five years, a move that is likely to help the country nearly double GDP's size to five trillion dollars by 2025. The BSE S&P Sensex closed 321 points up at 41,627 while the Nifty 50 edged higher by 100 points at 12,283. Except for Nifty IT which wound up 0.03 per cent lower, all sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the green with Nifty metal shoring up by 2.68 per cent, bank by 1.04 per cent and realty by 0.92 per cent. Among stocks, auto major Tata Motors gained by 5.1 per cent intraday to close at Rs 193.85 after global research firm Citi maintained a buy rating on the stock with a target of Rs 200. The firm has a positive stance on JLR recovery while domestic commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle volumes remained weak in December. But the overall rally was led by infra-led stocks, especially metal majors. Tata Steel gained by 4.3 per cent, JSW Steel by 3.2 per cent, Vedanta by 3.1 per cent and Hindalco by 2.4 per cent. Aditya Birla-led UltraTech Cement and Grasim added gains of 4.2 per cent and 3 per cent respectively while engineering major Larsen & Toubro edged higher by 2.6 per cent. Private sector lender IndusInd Bank ticked up by 3.2 per cent. However, Eicher Motors fell by 2.3 per cent while Bajaj Auto, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Cipla and Tata Consultancy Services closed in the red. Meanwhile, Asian shares were buoyed by Chinese markets after Beijing eased monetary policy to support slowing growth. Investors also cheered news that the United States and China will sign a trade pact soon after a year of volatile negotiations between the world's two largest economies. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index was 1.15 per cent higher but Seoul's Kospi began the year down by 1.02 per cent. Markets in Japan were closed for a national holiday. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that phase one of the trade deal with China will be signed on January 15 at the White House, though uncertainty surrounds details about the agreement.

Sensex gains by 321 points as Nifty closes on high record, Tata Motors on top winner

Benchmark indices of Indian stock markets are holding on their morning gains with Nifty trading above 11,950 level.

The Sensex is up 133.73 points or 0.33% at 40,546.30, and the Nifty up by 41.65 points or 0.35% at 11,951.80. About 1002 shares have advanced, 504 shares declined, and 98 shares are unchanged.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Indian rupee holding on its morning gains and trading higher by 17 paise at 70.67 per dollar.

However, ONGC, Bharti Infratel, HCL Technologies and HDFC were on a low swing.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks rose to the highest in a month after the US Federal Reserve signalled that interest rates are likely to remain accommodative.&nbsp;

But the upcoming election in Britain and a deadline for US-China trade talks kept most investors cautious.

The Fed kept interest rates unchanged at its policy meeting a day earlier.&nbsp;

That helped MSCI`s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan climb by 0.8 per cent to the highest since November 11. Japan`s Nikkei stock index rose by 0.18 per cent.

Reports said US President Donald Trump is expected to meet soon with top advisers to discuss tariffs on nearly 160 billion dollars of Chinese consumer goods that are scheduled to take effect on December 15.

(With inputs from ANI)

Benchmark indices of Indian stock markets are holding on their morning gains with Nifty trading above 11,950 level. The Sensex is up 133.73 points or 0.33% at 40,546.

Benchmark indices of Indian stock markets are holding on their morning gains with Nifty trading above 11,950 level. The Sensex is up 133.73 points or 0.33% at 40,546.30, and the Nifty up by 41.65 points or 0.35% at 11,951.80. About 1002 shares have advanced, 504 shares declined, and 98 shares are unchanged. Meanwhile, the Indian rupee holding on its morning gains and trading higher by 17 paise at 70.67 per dollar. However, ONGC, Bharti Infratel, HCL Technologies and HDFC were on a low swing. Meanwhile, Asian stocks rose to the highest in a month after the US Federal Reserve signalled that interest rates are likely to remain accommodative. But the upcoming election in Britain and a deadline for US-China trade talks kept most investors cautious. The Fed kept interest rates unchanged at its policy meeting a day earlier. That helped MSCI`s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan climb by 0.8 per cent to the highest since November 11. Japan`s Nikkei stock index rose by 0.18 per cent. Reports said US President Donald Trump is expected to meet soon with top advisers to discuss tariffs on nearly 160 billion dollars of Chinese consumer goods that are scheduled to take effect on December 15. (With inputs from ANI)

Sensex up 133 points, Nifty above 11,950

Saudi Aramco said Sunday it would sell 1.5 per cent of the company in a blockbuster IPO worth at least $24 billion which values it at up to $1.71 trillion.

"The base offer size will be 1.5 per cent of the company's outstanding shares," the state-owned energy giant said in a statement that set the price range at 30-32 Saudi riyals per share ($8-8.5).

The offering is scaled down from original plans which had aimed for a $2.0 trillion valuation, but it could still rival the world's biggest listing so far,&nbsp;the $25 billion float of Chinese retail giant Alibaba in 2014.

Saudi Aramco said Sunday it would sell 1.5 per cent of the company in a blockbuster IPO worth at least $24 billion which values it at up to $1.71 trillion. "The base offer size will be 1.

Saudi Aramco said Sunday it would sell 1.5 per cent of the company in a blockbuster IPO worth at least $24 billion which values it at up to $1.71 trillion. "The base offer size will be 1.5 per cent of the company's outstanding shares," the state-owned energy giant said in a statement that set the price range at 30-32 Saudi riyals per share ($8-8.5). The offering is scaled down from original plans which had aimed for a $2.0 trillion valuation, but it could still rival the world's biggest listing so far, the $25 billion float of Chinese retail giant Alibaba in 2014.

Aramco says to sell 1.5% in IPO worth at least $24 billion

Asian&nbsp;stocks&nbsp;fell on Thursday after soft economic data in China and Japan showed the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../trade-truce-unlikely-in-2020-but-us-recession- fears-recede-economists-reuters-poll-261987">trade war</a> between Beijing and Washington hitting&nbsp;growth&nbsp;in some of the world's biggest economies.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.3 per cent. Japan's Nikkei stock index fell further, dropping 0.8 per cent.

Australia's S&amp;P/ASX200 wiped earlier gains to close 0.5 per cent&nbsp;higher, while Shanghai blue chips trod water, supported by expectations the gloomy figures would add to the case for stimulus.

European stock futures point to a flat open after recent rises. US&nbsp;futures were down 0.1 per cent, following a record-high close on the S&amp;P 500 on Wednesday.

China's&nbsp;industrial production&nbsp;growth&nbsp;slowed sharply in October, with the 4.7 per cent&nbsp;year-on-year rise well below forecasts for 5.4 per cent. Investment&nbsp;growth&nbsp;hit a record low and retail sales also missed expectations.

"The weakness in investment and production would suggest that confidence is down," said Shane Oliver, chief economist at AMP Capital in Sydney.

"It puts more pressure on Chinese authorities to come to a deal with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../garbage-dropped-by-china-india-and-russia- into-the-sea-floats-into-los-angeles-trump-261937">Donald Trump</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../trump-says-china-trade-deal-close-but-dashes- hopes-for-signing-details-261767"> on trade</a>, just as President Trump's desire to be re-elected puts pressure on him to come to a deal."

The weak figures also come as market confidence toward a resolution weakens, with a new Reuters poll showing most economists do not expect Washington and Beijing to strike a permanent truce over the coming year.

Trump offered no update on the progress of negotiations in a policy speech on Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that talks had snagged on farm purchases.

Meanwhile, the&nbsp;global&nbsp;fallout from the dispute is widening.

Data due at 0700 GMT will reveal whether Germany has entered a technical recession, as forecast.

Japan's economic&nbsp;growth&nbsp;hit its slowest pace in a year in the third quarter as soft demand knocked exports.

"Looking around the region, you've had some near misses of recession - Korea's been one, Singapore's also been one and you've got Hong Kong in a recession at the moment," said Sean Darby,&nbsp;global&nbsp;equity strategist at Jefferies in Hong Kong.

"So it's not great. It's not a cycle that is not leaving any scars," he said.

Worries about spiralling violence as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../protesters-block-central-hong-kong-streets-as- chaos-grips-city-261782">anti-government protests</a> intensify in Hong Kong have also soured investor sentiment.

Protesters paralysed parts of Hong Kong for a fourth day on Thursday, forcing school closures and blocking highways and other transport links in a marked escalation of unrest in the financial hub.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.8 per cent on&nbsp;Thursday to a fresh one-month low.

In currency&nbsp;markets, safe havens such as the Japanese yen and Swiss franc held on to gains.

The yen was quoted at 108.70 per dollar, close to a one-week high. The Swiss franc traded at 0.9900 versus the greenback, near the highest in more than a week.

The Australian dollar skidded to a one-month low on Thursday after a worryingly weak reading on employment re-ignited speculation about another cut in interest rates.

Brent crude futures rose 0.6 per cent&nbsp;to $62.76 a barrel while US&nbsp;West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 0.63 per cent&nbsp;to $57.48 per barrel.

The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes rose to 1.8652 percent&nbsp;compared with its US&nbsp;close of 1.869 per cent&nbsp;on Wednesday.

Asian stocks fell on Thursday after soft economic data in China and Japan showed the trade war between Beijing and Washington hitting growth in some of the world's biggest economies.

Asian stocks fell on Thursday after soft economic data in China and Japan showed the trade war between Beijing and Washington hitting growth in some of the world's biggest economies. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.3 per cent. Japan's Nikkei stock index fell further, dropping 0.8 per cent. Australia's S&P/ASX200 wiped earlier gains to close 0.5 per cent higher, while Shanghai blue chips trod water, supported by expectations the gloomy figures would add to the case for stimulus. European stock futures point to a flat open after recent rises. US futures were down 0.1 per cent, following a record-high close on the S&P 500 on Wednesday. China's industrial production growth slowed sharply in October, with the 4.7 per cent year-on-year rise well below forecasts for 5.4 per cent. Investment growth hit a record low and retail sales also missed expectations. "The weakness in investment and production would suggest that confidence is down," said Shane Oliver, chief economist at AMP Capital in Sydney. "It puts more pressure on Chinese authorities to come to a deal with Donald Trump on trade, just as President Trump's desire to be re-elected puts pressure on him to come to a deal." The weak figures also come as market confidence toward a resolution weakens, with a new Reuters poll showing most economists do not expect Washington and Beijing to strike a permanent truce over the coming year. Trump offered no update on the progress of negotiations in a policy speech on Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that talks had snagged on farm purchases. Meanwhile, the global fallout from the dispute is widening. Data due at 0700 GMT will reveal whether Germany has entered a technical recession, as forecast. Japan's economic growth hit its slowest pace in a year in the third quarter as soft demand knocked exports. "Looking around the region, you've had some near misses of recession - Korea's been one, Singapore's also been one and you've got Hong Kong in a recession at the moment," said Sean Darby, global equity strategist at Jefferies in Hong Kong. "So it's not great. It's not a cycle that is not leaving any scars," he said. Worries about spiralling violence as anti-government protests intensify in Hong Kong have also soured investor sentiment. Protesters paralysed parts of Hong Kong for a fourth day on Thursday, forcing school closures and blocking highways and other transport links in a marked escalation of unrest in the financial hub. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.8 per cent on Thursday to a fresh one-month low. In currency markets, safe havens such as the Japanese yen and Swiss franc held on to gains. The yen was quoted at 108.70 per dollar, close to a one-week high. The Swiss franc traded at 0.9900 versus the greenback, near the highest in more than a week. The Australian dollar skidded to a one-month low on Thursday after a worryingly weak reading on employment re-ignited speculation about another cut in interest rates. Brent crude futures rose 0.6 per cent to $62.76 a barrel while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 0.63 per cent to $57.48 per barrel. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes rose to 1.8652 percent compared with its US close of 1.869 per cent on Wednesday.

