10 things to know before the opening bell on March 17

SUMMARY

The Indian market may open flat-to-positive today. The SGX Nifty was trading 23.50 points or 0.16 percent higher at 14995.50, at 7:31 am. Here are the 10 vital things you need to know before the opening bell:

By CNBCTV18.comMar 17, 2021 8:08:21 AM IST (Published)

1. Wall Street: Stock indexes closed mostly lower Tuesday, shedding some of their recent gains after coming within striking distance of matching Wall Street’s longest winning streak of the year. Investors continue to closely watch the bond market, with even minute changes in bond yields causing stocks to fluctuate. The S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent and DJIA lost 0.4 percent. The Nasdaq rose 0.1 percent end the day at 13,471.57.

2. Asian stocks: Asia-Pacific markets fell on Wednesday as investors wait for the outcome of the USFederal Reserve’stwo-day policy meeting later in the day. Australia shares inched lower, with theASX 200down 0.48 percent as most sectors fell.TheNikkei 225in Japan traded flat while the Topix index was fractionally lower. South Korea’sKospifell 0.64 percent.

3. D-Street: Indian indices ended on a flat note but in the red on Tuesday as gains in IT and FMCG stocks were capped by losses in metals and banks. TheSensex ended 31 points lowerat 50,363 while the Nifty fell 19 points to settle at 14,910. Broader markets, however, outperformed benchmarks with the midcap and smallcap indices up 0.3-0.4 percent each.

4. Crude oil: Oil prices fell for a third day on Tuesday, as Germany, France and other European states suspended the use of a major coronavirus vaccine, threatening the recovery of fuel demand. Brent crude fell 49 cents to settle at $68.39 a barrel, while US crude dropped 59 cents to settle at $64.80 a barrel.

5. Rupee: The rupee snapped its four-session winning run to close 9 paise lower at 72.55 against the US dollar on Tuesday as muted domestic equities and a strengthening greenback overseas weighed on market sentiment. At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 72.46 against the American currency and witnessed an intra-day high of 72.37 and a low of 72.64. It finally ended at 72.55, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous closing.

6. Gold: Gold rose marginally by Rs 45 to Rs 44,481 per 10 gram in the national capital on Tuesday, according to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the precious metal had closed at Rs 44,436 per 10 gram. Likewise, silver also gained Rs 116 to Rs 66,740 per kilogram from Rs 66,624 per kilogram in the previous trade.

7. COVID-19 vaccine: Moderna Inc has begun dosing patients in a mid-to-late stage study of its COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, in children aged six months to less than 12 years, the company said on Tuesday.

8. RBI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday imposed a penalty of Rs 2 crore on the State Bank of India (SBI) for contravention of norms, including specific directions to the lender on remuneration to its employees in the form of commission.

9. Nazara Tech IPO: Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Nazara Technologies will launch its initial public offering on March 17.

10. Suryoday Small Finance Bank: Suryoday Small Finance Bank will open its IPO for subscription on March 17.