Markets flat in opening trade

New Delhi: The markets were flat in opening trade, have started the day with mild gains but turned into choppy mode. Auto, FMCG, metal and technology stocks have gained while power stocks lost ground.

At 0956 hrs (IST), the Sensex was up 10 points at 16,228 and the Nifty up 14 points at 4891. Market breadth was positive with 249 shares have advanced while 170 shares declined on the NSE.

Tata Steel, ABB, Sterlite, Tata Motors, HCL Tech, ITC, JP Associates, HUL, SBI and Rel Comm were gainers while Rel Energy, Power Grid, ICICI Bank, SAIL, Infosys and Tata Power were among the losers on the bourses.

Asian markets were trading mixed. HangSeng up 0.6 per cent, Kospi was up 0.13 per cent, Jakarta Composite up 0.93 per cent and Shanghai Composite up 0.63 per cent while Nikkei down 0.71 per cent, Straits Times down 0.10 per cent and Taiwan Weighted fell 0.31 per cent.

US markets ended mixed amid weak economic reports and managed to recover from day’s low.

The Dow declined 16.04 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 12,532.60. The S&P added 3.11 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 1,352.99; the Nasdaq gained 14.30 points, or 0.61 per cent, to 2,341.05.

Market cues:

FII data for March 24 not released by SEBI yet.
• MFs net sell Rs 469.8 crore in equity.
• NSE F&O Open Interest up by Rs 2,109 crore at Rs 66,504 crore.

F&O cues:

Futures Open Interest up by Rs 1,426 crore and Options Open Interest up by Rs 683 crore.
• Nifty March Futures shed 59 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Nifty April Futures add 43 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Nifty March at 8-point premium, April at 13-point premium.
• Nifty Open Interest Put-Call ratio at 0.97 Vs 0.86.
• Nifty Puts add 18 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Nifty Calls shed 4 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Nifty 4800 Put adds 4.4 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Nifty 4700 Put adds 2.6 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Nifty 4900 Call adds 3.2 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Nifty 4800 Call adds 1.5 lakh shares in Open Interest.
• Stock Futures shed 45 lakh shares in Open Interest.

(With moneycontrol.com inputs)