Asian stocks retreat as China's growth slowdown deepens

Asian shares napped near multi-month peaks on Thursday while bonds eked out a bounce as reports of delays in sealing a preliminary Sino-US&nbsp;trade deal left investors frustrated at the lack of concrete progress.

In early European trades, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures&nbsp;were up slightly while those for German DAX were flat. London's FTSE futures&nbsp;rose 0.2 per cent.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan&nbsp;dipped a slight 0.2 per cent, just off a six-month highs hit earlier in the week.

Japan's Nikkei dithered either side of flat in very quiet trade, having touched a 13-month top on Wednesday. South Korean stocks eased 0.15 per cent&nbsp;after hitting their highest since May, while Shanghai blue chips lost 0.08 per cent.

E-Mini futures for the S&amp;P 500 eased 0.1 per cent.

Reuters reported on Wednesday a meeting between US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign an interim trade deal could be <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-trade-deal-signing-could-be-delayed-to-december-london-a-possible-venue-report-260422">delayed until December</a> as discussions continue over terms and venue.

Among various suggestions was to sign a deal after a scheduled NATO meeting in early December.

"One could take the view that by not committing to meet the original deadline it gives more time for a somewhat more comprehensive agreement to be thrashed out," said Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank.

"But markets have understandably jumped the other way, exhibiting a slight loss of confidence that anything more substantial than an agreement not to further lift tariffs, in return for some increase in US agricultural purchases, can be agreed by way of an initial deal."

Wall Street was underwhelmed by the news and the Dow ended Wednesday all but flat, while the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;gained 0.07 per cent&nbsp;and the Nasdaq&nbsp;dropped 0.29 per cent.

HP Inc&nbsp;rose over 6 per cent&nbsp;after Reuters reported US&nbsp;printer maker Xerox Holdings Corp&nbsp;has made a roughly $33 billion cash-and-stock offer for the computer group.

The pause in the risk rally helped bonds recoup a little of their recent losses. Yields on benchmark US&nbsp;10-year notes&nbsp;fell back to 1.81 per cent&nbsp;from a two-month top of 1.87 per cent.

That, in turn, restrained the dollar, which eased to 108.74 yen&nbsp;from a weekly high of 109.24. The dollar was steady on a basket of currencies at 97.965.

The euro was struggling to sustain any bounce at $1.1061, perilously close to chart support at $1.1060.

Spot gold was little changed at $1,490.38 per ounce&nbsp;and well within recent tight trading ranges.

Oil prices nursed losses after taking a hit from a surprisingly large build in US&nbsp;crude inventories.

US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;was 6 cents lower at $56.29 a barrel, while Brent crude&nbsp;slipped 7 cents to $61.67.

Asian shares napped near multi-month peaks on Thursday while bonds eked out a bounce as reports of delays in sealing a preliminary Sino-US trade deal left investors frustrated at the lack of concrete progress.

Asian shares napped near multi-month peaks on Thursday while bonds eked out a bounce as reports of delays in sealing a preliminary Sino-US trade deal left investors frustrated at the lack of concrete progress. In early European trades, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures were up slightly while those for German DAX were flat. London's FTSE futures rose 0.2 per cent. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped a slight 0.2 per cent, just off a six-month highs hit earlier in the week. Japan's Nikkei dithered either side of flat in very quiet trade, having touched a 13-month top on Wednesday. South Korean stocks eased 0.15 per cent after hitting their highest since May, while Shanghai blue chips lost 0.08 per cent. E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 eased 0.1 per cent. Reuters reported on Wednesday a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign an interim trade deal could be delayed until December as discussions continue over terms and venue. Among various suggestions was to sign a deal after a scheduled NATO meeting in early December. "One could take the view that by not committing to meet the original deadline it gives more time for a somewhat more comprehensive agreement to be thrashed out," said Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank. "But markets have understandably jumped the other way, exhibiting a slight loss of confidence that anything more substantial than an agreement not to further lift tariffs, in return for some increase in US agricultural purchases, can be agreed by way of an initial deal." Wall Street was underwhelmed by the news and the Dow ended Wednesday all but flat, while the S&P 500 gained 0.07 per cent and the Nasdaq dropped 0.29 per cent. HP Inc rose over 6 per cent after Reuters reported US printer maker Xerox Holdings Corp has made a roughly $33 billion cash-and-stock offer for the computer group. The pause in the risk rally helped bonds recoup a little of their recent losses. Yields on benchmark US 10-year notes fell back to 1.81 per cent from a two-month top of 1.87 per cent. That, in turn, restrained the dollar, which eased to 108.74 yen from a weekly high of 109.24. The dollar was steady on a basket of currencies at 97.965. The euro was struggling to sustain any bounce at $1.1061, perilously close to chart support at $1.1060. Spot gold was little changed at $1,490.38 per ounce and well within recent tight trading ranges. Oil prices nursed losses after taking a hit from a surprisingly large build in US crude inventories. US crude was 6 cents lower at $56.29 a barrel, while Brent crude slipped 7 cents to $61.67.

Asia stocks frustrated as trade doubts resurface

Domestic Stock market indices were volatile on Friday but traded in a narrow range throughout the trading session.

The Sensex ended 36 points higher at 40,165 while the Nifty 50 edged higher by 22.05 points to 11,899.50.

Most sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the green except for Nifty auto and IT. Nifty media jumped by 7.6 per cent while metal was up by 2.3 per cent.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 2.83 per cent while Nifty added 2.72 per cent.

Sectorally, barring auto and IT stocks, all the sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the green. Media stocks jumped the most with the Nifty Media jumping nearly 8 per cent to 1,923.15 levels.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

Domestic Stock market indices were volatile on Friday but traded in a narrow range throughout the trading session. The Sensex ended 36 points higher at 40,165 while the Nifty 50 edged higher by 22.

Domestic Stock market indices were volatile on Friday but traded in a narrow range throughout the trading session. The Sensex ended 36 points higher at 40,165 while the Nifty 50 edged higher by 22.05 points to 11,899.50. Most sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the green except for Nifty auto and IT. Nifty media jumped by 7.6 per cent while metal was up by 2.3 per cent. On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 2.83 per cent while Nifty added 2.72 per cent. Sectorally, barring auto and IT stocks, all the sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the green. Media stocks jumped the most with the Nifty Media jumping nearly 8 per cent to 1,923.15 levels. (With inputs from ANI)

Sensex holds above 40,000 mark, Nifty closes at 11,899.50

Domestic stock market indices extended gains for the fourth straight day on Wednesday with Sensex ending the trading session above the important level of 40,000.

Sensex added 220 points or 0.55 per cent to end at 40,052 and Nifty50 index ended at 11,844, up 57 points or 0.49 per cent. Out of 50 components, 28 ended in the green and 22 in the red.&nbsp;

During the early trade at around 10.35 am, Sensex was trading at 40,020.22 points, up by 188 points while Nifty was up 55.85 points at 11,842.60.

Sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were mixed with Nifty PSU bank up by 3.7 per cent, IT by 1.4 per cent and FMCG by one per cent.

Among stocks, energy major GAIL was a prominent winner with gains of 6.3 per cent at Rs 133.80.

IndianOil too showed gains of 1.9 per cent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a day earlier that India will invest 100 billion dollars in oil and gas infrastructure to meet energy needs of an economy that is being targeted to nearly double in five years.

The country's largest lender State Bank of India edged higher by 3.4 per cent to Rs 290.40 per share. Besides, Tata Consultancy Services, ITC, Nestle India, Bharti Airtel and Eicher Motors showed modest profits.

However, Bharti Infratel closed 5.2 per cent lower after witnessing gains during the morning session. Yes Bank, Cipla, Maruti and Britannia too closed in the red.

Meanwhile, Asian stock markets traded in the negative zone as the prospect of a rate cut by the US Fed was countered by worries that the US-China first-stage trade deal could be delayed.

Japan's Nikkei slipped by 0.57 per cent while South Korea's Kospi traded down by 0.59 per cent. The Shanghai Composite fell by 0.50 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped by 0.44 per cent.

(With inputs from ANI)

Domestic stock market indices extended gains for the fourth straight day on Wednesday with Sensex ending the trading session above the important level of 40,000.

Domestic stock market indices extended gains for the fourth straight day on Wednesday with Sensex ending the trading session above the important level of 40,000. Sensex added 220 points or 0.55 per cent to end at 40,052 and Nifty50 index ended at 11,844, up 57 points or 0.49 per cent. Out of 50 components, 28 ended in the green and 22 in the red. During the early trade at around 10.35 am, Sensex was trading at 40,020.22 points, up by 188 points while Nifty was up 55.85 points at 11,842.60. Sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were mixed with Nifty PSU bank up by 3.7 per cent, IT by 1.4 per cent and FMCG by one per cent. Among stocks, energy major GAIL was a prominent winner with gains of 6.3 per cent at Rs 133.80. IndianOil too showed gains of 1.9 per cent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a day earlier that India will invest 100 billion dollars in oil and gas infrastructure to meet energy needs of an economy that is being targeted to nearly double in five years. The country's largest lender State Bank of India edged higher by 3.4 per cent to Rs 290.40 per share. Besides, Tata Consultancy Services, ITC, Nestle India, Bharti Airtel and Eicher Motors showed modest profits. However, Bharti Infratel closed 5.2 per cent lower after witnessing gains during the morning session. Yes Bank, Cipla, Maruti and Britannia too closed in the red. Meanwhile, Asian stock markets traded in the negative zone as the prospect of a rate cut by the US Fed was countered by worries that the US-China first-stage trade deal could be delayed. Japan's Nikkei slipped by 0.57 per cent while South Korea's Kospi traded down by 0.59 per cent. The Shanghai Composite fell by 0.50 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped by 0.44 per cent. (With inputs from ANI)

Sensex gains 220 points, hits 40,000 for first time since July

Software major Infosys said on Tuesday it has engaged law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Company to conduct an independent investigation on two complaints by some employees about unethical measures to boost profits.

An anonymous group calling itself 'ethical employees' alleged in a letter to the board of Infosys and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salil Parekh and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Nilanjan Roy took disturbing unethical measures to boost profits and short-term revenue.

The complainants said they have emails and voice recordings to substantiate the claims.

"These complaints are being dealt with in an objective manner," said Chairman of Infosys Ltd Nandan Nilekani. "The undated whistleblower complaint largely deals with allegations relating to the CEO's international travel to the United States and Mumbai," he said in a statement.

Nilekani said the company's statutory auditors Deloitte India has also been completely updated on this matter post the board meeting of October 11.

"Although we have not been provided any of the emails or voice recordings, we will ensure that the generalised allegations are investigated to the fullest extent. Additionally, to ensure independence in these investigations the CEO and CFO have been recused from this matter."

Because the investigation is ongoing, said Nilekani, there will be no further comment so that investigation may be conducted in a thorough and objective manner.&nbsp;

"At the appropriate time, we will provide a summary of the investigations results. The board is committed to uphold the highest standard of corporate governance and protect the interests of all stakeholders."

In one of the letters, the whistleblower said that Parekh and Roy were pressuring the finance team to show more profits in their treasury management by taking risks and making changes to policies.

"He (Parekh) directs them to make wrong assumptions to show margins. Several billion-dollar deals of the last few quarters have nil margin. Please ask auditors to check deal proposals, margins, undisclosed upfront commitments made and revenue recognition," the letter said.

"In large contracts like Verizon, Intel, joint ventures in Japan, ABN AMRO acquisition, revenue recognition matters are forced, which are not as per accounting standards," the letter stated.

At 11 am on Tuesday, Infosys was trading 14.01 per cent lower at Rs 660.30 per share.&nbsp;

Software major Infosys said on Tuesday it has engaged law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Company to conduct an independent investigation on two complaints by some employees about unethical measures to boost profits.

Software major Infosys said on Tuesday it has engaged law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Company to conduct an independent investigation on two complaints by some employees about unethical measures to boost profits. An anonymous group calling itself 'ethical employees' alleged in a letter to the board of Infosys and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salil Parekh and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Nilanjan Roy took disturbing unethical measures to boost profits and short-term revenue. The complainants said they have emails and voice recordings to substantiate the claims. "These complaints are being dealt with in an objective manner," said Chairman of Infosys Ltd Nandan Nilekani. "The undated whistleblower complaint largely deals with allegations relating to the CEO's international travel to the United States and Mumbai," he said in a statement. Nilekani said the company's statutory auditors Deloitte India has also been completely updated on this matter post the board meeting of October 11. "Although we have not been provided any of the emails or voice recordings, we will ensure that the generalised allegations are investigated to the fullest extent. Additionally, to ensure independence in these investigations the CEO and CFO have been recused from this matter." Because the investigation is ongoing, said Nilekani, there will be no further comment so that investigation may be conducted in a thorough and objective manner. "At the appropriate time, we will provide a summary of the investigations results. The board is committed to uphold the highest standard of corporate governance and protect the interests of all stakeholders." In one of the letters, the whistleblower said that Parekh and Roy were pressuring the finance team to show more profits in their treasury management by taking risks and making changes to policies. "He (Parekh) directs them to make wrong assumptions to show margins. Several billion-dollar deals of the last few quarters have nil margin. Please ask auditors to check deal proposals, margins, undisclosed upfront commitments made and revenue recognition," the letter said. "In large contracts like Verizon, Intel, joint ventures in Japan, ABN AMRO acquisition, revenue recognition matters are forced, which are not as per accounting standards," the letter stated. At 11 am on Tuesday, Infosys was trading 14.01 per cent lower at Rs 660.30 per share.

Infosys in damage control mode after complaints of unethical practices, stock down by 14 per cent

Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday on growing optimism that China and the US will sign a partial trade deal next month, while the pound held firm around five-month highs as dealers bet Britain will leave the EU with a Brexit agreement.

Donald Trump reinforced hopes Monday that he and Xi Jinping will be able to put pen to paper on a mini pact, saying China had already begun promised purchases of farm goods and that the first part of a wider commitment was almost complete.

"We'll be able to, we think, sign a completed document with China on phase one," Trump said at the White House, adding they would then move on to the next phases.

Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said efforts were being made for it to be ready when the leaders meet at the APEC summit next month in Chile.

And Trump's economics adviser Larry Kudlow indicated tariffs planned to go into effect in December could be cancelled if the talks go well. 
Increasing signs of progress in the 18-month trade war provided some much-needed relief to global markets, with all three main indexes on Wall Street ending higher and Asia taking up the lead.

Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney each rose 0.2 per cent, Singapore put on 0.8 per cent and Seoul rallied 0.9 per cent. Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also higher. Tokyo was closed for a holiday.

"Unlike previous trade talks where expectations centred on the view that something is better than nothing, this time around there appears to be a tangible and workable roadmap in place," said AxiTrader senior market analyst Stephen Innes.

'On the same page'

He said this was "supported by official confirmation that the US and China were both on the same page about the intent to work towards phase one of a 'deal' by mid-November".

The "fact that phase two is even being discussed at this time... suggests that both the US and China may have finally found a bridge that isn't too far".

Traders are also keeping watch on events in London, where Boris Johnson will try on Tuesday to push his Brexit deal with the EU through parliament before next Thursday's deadline.

Sterling rallied Monday to $1.3013 -- its highest since May -- but ticked back after House of Commons Speaker John Bercow refused the prime minister's request to put his bill to MPs.

On Monday it edged back up against the dollar and euro. 
And while many lawmakers say they need more time to read through the details, there is a growing expectation that the government can muster enough support to eventually push the bill through later Tuesday.

Still, with the vote likely to be tight, traders are moving cautiously.

"While markets haven't seen fit to reverse last week's optimism that saw sterling smartly higher, they aren't yet prepared to take the pound up to the next level that successful passage of the Brexit agreement would presumably entail," said Ray Attrill at National Australia Bank.

Key figures around

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.2 per cent at 26,779.16 
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 2,944.26 
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday 
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2982 from $1.2960 at 2100 GMT 
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.91 pence from 86.03 pence 
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1157 from $1.1145&nbsp; 
Dollar/yen: UP at 108.69 yen from 108.60 yen 
West Texas Intermediate: UP 16 cents at $53.47 per barrel 
Brent North Sea crude: UP 12 cents at $59.08 per barrel 
New York - Dow: UP at 0.2 percent at 26,827.64 (close) 
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 7,163.64 (close)

Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday on growing optimism that China and the US will sign a partial trade deal next month, while the pound held firm around five-month highs as dealers bet Britain will leave the EU with a Brexit agreement.

Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday on growing optimism that China and the US will sign a partial trade deal next month, while the pound held firm around five-month highs as dealers bet Britain will leave the EU with a Brexit agreement. Donald Trump reinforced hopes Monday that he and Xi Jinping will be able to put pen to paper on a mini pact, saying China had already begun promised purchases of farm goods and that the first part of a wider commitment was almost complete. "We'll be able to, we think, sign a completed document with China on phase one," Trump said at the White House, adding they would then move on to the next phases. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said efforts were being made for it to be ready when the leaders meet at the APEC summit next month in Chile. And Trump's economics adviser Larry Kudlow indicated tariffs planned to go into effect in December could be cancelled if the talks go well. Increasing signs of progress in the 18-month trade war provided some much-needed relief to global markets, with all three main indexes on Wall Street ending higher and Asia taking up the lead. Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney each rose 0.2 per cent, Singapore put on 0.8 per cent and Seoul rallied 0.9 per cent. Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also higher. Tokyo was closed for a holiday. "Unlike previous trade talks where expectations centred on the view that something is better than nothing, this time around there appears to be a tangible and workable roadmap in place," said AxiTrader senior market analyst Stephen Innes. 'On the same page' He said this was "supported by official confirmation that the US and China were both on the same page about the intent to work towards phase one of a 'deal' by mid-November". The "fact that phase two is even being discussed at this time... suggests that both the US and China may have finally found a bridge that isn't too far". Traders are also keeping watch on events in London, where Boris Johnson will try on Tuesday to push his Brexit deal with the EU through parliament before next Thursday's deadline. Sterling rallied Monday to $1.3013 -- its highest since May -- but ticked back after House of Commons Speaker John Bercow refused the prime minister's request to put his bill to MPs. On Monday it edged back up against the dollar and euro. And while many lawmakers say they need more time to read through the details, there is a growing expectation that the government can muster enough support to eventually push the bill through later Tuesday. Still, with the vote likely to be tight, traders are moving cautiously. "While markets haven't seen fit to reverse last week's optimism that saw sterling smartly higher, they aren't yet prepared to take the pound up to the next level that successful passage of the Brexit agreement would presumably entail," said Ray Attrill at National Australia Bank. Key figures around Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.2 per cent at 26,779.16 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 2,944.26 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2982 from $1.2960 at 2100 GMT Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.91 pence from 86.03 pence Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1157 from $1.1145 Dollar/yen: UP at 108.69 yen from 108.60 yen West Texas Intermediate: UP 16 cents at $53.47 per barrel Brent North Sea crude: UP 12 cents at $59.08 per barrel New York - Dow: UP at 0.2 percent at 26,827.64 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 7,163.64 (close)

Asian markets lifted by China-US trade hopes, pound stands ground

Equity markets traded with a negative bias throughout the trading session on Thursday and closed in the red as profit booking weighed in.

The BSE S&amp;P Sensex closed 199 points or 0.5 per cent lower at 38,107 while the Nifty 50 slid by 47 points to 11,313.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), most sectoral indices were in the red except for auto, media, PSU bank, and realty.

The nifty metal was down by 3 per cent, financial service by 1.1 per cent and private bank by 1.02 per cent.

But among stocks, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-nifty-slip-as-united-states-widens-trade-war-to-europe-yes-bank-recovers-253385">Yes Bank</a>&nbsp;rose by 33.59 per cent to Rs 42.75 per share after Managing Director and CEO Ravneet Gill had a conference call with investors and analysts to assure them about the bank's strong fundamentals and operating metrics.

He said that Senior Group President and Chief Financial Officer Rajat Monga has decided to quit.

The other prominent gains were Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Zee Entertainment, Tata Motors, and Indian Oil Corporation.

However, metal stocks suffered badly with Vedanta down by 4.6 per cent, Hindalco by 4 per cent and Tata Steel by 3.4 per cent.

Private banks also remained on slippery ground with the IndusInd Bank sliding by 3 per cent, Kotak Mahindra Bank by 2.1 per cent, HDFC Bank by 2 per cent and Axis Bank by 1.7 per cent.

The other prominent losers were Coal India, Grasim and UltraTech Cements.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks skidded to a one-month low after President Donald Trump's administration announced a day earlier that the United States will <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-widens-trade-war-with-tariffs-on-european-planes-cheese-whisky-to-punish-subsidies-253360">impose tariffs</a> on 7.5 billion dollars of goods from the European Union.

Japanese Nikkei traded down by over 2 per cent, South Korean Kospi by 1.9 per cent and Shanghai composite index by 0.9 per cent.

Global slowdown coupled with the chaos in Hong Kong pulled down other Asian indices as well.

Equity markets traded with a negative bias throughout the trading session on Thursday and closed in the red as profit booking weighed in. The BSE S&P Sensex closed 199 points or 0.

Equity markets traded with a negative bias throughout the trading session on Thursday and closed in the red as profit booking weighed in. The BSE S&P Sensex closed 199 points or 0.5 per cent lower at 38,107 while the Nifty 50 slid by 47 points to 11,313. At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), most sectoral indices were in the red except for auto, media, PSU bank, and realty. The nifty metal was down by 3 per cent, financial service by 1.1 per cent and private bank by 1.02 per cent. But among stocks, Yes Bank rose by 33.59 per cent to Rs 42.75 per share after Managing Director and CEO Ravneet Gill had a conference call with investors and analysts to assure them about the bank's strong fundamentals and operating metrics. He said that Senior Group President and Chief Financial Officer Rajat Monga has decided to quit. The other prominent gains were Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Zee Entertainment, Tata Motors, and Indian Oil Corporation. However, metal stocks suffered badly with Vedanta down by 4.6 per cent, Hindalco by 4 per cent and Tata Steel by 3.4 per cent. Private banks also remained on slippery ground with the IndusInd Bank sliding by 3 per cent, Kotak Mahindra Bank by 2.1 per cent, HDFC Bank by 2 per cent and Axis Bank by 1.7 per cent. The other prominent losers were Coal India, Grasim and UltraTech Cements. Meanwhile, Asian stocks skidded to a one-month low after President Donald Trump's administration announced a day earlier that the United States will impose tariffs on 7.5 billion dollars of goods from the European Union. Japanese Nikkei traded down by over 2 per cent, South Korean Kospi by 1.9 per cent and Shanghai composite index by 0.9 per cent. Global slowdown coupled with the chaos in Hong Kong pulled down other Asian indices as well.

Sensex closes 199 points lower but Yes Bank jumps over 33%

Equity benchmark indices were subdued during early hours on Friday tracking weakness in Asian peers amid global growth concerns.

At 10:15 am, the BSE S &amp; P Sensex was down by 88 points at 39,902 while the Nifty 50 slipped by 37 point to 11,535. At the National Stock Exchange, most sectoral indices were in the red except for financial services, PSU bank and FMCG.

Among stocks, Tata Motors lost by 3.2 per cent to Rs 120.45 per share after Jaguar Land Rover said it will suspend production for a week after the planned Brexit date of October 31 as a prudent measure.

Metal stocks like Tata Steel, Vedanta and Hindalco too suffered losses of over 2 per cent each.

The other prominent losers were ONGC, GAIL, Nestle Indian and Bharti Infratel.

However, FMCG major ITC gained by 2.1 per cent. The others which added gains were Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv and HDFC.

Meanwhile, Asian shares were on course for a second straight week of losses.

The release of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whistleblower-in-donald-trump-ukraine-scandal-a-cia-officer-report-252276">whistleblower complaint against</a> US President Donald Trump heightened uncertainties about the global economy which is already reeling under the impact of US-China trade tariff issues.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan slipped by 0.42 per cent while Japan's Nikkei slid by 1.27 per cent.

A whistleblower report released on Thursday said Trump not only abused his office in attempting to solicit Ukraine's interference in the US election for his political benefit but that the White House tried to lock down evidence about that conduct.

The report came after the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi launched an impeachment inquiry into him.

Equity benchmark indices were subdued during early hours on Friday tracking weakness in Asian peers amid global growth concerns. At 10:15 am, the BSE S & P Sensex was down by 88 points at 39,902 while the Nifty 50 slipped by 37 point to 11,535.

Equity benchmark indices were subdued during early hours on Friday tracking weakness in Asian peers amid global growth concerns. At 10:15 am, the BSE S & P Sensex was down by 88 points at 39,902 while the Nifty 50 slipped by 37 point to 11,535. At the National Stock Exchange, most sectoral indices were in the red except for financial services, PSU bank and FMCG. Among stocks, Tata Motors lost by 3.2 per cent to Rs 120.45 per share after Jaguar Land Rover said it will suspend production for a week after the planned Brexit date of October 31 as a prudent measure. Metal stocks like Tata Steel, Vedanta and Hindalco too suffered losses of over 2 per cent each. The other prominent losers were ONGC, GAIL, Nestle Indian and Bharti Infratel. However, FMCG major ITC gained by 2.1 per cent. The others which added gains were Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv and HDFC. Meanwhile, Asian shares were on course for a second straight week of losses. The release of a whistleblower complaint against US President Donald Trump heightened uncertainties about the global economy which is already reeling under the impact of US-China trade tariff issues. MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan slipped by 0.42 per cent while Japan's Nikkei slid by 1.27 per cent. A whistleblower report released on Thursday said Trump not only abused his office in attempting to solicit Ukraine's interference in the US election for his political benefit but that the White House tried to lock down evidence about that conduct. The report came after the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi launched an impeachment inquiry into him.

Equities subdued on global cues, auto and metal stocks suffer

Global&nbsp;shares ticked&nbsp;up&nbsp;on Tuesday after US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-wants-to-make-meaningful-progress-in-china-trade-talks-249287">US-China&nbsp;trade&nbsp;talks</a> will resume next month, but lingering concerns about slowing&nbsp;global&nbsp;growth tempered the overall appetite for riskier assets.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan moved&nbsp;up&nbsp;0.06 per cent, supported by 0.4 per cent&nbsp;gains in mainland Chinese shares, while Japan's Nikkei edged&nbsp;up&nbsp;0.20 per cent&nbsp;after a market holiday on Monday.

U.S. stock futures gained 0.39 per cent, helped by comments from US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that US-China&nbsp;trade&nbsp;talks will resume next week. He later clarified that the negotiations will take place in two weeks.

"The comments gave a little bit of boost to sentiment, but markets are still not that optimistic either," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management.

"It seems there has been a lot going on behind the scenes," he said, referring to unusual exchanges in which US&nbsp;President Donald Trump questioned a decision by his top&nbsp;trade&nbsp;negotiators to ask Chinese officials to delay a planned trip to U.S. farming regions.

That cancellation was seen by markets as a sign of fallout&nbsp;in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trade-talks-seen-as-unlikely-to-mend-us-china-divide-250119">US-China talks</a> and sent&nbsp;share prices lower on Friday.

The dispute between the world's two largest economies has dragged on for well over a year, rattling investors and denting&nbsp;global&nbsp;growth.

Concerns over a slowing&nbsp;global&nbsp;economy remained front and centre for financial markets, as poor business activity readings from the eurozone deepened fears of a recession and suggested more stimulus was required.

"While the Nikkei was fairly well supported, we need more catalysts to further rises. That's also true for U.S. markets as well," said Takeo Kamai, Head of Execution Service at CLSA.

"While speculators have reacted to the&nbsp;trade-related headlines, real-money people appear to be staying on the sideline", Kamai added.

The euro wobbled at $1.0991, falling below key support around $1.10 and not far from a 28-month low of $1.0926 touched earlier this month.

Sterling also slipped to $1.2435, having peaked at a two-month high of $1.2582 set on Friday as&nbsp;traders looked to a Supreme Court ruling on whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled Queen Elizabeth over his reasons for suspending parliament this month.

The Supreme Court said that it will issue its decision at 0930 GMT on Tuesday.

The collapse of the British travel firm Thomas Cook could also put some pressure on the Pound by highlighting the weakness of British retailing.

The Y<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/asian-markets-slip-amidst-us-china-trade-war-251380">en</a>&nbsp;traded at 107.57 Yen per Dollar, having hit two-week highs of 107.32 on Monday.

US&nbsp;Treasuries yields extended their decline, with the 10-year rate falling to 1.716 per cent, edging down further from 1.908 per cent&nbsp;marked on September&nbsp;13.

Oil prices dipped slightly but were still supported by doubts on whether Saudi Arabia would be able to restore full output as it has promised after the September&nbsp;14 attacks on its facilities.

Brent crude futures fell 0.42 per cent&nbsp;to $64.50 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost 0.34 per cent&nbsp;to $58.44 per barrel.

Global shares ticked up on Tuesday after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that US-China trade talks will resume next month, but lingering concerns about slowing global growth tempered the overall appetite for riskier assets.

Global shares ticked up on Tuesday after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that US-China trade talks will resume next month, but lingering concerns about slowing global growth tempered the overall appetite for riskier assets. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan moved up 0.06 per cent, supported by 0.4 per cent gains in mainland Chinese shares, while Japan's Nikkei edged up 0.20 per cent after a market holiday on Monday. U.S. stock futures gained 0.39 per cent, helped by comments from US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that US-China trade talks will resume next week. He later clarified that the negotiations will take place in two weeks. "The comments gave a little bit of boost to sentiment, but markets are still not that optimistic either," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management. "It seems there has been a lot going on behind the scenes," he said, referring to unusual exchanges in which US President Donald Trump questioned a decision by his top trade negotiators to ask Chinese officials to delay a planned trip to U.S. farming regions. That cancellation was seen by markets as a sign of fallout in the US-China talks and sent share prices lower on Friday. The dispute between the world's two largest economies has dragged on for well over a year, rattling investors and denting global growth. Concerns over a slowing global economy remained front and centre for financial markets, as poor business activity readings from the eurozone deepened fears of a recession and suggested more stimulus was required. "While the Nikkei was fairly well supported, we need more catalysts to further rises. That's also true for U.S. markets as well," said Takeo Kamai, Head of Execution Service at CLSA. "While speculators have reacted to the trade-related headlines, real-money people appear to be staying on the sideline", Kamai added. The euro wobbled at $1.0991, falling below key support around $1.10 and not far from a 28-month low of $1.0926 touched earlier this month. Sterling also slipped to $1.2435, having peaked at a two-month high of $1.2582 set on Friday as traders looked to a Supreme Court ruling on whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled Queen Elizabeth over his reasons for suspending parliament this month. The Supreme Court said that it will issue its decision at 0930 GMT on Tuesday. The collapse of the British travel firm Thomas Cook could also put some pressure on the Pound by highlighting the weakness of British retailing. The Yen traded at 107.57 Yen per Dollar, having hit two-week highs of 107.32 on Monday. US Treasuries yields extended their decline, with the 10-year rate falling to 1.716 per cent, edging down further from 1.908 per cent marked on September 13. Oil prices dipped slightly but were still supported by doubts on whether Saudi Arabia would be able to restore full output as it has promised after the September 14 attacks on its facilities. Brent crude futures fell 0.42 per cent to $64.50 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost 0.34 per cent to $58.44 per barrel.

Global stocks inch up on trade hopes but growth fears temper gains

Indian shares closed over 1 per cent&nbsp;lower on Thursday, with financial and metal stocks falling the most, as markets remained wary of government's measures to revive slowing economic growth.

The broader NSE Nifty ended 1.25 per cent&nbsp;down at 10,704.80, while the benchmark BSE Sensex fell 1.29 per cent&nbsp;to 36,093.47.

"There is a clear disappointment in the market. The government is showing intent to help, but that is not enough to calm down investors", said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities in New Delhi.

"There is chaos and the benefit of the doubt that markets were giving to the government that they may come to the rescue is not holding up."

Indian markets have been hammered so far this week on concerns around surging crude prices and slowing economic growth, both at home and globally.

Yes Bank Ltd, which fell 15.76 per cent,&nbsp;was the top decliner on the NSE index.

The Nifty PSU bank index shed 2.25 per cent,&nbsp;with all 12 constituents closing below 1 per cent.

The Nifty Metals index settled 1.63 per cent&nbsp;lower, with 13 out of 15 constituents finishing in the red.

Shares of lender Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd fell as much as 9.06 per cent&nbsp;to its lowest in nearly five years.

Meanwhile, only seven out of 50 stocks on the blue-chip index ended higher.

Indian shares closed over 1 per cent lower on Thursday, with financial and metal stocks falling the most, as markets remained wary of government's measures to revive slowing economic growth.

Indian shares closed over 1 per cent lower on Thursday, with financial and metal stocks falling the most, as markets remained wary of government's measures to revive slowing economic growth. The broader NSE Nifty ended 1.25 per cent down at 10,704.80, while the benchmark BSE Sensex fell 1.29 per cent to 36,093.47. "There is a clear disappointment in the market. The government is showing intent to help, but that is not enough to calm down investors", said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities in New Delhi. "There is chaos and the benefit of the doubt that markets were giving to the government that they may come to the rescue is not holding up." Indian markets have been hammered so far this week on concerns around surging crude prices and slowing economic growth, both at home and globally. Yes Bank Ltd, which fell 15.76 per cent, was the top decliner on the NSE index. The Nifty PSU bank index shed 2.25 per cent, with all 12 constituents closing below 1 per cent. The Nifty Metals index settled 1.63 per cent lower, with 13 out of 15 constituents finishing in the red. Shares of lender Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd fell as much as 9.06 per cent to its lowest in nearly five years. Meanwhile, only seven out of 50 stocks on the blue-chip index ended higher.

Nifty, Sensex end over 1% lower; banks, metal stocks take a beating

Indian shares closed over 1 per cent&nbsp;lower on Thursday, with financial and metal stocks falling the most, as markets remained wary of government's measures to revive slowing economic growth.

The broader NSE Nifty ended 1.25 per cent&nbsp;down at 10,704.80, while the benchmark BSE Sensex fell 1.29 per cent&nbsp;to 36,093.47.

"There is a clear disappointment in the market. The government is showing intent to help, but that is not enough to calm down investors", said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities in New Delhi.

"There is chaos and the benefit of doubt that markets were giving to the government that they may come to the rescue is not holding up."

Indian markets have been hammered so far this week on concerns around surging crude prices and slowing economic growth, both at home and globally.

Yes Bank Ltd, which fell 15.76 per cent,&nbsp;was the top decliner on the NSE index.

The Nifty PSU bank index shed 2.25 per cent,&nbsp;with all 12 constituents closing below 1 per cent.

The Nifty Metals index settled 1.63 per cent&nbsp;lower, with 13 out of 15 constituents finishing in the red.

Shares of lender Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd fell as much as 9.06 per cent&nbsp;to its lowest in nearly five years.

Meanwhile, only seven out of 50 stocks on the blue-chip index ended higher.

Indian shares closed over 1 per cent lower on Thursday, with financial and metal stocks falling the most, as markets remained wary of government's measures to revive slowing economic growth. The broader NSE Nifty ended 1.25 per cent down at 10,704.80, while the benchmark BSE Sensex fell 1.29 per cent to 36,093.47. "There is a clear disappointment in the market. The government is showing intent to help, but that is not enough to calm down investors", said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities in New Delhi. "There is chaos and the benefit of doubt that markets were giving to the government that they may come to the rescue is not holding up." Indian markets have been hammered so far this week on concerns around surging crude prices and slowing economic growth, both at home and globally. Yes Bank Ltd, which fell 15.76 per cent, was the top decliner on the NSE index. The Nifty PSU bank index shed 2.25 per cent, with all 12 constituents closing below 1 per cent. The Nifty Metals index settled 1.63 per cent lower, with 13 out of 15 constituents finishing in the red. Shares of lender Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd fell as much as 9.06 per cent to its lowest in nearly five years. Meanwhile, only seven out of 50 stocks on the blue-chip index ended higher.

Bearish trends gripped the stock market on Thursday as investors awaited clarification on tax proposals for foreign portfolio investors made in the Budget and remained unsure of the stimulus package despite assurances by the government.

The BSE S&amp;P Sensex closed 587 points or 1.6 per cent lower at 36,473 while the Nifty 50 was down by 181 points or 1.7 per cent to 10,738.

Except for IT, all sectoral indices were in the red at the National Stock Exchange.

Nifty realty slipped by 6.2 per cent, PSU banks by 3.6 per cent, metal by 3.5 per cent and auto by 1.8 per cent. Among stocks, realty major DLF plummeted 15.9 per cent to Rs 144.30 per share.

Oberoi Realty slipped by 5.6 per cent to wind up at Rs 483.80 apiece.

Shares of Reliance Capital plunged over 19 per cent to hit a multi-year low of Rs 33.30 per share with reports saying that it is exiting the mutual funds business.&nbsp;

With the closure of open offer, Nippon Life Insurance's stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) has risen to 54 per cent.

Yes, Bank fell over 12 per cent intra-day at Rs 57.45 per share with worries over the valuation of its stake in Gautam Thapar's CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd, which has been hit by allegations of financial irregularities.&nbsp;

The lender has 12.79 per cent stake in the company.

CG Power plummeted by another 9.75 per cent to Rs 10.65 per share.&nbsp;

LIC Housing Finance was down by nearly 11 per cent, Vedanta by 7.8 per cent, Indiabulls Housing Finance by 5.7 per cent, Bajaj Finserv by 5.5 per cent and Bajaj Finance by 4.9 per cent. However, the gainers included Britannia, Tech Mahindra, Dr. Reddy's, Hindustan Lever and Tata Consultancy Services.

Meanwhile, Asian shares were flat as uncertainty continued over the outlook for US interest rates and the global fiscal stimulus.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.5 per cent in light volumes while Japan's Nikkei ended a few notches higher.

Shanghai blue chips climbed 0.3 per cent but Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was among the biggest losers, down more than 1 per cent as unrest in the Chinese-ruled territory continued to disrupt business and investment environment

Bearish trends gripped the stock market on Thursday as investors awaited clarification on tax proposals for foreign portfolio investors made in the Budget and remained unsure of the stimulus package despite assurances by the government.

Bearish trends gripped the stock market on Thursday as investors awaited clarification on tax proposals for foreign portfolio investors made in the Budget and remained unsure of the stimulus package despite assurances by the government. The BSE S&P Sensex closed 587 points or 1.6 per cent lower at 36,473 while the Nifty 50 was down by 181 points or 1.7 per cent to 10,738. Except for IT, all sectoral indices were in the red at the National Stock Exchange. Nifty realty slipped by 6.2 per cent, PSU banks by 3.6 per cent, metal by 3.5 per cent and auto by 1.8 per cent. Among stocks, realty major DLF plummeted 15.9 per cent to Rs 144.30 per share. Oberoi Realty slipped by 5.6 per cent to wind up at Rs 483.80 apiece. Shares of Reliance Capital plunged over 19 per cent to hit a multi-year low of Rs 33.30 per share with reports saying that it is exiting the mutual funds business. With the closure of open offer, Nippon Life Insurance's stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) has risen to 54 per cent. Yes, Bank fell over 12 per cent intra-day at Rs 57.45 per share with worries over the valuation of its stake in Gautam Thapar's CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd, which has been hit by allegations of financial irregularities. The lender has 12.79 per cent stake in the company. CG Power plummeted by another 9.75 per cent to Rs 10.65 per share. LIC Housing Finance was down by nearly 11 per cent, Vedanta by 7.8 per cent, Indiabulls Housing Finance by 5.7 per cent, Bajaj Finserv by 5.5 per cent and Bajaj Finance by 4.9 per cent. However, the gainers included Britannia, Tech Mahindra, Dr. Reddy's, Hindustan Lever and Tata Consultancy Services. Meanwhile, Asian shares were flat as uncertainty continued over the outlook for US interest rates and the global fiscal stimulus. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.5 per cent in light volumes while Japan's Nikkei ended a few notches higher. Shanghai blue chips climbed 0.3 per cent but Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was among the biggest losers, down more than 1 per cent as unrest in the Chinese-ruled territory continued to disrupt business and investment environment

Sensex crashes by 587 points amid heavy selling pressure, DLF plunges by 16%

Global stocks extended already substantial losses on Tuesday as China's yuan currency dropped to an 11-year low after Washington designated Beijing a currency manipulator in a rapid escalation of the US-China trade war.

Safe-haven assets, including bonds and some currencies such as the yen and Swiss franc, benefited as investors scurried to avoid risk.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday the government had determined that China is manipulating its currency, and that Washington would engage the International Monetary Fund to eliminate unfair competition from Beijing.

"Given the fragile state of markets, this is likely to be viewed as an escalation of the trade war and exacerbate the market sell-off," wrote Steve Englander, head of global G10 FX research at Standard Chartered Bank.

"In market terms, the designation, however meretricious, will likely be seen as a further ramping up of the trade dispute and possibly leading to some reaction by China."

The Trump administration's dramatic move against China hastened the risk aversion seen in global markets this week. On Monday, China let the yuan slide in response to the latest US tariffs, which are expected to further aggravate trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.5% to its lowest level since January.

The Shanghai Composite Index retreated 2%.

Japan's Nikkei shed 2.1%, Australian stocks fell 2.3% and South Korea's KOSPI slid 1.6%.

"Following the latest development in the US-China trade war, all the economic views and moves in the currency and equity markets are driven by a 'risk off' mentality, which in turn is boosting bonds," said Kota Hirayama, senior emerging markets economist at SMBC Nikko Securities.

"The fact that US yields are falling sharply even though Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell did not signal further easing explains it all."

S&amp;P 500 futures were down 0.5% in Asian trade. Wall Street's major indexes posted their biggest percentage drop of the year on Monday on concerns about the US-China trade war.

MSCI's All Country World Index, which tracks shares in 47 countries, extended last week's slide and slumped 2.5% to a two-month low on Monday.

The Chinese yuan onshore fell to an 11-year low on Tuesday, brushing 7.0699 per dollar. In a symbolic move, Beijing let the yuan breach 7-per-dollar on Monday for the first time since late 2008.

China's offshore yuan stretched the previous day's slide, weakening to 7.1288, the lowest level since international trading in the Chinese currency began in 2010. It last traded at 7.0945.

The Japanese yen, a perceived safe-haven in times of market turmoil and political tensions, touched a seven-month high of 105.520 per dollar before slipping back to 106.290.

The Swiss franc, another currency sought in times of turmoil, has gained roughly 1% against the dollar this week. It touched a six-week peak of 0.9700 franc per dollar.

Investor demand for other safe-havens such government bonds also remained high as risk aversion gathered momentum.

The 10-year US Treasury yield extended sharp falls overnight and declined to 1.672%, its lowest since October 2016.

Japan's 10-year yield fell to a three-year trough of minus 0.215%.

Brent crude oil futures plumbed a seven-month low of $59.07 per barrel as the trade war raised concerns about lower demand for commodities. Brent last traded at $59.89.

Global stocks extended already substantial losses on Tuesday as China's yuan currency dropped to an 11-year low after Washington designated Beijing a currency manipulator in a rapid escalation of the US-China trade war.

Global stocks extended already substantial losses on Tuesday as China's yuan currency dropped to an 11-year low after Washington designated Beijing a currency manipulator in a rapid escalation of the US-China trade war. Safe-haven assets, including bonds and some currencies such as the yen and Swiss franc, benefited as investors scurried to avoid risk. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday the government had determined that China is manipulating its currency, and that Washington would engage the International Monetary Fund to eliminate unfair competition from Beijing. "Given the fragile state of markets, this is likely to be viewed as an escalation of the trade war and exacerbate the market sell-off," wrote Steve Englander, head of global G10 FX research at Standard Chartered Bank. "In market terms, the designation, however meretricious, will likely be seen as a further ramping up of the trade dispute and possibly leading to some reaction by China." The Trump administration's dramatic move against China hastened the risk aversion seen in global markets this week. On Monday, China let the yuan slide in response to the latest US tariffs, which are expected to further aggravate trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.5% to its lowest level since January. The Shanghai Composite Index retreated 2%. Japan's Nikkei shed 2.1%, Australian stocks fell 2.3% and South Korea's KOSPI slid 1.6%. "Following the latest development in the US-China trade war, all the economic views and moves in the currency and equity markets are driven by a 'risk off' mentality, which in turn is boosting bonds," said Kota Hirayama, senior emerging markets economist at SMBC Nikko Securities. "The fact that US yields are falling sharply even though Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell did not signal further easing explains it all." S&P 500 futures were down 0.5% in Asian trade. Wall Street's major indexes posted their biggest percentage drop of the year on Monday on concerns about the US-China trade war. MSCI's All Country World Index, which tracks shares in 47 countries, extended last week's slide and slumped 2.5% to a two-month low on Monday. The Chinese yuan onshore fell to an 11-year low on Tuesday, brushing 7.0699 per dollar. In a symbolic move, Beijing let the yuan breach 7-per-dollar on Monday for the first time since late 2008. China's offshore yuan stretched the previous day's slide, weakening to 7.1288, the lowest level since international trading in the Chinese currency began in 2010. It last traded at 7.0945. The Japanese yen, a perceived safe-haven in times of market turmoil and political tensions, touched a seven-month high of 105.520 per dollar before slipping back to 106.290. The Swiss franc, another currency sought in times of turmoil, has gained roughly 1% against the dollar this week. It touched a six-week peak of 0.9700 franc per dollar. Investor demand for other safe-havens such government bonds also remained high as risk aversion gathered momentum. The 10-year US Treasury yield extended sharp falls overnight and declined to 1.672%, its lowest since October 2016. Japan's 10-year yield fell to a three-year trough of minus 0.215%. Brent crude oil futures plumbed a seven-month low of $59.07 per barrel as the trade war raised concerns about lower demand for commodities. Brent last traded at $59.89.

Stock losses steepen as US puts yuan in crosshairs

Domestic equity benchmark BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty on Wednesday opened higher in early trade on&nbsp;strong global cues.

At 09:35 am, the BSE S&amp;P Sensex was up 370 points at 39,417&nbsp;while the Nifty 50 climbed up 110 points to 11,802.&nbsp;

Asian share markets jumped today as investors hoped that the Federal Reserve could open the door to future rate cuts.

Yesterday, the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed marginally higher snapping a four-day losing streak after a choppy day of trade.

The Sensex closed 85.55 points, or 0.22 per cent, higher at 39,046.34 while the Nifty closed 19.35 points, or 0.17 per cent, in the green.

Domestic equity benchmark BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty on Wednesday opened higher in early trade on strong global cues. At 09:35 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was up 370 points at 39,417 while the Nifty 50 climbed up 110 points to 11,802.

Domestic equity benchmark BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty on Wednesday opened higher in early trade on strong global cues. At 09:35 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was up 370 points at 39,417 while the Nifty 50 climbed up 110 points to 11,802. Asian share markets jumped today as investors hoped that the Federal Reserve could open the door to future rate cuts. Yesterday, the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed marginally higher snapping a four-day losing streak after a choppy day of trade. The Sensex closed 85.55 points, or 0.22 per cent, higher at 39,046.34 while the Nifty closed 19.35 points, or 0.17 per cent, in the green.

Sensex gains over 350 points, Nifty past 11,750 mark

The benchmark BSE Sensex advanced over 100 points in early trade Tuesday amid positive domestic and global cues and unabated foreign fund inflow.

The 30-share index was trading 98.04 points or 0.25 per cent, higher at 39,781.33. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rose 24.75 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 11,949.50.

In the previous session on Monday, the BSE gauge ended 248.57 points or 0.63 per cent higher at 39,683.29 -&nbsp;a new closing high for the index. While, the broader Nifty gained 80.65 points or 0.68 per cent to settle at 11,924.75 - a fresh closing peak for the NSE barometer.

Top Sensex gainers include Yes Bank, Vedanta, Coal India, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Auto, IndusInd Bank, PowerGrid, Tata Steel, Axis Bank, L&amp;T, Reliance Industries and Tata Motors, rising up to 3.75 per cent.

While, HDFC, Hero MotoCorp, SBI, HUL, Kotak Bank, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank and ITC fell up to 1.02 per cent.

Market mood has been euphoric since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the general elections.

According to Sunil Sharma, Chief Investment Officer, Sanctum Wealth Management, this past week's events reinforce a positive view on markets in the longer term.

"Given the large amount of groundwork already in place, we expect the next five years to surprise to the upside on earnings, once remaining PSU bank issues are resolved," he said.

Positive cues from global markets and sustained foreign fund inflow too boosted investor sentiment here, traders said.

Foreign institutional investors bought equity worth Rs 1,215.36 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors sold shares to the tune of Rs 327.86 crore, provisional data available with stock exchanges showed.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in China, Japan and Korea were trading on a positive note in their respective early sessions.

Benchmarks on Wall Street too ended in the green in Monday's session.

On the currency front, the rupee depreciated 21 paise to 69.72 against the US dollar.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, slipped 0.15 per cent to 68.67 per barrel.&nbsp;

The benchmark BSE Sensex advanced over 100 points in early trade Tuesday amid positive domestic and global cues and unabated foreign fund inflow. The 30-share index was trading 98.

The benchmark BSE Sensex advanced over 100 points in early trade Tuesday amid positive domestic and global cues and unabated foreign fund inflow. The 30-share index was trading 98.04 points or 0.25 per cent, higher at 39,781.33. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rose 24.75 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 11,949.50. In the previous session on Monday, the BSE gauge ended 248.57 points or 0.63 per cent higher at 39,683.29 - a new closing high for the index. While, the broader Nifty gained 80.65 points or 0.68 per cent to settle at 11,924.75 - a fresh closing peak for the NSE barometer. Top Sensex gainers include Yes Bank, Vedanta, Coal India, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Auto, IndusInd Bank, PowerGrid, Tata Steel, Axis Bank, L&T, Reliance Industries and Tata Motors, rising up to 3.75 per cent. While, HDFC, Hero MotoCorp, SBI, HUL, Kotak Bank, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank and ITC fell up to 1.02 per cent. Market mood has been euphoric since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the general elections. According to Sunil Sharma, Chief Investment Officer, Sanctum Wealth Management, this past week's events reinforce a positive view on markets in the longer term. "Given the large amount of groundwork already in place, we expect the next five years to surprise to the upside on earnings, once remaining PSU bank issues are resolved," he said. Positive cues from global markets and sustained foreign fund inflow too boosted investor sentiment here, traders said. Foreign institutional investors bought equity worth Rs 1,215.36 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors sold shares to the tune of Rs 327.86 crore, provisional data available with stock exchanges showed. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in China, Japan and Korea were trading on a positive note in their respective early sessions. Benchmarks on Wall Street too ended in the green in Monday's session. On the currency front, the rupee depreciated 21 paise to 69.72 against the US dollar. Brent crude, the global benchmark, slipped 0.15 per cent to 68.67 per barrel.

Sensex rises over 100 points; Nifty above 11,900

The domestic equity market indices ended with sharp losses following broad-based selling pressure from institutions and traders.

At the end of trading today, Sensex was down 353.87 points at 38585.35, and the Nifty was down 87.65 points at 11,584.30.&nbsp;

About 1134 shares have advanced, 1369 shares declined, and 173 shares are unchanged.&nbsp;

Among the Sensex stocks, HDFC twins, TCS, Asian Paints and Bharti Airtel were among the top losers. HDFC Bank, HDFC, TCS and Asian Paints fell nearly 2% each while Bharti Airtel lost 3%.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Asian shares also slipped from eight-month highs today as the International Monetary Fund lowered its global growth outlook and as the United States and Europe locked horns over tariffs in a fresh escalation of trade tensions.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.1 per cent, a day after it hit its highest since August 1. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.7 per cent.

(With inputs from agencies)

The domestic equity market indices ended with sharp losses following broad-based selling pressure from institutions and traders. At the end of trading today, Sensex was down 353.

The domestic equity market indices ended with sharp losses following broad-based selling pressure from institutions and traders. At the end of trading today, Sensex was down 353.87 points at 38585.35, and the Nifty was down 87.65 points at 11,584.30. About 1134 shares have advanced, 1369 shares declined, and 173 shares are unchanged. Among the Sensex stocks, HDFC twins, TCS, Asian Paints and Bharti Airtel were among the top losers. HDFC Bank, HDFC, TCS and Asian Paints fell nearly 2% each while Bharti Airtel lost 3%. Meanwhile, Asian shares also slipped from eight-month highs today as the International Monetary Fund lowered its global growth outlook and as the United States and Europe locked horns over tariffs in a fresh escalation of trade tensions. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.1 per cent, a day after it hit its highest since August 1. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.7 per cent. (With inputs from agencies)

Sensex falls 354 points on weak global cues, Nifty ends at 11,584

Domestic stock market saw a sudden plunge, sending the benchmark indices tumbling which were till then trading flat after a start in the red zone.

At 2:21 PM, the S&amp;P BSE Sensex had slumped 290 points, or 0.75 per cent, to trade around 38,649, dragged down by the HDFC duos, TCS, ITC, and ICICI Bank. The Nifty50, too, dropped 75 points, or 0.64 per cent, to hover around 11,597.

Asian shares also slipped from eight-month highs&nbsp;today as the International Monetary Fund lowered its global growth outlook and as the United States and Europe locked horns over tariffs in a fresh escalation of trade tensions.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.1 per cent, a day after it hit its highest since August 1. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.7 per cent.

Earlier in the day, the equity benchmark indices opened on a weak note on a day before the first round of polling for Lok Sabha elections, as investors awaited corporate earnings for 2018-19.

Renewed concern about a global economic slowdown and escalation in trade tensions contributed to the dull sentiment.

At 10:15 am, the BSE S&amp;P Sensex was down 48 points at 38,890 while the NSE Nifty 50 slipped 9 points to 11,663.

At the National Stock Exchange, most sectoral indices were in the green except IT and financial services.

Among early gainers were Cipla, Indiabulls Housing Finance, ONGC, Coal India and Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equity worth Rs 1,212.35 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold equities to the tune of Rs 688.65 crore, provisional data available with stock exchanges showed.

The rupee appreciated 17 paise to 69.12 against the US dollar in early trade.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, was quoting marginally higher at USD 70.63 per barrel. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Domestic stock market saw a sudden plunge, sending the benchmark indices tumbling which were till then trading flat after a start in the red zone. At 2:21 PM, the S&P BSE Sensex had slumped 290 points, or 0.

Domestic stock market saw a sudden plunge, sending the benchmark indices tumbling which were till then trading flat after a start in the red zone. At 2:21 PM, the S&P BSE Sensex had slumped 290 points, or 0.75 per cent, to trade around 38,649, dragged down by the HDFC duos, TCS, ITC, and ICICI Bank. The Nifty50, too, dropped 75 points, or 0.64 per cent, to hover around 11,597. Asian shares also slipped from eight-month highs today as the International Monetary Fund lowered its global growth outlook and as the United States and Europe locked horns over tariffs in a fresh escalation of trade tensions. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.1 per cent, a day after it hit its highest since August 1. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.7 per cent. Earlier in the day, the equity benchmark indices opened on a weak note on a day before the first round of polling for Lok Sabha elections, as investors awaited corporate earnings for 2018-19. Renewed concern about a global economic slowdown and escalation in trade tensions contributed to the dull sentiment. At 10:15 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was down 48 points at 38,890 while the NSE Nifty 50 slipped 9 points to 11,663. At the National Stock Exchange, most sectoral indices were in the green except IT and financial services. Among early gainers were Cipla, Indiabulls Housing Finance, ONGC, Coal India and Kotak Mahindra Bank. Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equity worth Rs 1,212.35 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold equities to the tune of Rs 688.65 crore, provisional data available with stock exchanges showed. The rupee appreciated 17 paise to 69.12 against the US dollar in early trade. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, was quoting marginally higher at USD 70.63 per barrel. (With inputs from agencies)

Sensex falls over 300 points, Nifty breaks 11,600

The domestic stock market on Friday ended in green with BSE Sensex jumping 127.19 points to close at 38,672.91 and Nifty going up by 53.90 points to end at 11,623.90.

The BSE benchmark Sensex jumped over 200 points and the NSE Nifty breached the 11,600 level in early trade on Friday driven by heavy buying in reality, metal and pharma stocks amid unabated foreign fund inflows and positive global cues.

The 30-share index pared some ground and was trading 82.05 points, or 0.21 per cent, up at 38,627.77. It had rallied 412.84 points to 38,545.72 in the previous session.

The broader Nifty also gained 50.85 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 11,620.85 in morning trade.

Meanwhile, the rupee appreciated by 15 paise to 69.15 against the US dollar in opening trade Friday, driven by sustained foreign fund inflows and higher opening in the domestic equity market.&nbsp;

The domestic stock market on Friday ended in green with BSE Sensex jumping 127.19 points to close at 38,672.91 and Nifty going up by 53.90 points to end at 11,623.

The domestic stock market on Friday ended in green with BSE Sensex jumping 127.19 points to close at 38,672.91 and Nifty going up by 53.90 points to end at 11,623.90. The BSE benchmark Sensex jumped over 200 points and the NSE Nifty breached the 11,600 level in early trade on Friday driven by heavy buying in reality, metal and pharma stocks amid unabated foreign fund inflows and positive global cues. The 30-share index pared some ground and was trading 82.05 points, or 0.21 per cent, up at 38,627.77. It had rallied 412.84 points to 38,545.72 in the previous session. The broader Nifty also gained 50.85 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 11,620.85 in morning trade. Meanwhile, the rupee appreciated by 15 paise to 69.15 against the US dollar in opening trade Friday, driven by sustained foreign fund inflows and higher opening in the domestic equity market.

Markets end in green; Sensex up by 127 points, Nifty crosses 11,600

Lyft on Friday filed documents for its stock offering, beating rival ride-sharing group Uber for a Wall Street listing and becoming one of the most prominent venture-backed tech firms to hit public markets in recent years.

"We are laser-focused on revolutionising transportation and continue to lead the market in innovation," Lyft said in its filing, setting a preliminary target of raising $100 million.&nbsp;

The documents offering the first glimpse of Lyft's finances and showed the California firm lost $911 million on $2.2 billion in 2018 revenues.

Lyft's private valuation has been estimated at $15 billion, considerably smaller than Uber but one of the largest startups worth more than $1 billion, popularly known as "unicorns."

Some reports say the firm, to be traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol LYFT, will seek a valuation of more than $20 billion. Lyft has discussed the possibility of expanding globally but so far has operated only in the US and Canada.

The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said only that "we may continue to expand our international operations," without any specifics.

The document said Lyft had completed over one billion rides since its inception in 2012 and had bookings last year of $8.1 billion.

Lyft's mission, according to the statement, revolves around reducing the number of cars on roads, and includes a path toward self-driving vehicles.

"We believe that cities should be built for people, not cars," the company said. "Mass car ownership strains our cities and reduces the very freedom that cars once provided."

Lyft said it is also investing in autonomous technology and hopes to roll out more self-driving vehicles.

"We believe that the strength of our brand, our trusted relationships with riders and our expertise in operating a ridesharing network at scale, as well as our two-pronged strategy to bring autonomous vehicles to market, will be competitive advantages that will enable us to capture value in the emerging autonomous vehicle ecosystem," the statement said.

Lyft on Friday filed documents for its stock offering, beating rival ride-sharing group Uber for a Wall Street listing and becoming one of the most prominent venture-backed tech firms to hit public markets in recent years.

Lyft on Friday filed documents for its stock offering, beating rival ride-sharing group Uber for a Wall Street listing and becoming one of the most prominent venture-backed tech firms to hit public markets in recent years. "We are laser-focused on revolutionising transportation and continue to lead the market in innovation," Lyft said in its filing, setting a preliminary target of raising $100 million. The documents offering the first glimpse of Lyft's finances and showed the California firm lost $911 million on $2.2 billion in 2018 revenues. Lyft's private valuation has been estimated at $15 billion, considerably smaller than Uber but one of the largest startups worth more than $1 billion, popularly known as "unicorns." Some reports say the firm, to be traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol LYFT, will seek a valuation of more than $20 billion. Lyft has discussed the possibility of expanding globally but so far has operated only in the US and Canada. The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said only that "we may continue to expand our international operations," without any specifics. The document said Lyft had completed over one billion rides since its inception in 2012 and had bookings last year of $8.1 billion. Lyft's mission, according to the statement, revolves around reducing the number of cars on roads, and includes a path toward self-driving vehicles. "We believe that cities should be built for people, not cars," the company said. "Mass car ownership strains our cities and reduces the very freedom that cars once provided." Lyft said it is also investing in autonomous technology and hopes to roll out more self-driving vehicles. "We believe that the strength of our brand, our trusted relationships with riders and our expertise in operating a ridesharing network at scale, as well as our two-pronged strategy to bring autonomous vehicles to market, will be competitive advantages that will enable us to capture value in the emerging autonomous vehicle ecosystem," the statement said.

Lyft files for stock offering, beating Uber to Wall Street

Benchmark indices started on a negative note Friday as investors turned cautious after the release of the minutes of RBI's last policy meet, in which governor Shaktikanta Das argued the need to look at growth concerns.

Besides, subdued cues from other Asian markets too weighed on investor sentiment here.

The BSE Sensex was trading 75.24 points, or 0.21 per cent, lower at 35,823.11. Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty fell 25.95 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 10,763.90.

In the previous session, the 30-share index settled 142.09 points, or 0.40 per cent higher at 35,898.35. The broader Nifty gained 54.40 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 10,789.85.

Top losers in the Sensex pack in morning trade include Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, L&amp;T, RIL, Axis Bank, NTPC, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, HDFC and ITC, falling up to 3.39 per cent.

On the other hand, Yes Bank, Sun Pharma, Maruti, ONGC, Bajaj Auto, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, M&amp;M, Bharti Airtel and SBI rose up to 1.63 per cent.

According to traders, investor sentiment turned weak after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Thursday released the minutes of its last monetary policy meet.

The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee has noted the "weakened growth momentum" amidst inflation cooling off to lower the key policy rates to create a "congenial environment" for growth as the reasons for the surprise rate cut earlier this month.

In his debut policy review as RBI governor Shaktikanta Das argued that there was a need to look at growth concerns.

Meanwhile, on a net basis, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 202.10 crore, and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) also bought shares worth a net of Rs 55.48 crore on Thursday, provisional data available with BSE showed.

Domestic investors also tracked weak cues from global markets, traders said.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.26 per cent, Kospi fell 0.28 per cent, and Japan's Nikkei shed 0.42 per cent; while Shanghai Composite Index was trading 0.03 per cent higher in early trade.

On Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.40 per cent lower at 25,850.63 points on Thursday.

The benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.28 per cent to $66.88 per barrel.

The rupee, meanwhile, was trading almost flat at 71.23 against the US dollar in early session.&nbsp;

Benchmark indices started on a negative note Friday as investors turned cautious after the release of the minutes of RBI's last policy meet, in which governor Shaktikanta Das argued the need to look at growth concerns.

Benchmark indices started on a negative note Friday as investors turned cautious after the release of the minutes of RBI's last policy meet, in which governor Shaktikanta Das argued the need to look at growth concerns. Besides, subdued cues from other Asian markets too weighed on investor sentiment here. The BSE Sensex was trading 75.24 points, or 0.21 per cent, lower at 35,823.11. Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty fell 25.95 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 10,763.90. In the previous session, the 30-share index settled 142.09 points, or 0.40 per cent higher at 35,898.35. The broader Nifty gained 54.40 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 10,789.85. Top losers in the Sensex pack in morning trade include Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, L&T, RIL, Axis Bank, NTPC, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, HDFC and ITC, falling up to 3.39 per cent. On the other hand, Yes Bank, Sun Pharma, Maruti, ONGC, Bajaj Auto, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, M&M, Bharti Airtel and SBI rose up to 1.63 per cent. According to traders, investor sentiment turned weak after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Thursday released the minutes of its last monetary policy meet. The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee has noted the "weakened growth momentum" amidst inflation cooling off to lower the key policy rates to create a "congenial environment" for growth as the reasons for the surprise rate cut earlier this month. In his debut policy review as RBI governor Shaktikanta Das argued that there was a need to look at growth concerns. Meanwhile, on a net basis, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 202.10 crore, and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) also bought shares worth a net of Rs 55.48 crore on Thursday, provisional data available with BSE showed. Domestic investors also tracked weak cues from global markets, traders said. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.26 per cent, Kospi fell 0.28 per cent, and Japan's Nikkei shed 0.42 per cent; while Shanghai Composite Index was trading 0.03 per cent higher in early trade. On Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.40 per cent lower at 25,850.63 points on Thursday. The benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.28 per cent to $66.88 per barrel. The rupee, meanwhile, was trading almost flat at 71.23 against the US dollar in early session.

Markets start on tepid note as investors turn cautious over minutes of RBI's policy meet

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 100 points Tuesday after a five-session winning spree as investors cashed profits in IT, metal, banking, consumer durables, power and auto shares amid sustained foreign fund outflows.

Cues from other Asian markets were weak too.

The BSE 30-share barometer dropped 134.05 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 36,444.91 in early trade as index major Reliance Industries, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank and Maruti Suzuki declined.&nbsp;

The gauge had rallied over 725 points in the previous five sessions.

The NSE Nifty index too slipped by 45.90 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 10,915.95.

Brokers said investors turned cautious and preferred to log profits in recent gainers, dragging down key indices.

Besides, a weak trend at most of the other Asian markets on concerns about the global economic outlook, after the International Monetary fund (IMF) slashed its world economic forecast Monday, weighed on the sentiments here, they added.

The IMF lowered its global growth projections for 2019 and 2020 to 3.5 per cent and 3.6 per cent respectively, citing a slowdown in several advanced economies around the world more rapidly than previously anticipated.

The laggards were Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, Vedanta, M&amp;M, Yes Bank, Bajaj Auto, Coal India, Maruti Suzuki, RIL, Axis Bank, Infosys, HCL Tech, HDFC, HDFC Bank, PowerGrid, Asian Paint, HUL and SBI, falling up to 1.70 per cent.

Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) continued their selling activity on domestic bourses here. They sold shares worth a net Rs 29.79 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) made purchases to the tune of Rs 520.80 crore Monday, provisional data showed.

Elsewhere in Asia, Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.73 per cent, Korea's Kospi was down 0.65 per cent and Taiwan's index shed 0.21 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.88 per cent and Japan's Nikkei fell 0.06 per cent.&nbsp;

The rupee edged 5 paise higher to 71.23 against the US dollar in early session at the interbank forex market Tuesday on fresh selling of the American currency by exporters and banks.&nbsp;

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 100 points Tuesday after a five-session winning spree as investors cashed profits in IT, metal, banking, consumer durables, power and auto shares amid sustained foreign fund outflows.

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 100 points Tuesday after a five-session winning spree as investors cashed profits in IT, metal, banking, consumer durables, power and auto shares amid sustained foreign fund outflows. Cues from other Asian markets were weak too. The BSE 30-share barometer dropped 134.05 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 36,444.91 in early trade as index major Reliance Industries, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank and Maruti Suzuki declined. The gauge had rallied over 725 points in the previous five sessions. The NSE Nifty index too slipped by 45.90 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 10,915.95. Brokers said investors turned cautious and preferred to log profits in recent gainers, dragging down key indices. Besides, a weak trend at most of the other Asian markets on concerns about the global economic outlook, after the International Monetary fund (IMF) slashed its world economic forecast Monday, weighed on the sentiments here, they added. The IMF lowered its global growth projections for 2019 and 2020 to 3.5 per cent and 3.6 per cent respectively, citing a slowdown in several advanced economies around the world more rapidly than previously anticipated. The laggards were Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, Vedanta, M&M, Yes Bank, Bajaj Auto, Coal India, Maruti Suzuki, RIL, Axis Bank, Infosys, HCL Tech, HDFC, HDFC Bank, PowerGrid, Asian Paint, HUL and SBI, falling up to 1.70 per cent. Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) continued their selling activity on domestic bourses here. They sold shares worth a net Rs 29.79 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) made purchases to the tune of Rs 520.80 crore Monday, provisional data showed. Elsewhere in Asia, Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.73 per cent, Korea's Kospi was down 0.65 per cent and Taiwan's index shed 0.21 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.88 per cent and Japan's Nikkei fell 0.06 per cent. The rupee edged 5 paise higher to 71.23 against the US dollar in early session at the interbank forex market Tuesday on fresh selling of the American currency by exporters and banks.

Sensex drops over 100 points on profit-booking, weak global cues

Oil prices inched up on Tuesday amid supply cuts by producer club OPEC and Russia, although the darkening economic outlook capped gains.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $50.78 per barrel at 0041 GMT, up 27 cents, or 0.5 per cent, from their last settlement.

International Brent crude oil futures had yet to trade.

"The impact of OPEC+ cuts, Iran sanctions and lower month-on-month growth in US production should help to support oil prices from current levels," US bank JP Morgan said in a note.

The Middle East dominated producer club of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some non-OPEC allies, including Russia, agreed in late 2018 to cut supply to rein in a global glut.

Meanwhile, the United States last November re-imposed sanctions against Iran's oil exports. Although Washington granted sanctions waivers to Iran's biggest oil customers, mostly in Asia, the Middle Eastern country's exports have plummeted since.

However, Tuesday's slight oil price increases came after crude futures fell by more than 2 per cent the previous session, dragged down by weak Chinese trade data which pointed to a global economic slowdown.

"Given the heightened macro risk anxiety, any support from supply-side correction could be limited," JP Morgan said.

Oil prices inched up on Tuesday amid supply cuts by producer club OPEC and Russia, although the darkening economic outlook capped gains. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $50.

Oil prices inched up on Tuesday amid supply cuts by producer club OPEC and Russia, although the darkening economic outlook capped gains. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $50.78 per barrel at 0041 GMT, up 27 cents, or 0.5 per cent, from their last settlement. International Brent crude oil futures had yet to trade. "The impact of OPEC+ cuts, Iran sanctions and lower month-on-month growth in US production should help to support oil prices from current levels," US bank JP Morgan said in a note. The Middle East dominated producer club of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some non-OPEC allies, including Russia, agreed in late 2018 to cut supply to rein in a global glut. Meanwhile, the United States last November re-imposed sanctions against Iran's oil exports. Although Washington granted sanctions waivers to Iran's biggest oil customers, mostly in Asia, the Middle Eastern country's exports have plummeted since. However, Tuesday's slight oil price increases came after crude futures fell by more than 2 per cent the previous session, dragged down by weak Chinese trade data which pointed to a global economic slowdown. "Given the heightened macro risk anxiety, any support from supply-side correction could be limited," JP Morgan said.

Oil prices edge up on supply cuts, but weakening economic outlook caps gains

Global stock markets headed into the year-end under a heavy cloud after another rout this week as US political uncertainty added to heightened concerns over slowing global economic growth.

Asian equities were shaky on Wednesday following a Christmas eve Wall Street plunge, as investors were unnerved by US political developments including a US federal government shutdown and President Donald Trump's hostile stance towards the Federal Reserve chairman.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had also raised market concerns by convening a crisis group amid the pullback in stocks.

S&amp;P 500 emini futures moved in and out of the red and were last down 0.1 per cent, pointing towards a subdued start for Wall Street when the US market reopens after Christmas Day, when many of the world's financial markets were shut.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.15 per cent.

The Shanghai Composite Index inched down 0.1 per cent while South Korea's KOSPI shed more than 1 per cent.

Japan's Nikkei bounced 0.75 per cent after diving 5 per cent the previous day to a 20-month low and slipping into bear market territory.

"In addition to concerns towards the US economy, the markets are now having to grapple with growing turmoil in the White House which has raised political risk ahead of the year-end," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management.

US stocks have dropped sharply in recent weeks on concerns over weaker economic growth. Trump has largely laid the blame for economic headwinds on the Fed, openly criticizing its chairman, Jerome Powell, whom he appointed.

That has further rattled investors as they grappled with fears of slowing global growth, corporate earnings and US-China trade tensions.

In an effort to reassure investors, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin spoke on Sunday with the heads of the six largest US banks, who confirmed they have enough liquidity to continue lending and that "the markets continue to function properly."

US bond yields have declined as the market rout, including a steep sell-off in oil, prompted investors to move into safe-haven government debt, adding to the growing pressure on the dollar.

The dollar traded at 110.44 yen after retreating to a four-month low of 110.00 overnight against its Japanese peer, which tends to attract demand as a perceived safe-haven during times of market volatility and economic stress.

The euro was 0.2 per cent higher at $1.1412.

The 10-year US Treasury note yield stood at 2.745 per cent following a descent on Monday to 2.733 per cent, its lowest since early April.

In commodities, US crude futures were up 0.95 per cent at $42.94 per barrel after tumbling 6.7 per cent on Monday.

US crude futures plunged to the lowest level since June 2017 on Monday, as bearish stocks added to fears of an economic slowdown.

Brent crude futures were down 0.35 per cent at $50.29 a barrel, having skidded 6.2 per cent in the previous session to their weakest since August 2017.

Safe-haven gold was well bid, with spot prices brushing a six-month peak of $1,272.11 per ounce.

Global stock markets headed into the year-end under a heavy cloud after another rout this week as US political uncertainty added to heightened concerns over slowing global economic growth.

Global stock markets headed into the year-end under a heavy cloud after another rout this week as US political uncertainty added to heightened concerns over slowing global economic growth. Asian equities were shaky on Wednesday following a Christmas eve Wall Street plunge, as investors were unnerved by US political developments including a US federal government shutdown and President Donald Trump's hostile stance towards the Federal Reserve chairman. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had also raised market concerns by convening a crisis group amid the pullback in stocks. S&P 500 emini futures moved in and out of the red and were last down 0.1 per cent, pointing towards a subdued start for Wall Street when the US market reopens after Christmas Day, when many of the world's financial markets were shut. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.15 per cent. The Shanghai Composite Index inched down 0.1 per cent while South Korea's KOSPI shed more than 1 per cent. Japan's Nikkei bounced 0.75 per cent after diving 5 per cent the previous day to a 20-month low and slipping into bear market territory. "In addition to concerns towards the US economy, the markets are now having to grapple with growing turmoil in the White House which has raised political risk ahead of the year-end," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management. US stocks have dropped sharply in recent weeks on concerns over weaker economic growth. Trump has largely laid the blame for economic headwinds on the Fed, openly criticizing its chairman, Jerome Powell, whom he appointed. That has further rattled investors as they grappled with fears of slowing global growth, corporate earnings and US-China trade tensions. In an effort to reassure investors, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin spoke on Sunday with the heads of the six largest US banks, who confirmed they have enough liquidity to continue lending and that "the markets continue to function properly." US bond yields have declined as the market rout, including a steep sell-off in oil, prompted investors to move into safe-haven government debt, adding to the growing pressure on the dollar. The dollar traded at 110.44 yen after retreating to a four-month low of 110.00 overnight against its Japanese peer, which tends to attract demand as a perceived safe-haven during times of market volatility and economic stress. The euro was 0.2 per cent higher at $1.1412. The 10-year US Treasury note yield stood at 2.745 per cent following a descent on Monday to 2.733 per cent, its lowest since early April. In commodities, US crude futures were up 0.95 per cent at $42.94 per barrel after tumbling 6.7 per cent on Monday. US crude futures plunged to the lowest level since June 2017 on Monday, as bearish stocks added to fears of an economic slowdown. Brent crude futures were down 0.35 per cent at $50.29 a barrel, having skidded 6.2 per cent in the previous session to their weakest since August 2017. Safe-haven gold was well bid, with spot prices brushing a six-month peak of $1,272.11 per ounce.

Global stocks under a cloud as US political tumult adds to growth anxiety

Markets closed on a low note on Monday as Sensex tanked 345.56 points to end at 34,812.99. Nifty dipped by 103 points to 10,482.20, news agency PTI reported. Both indexes closed lower for a second straight session.

Indian shares closed 1 per cent lower on Monday, dragged by oil marketing companies and financials, while investors were cautious ahead of key inflation data due later in the day.

The Indian currency on Monday further weakened against the dollar, dipping by 54 paise to 73.04, owing to increased demand for the American currency from importers amid increasing global crude oil prices.

International benchmark Brent crude was trading higher by 2.04 per cent at $71.61 per barrel. &nbsp; &nbsp;

On Friday, the rupee rose by 50 paise to end at 72.50 per dollar on increased selling of the greenback by exporters amid softening crude oil prices, which slipped below the $70 per barrel mark, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

Markets on Monday opened in green with Sensex recovering over 155 points, while the NSE Nifty breached the 10,600-mark.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Markets closed on a low note on Monday as Sensex tanked 345.56 points to end at 34,812.99. Nifty dipped by 103 points to 10,482.20, news agency PTI reported. Both indexes closed lower for a second straight session.

Markets closed on a low note on Monday as Sensex tanked 345.56 points to end at 34,812.99. Nifty dipped by 103 points to 10,482.20, news agency PTI reported. Both indexes closed lower for a second straight session. Indian shares closed 1 per cent lower on Monday, dragged by oil marketing companies and financials, while investors were cautious ahead of key inflation data due later in the day. The Indian currency on Monday further weakened against the dollar, dipping by 54 paise to 73.04, owing to increased demand for the American currency from importers amid increasing global crude oil prices. International benchmark Brent crude was trading higher by 2.04 per cent at $71.61 per barrel. On Friday, the rupee rose by 50 paise to end at 72.50 per dollar on increased selling of the greenback by exporters amid softening crude oil prices, which slipped below the $70 per barrel mark, news agency PTI reported. Markets on Monday opened in green with Sensex recovering over 155 points, while the NSE Nifty breached the 10,600-mark. (With inputs from agencies)

Markets close in red, Sensex tanks nearly 350 points TO 34,812.99

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