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Indian shares look set to open on a flat note Friday, with oil & energy stocks likely to be in focus after the government hiked the windfall profit tax on the export of diesel and brought back a tax on jet fuel exports.<\/p>\n
PSU banks may also see increased activity after an RBI article recommended a gradual approach of privatization of state-run banks, saying a big-bang approach may be counterproductive. <\/p>\n
Benchmark indexes Sensex and the Nifty ended Thursday’s choppy session slightly higher on the eve of weekly future & options expiry.<\/p>\n
Asian markets<\/span> traded mixed this morning while the dollar hit a one-month high and Treasury yields drifted higher, weighing on gold prices.<\/p>\n Oil extended a rally into a third day as bullish inventory data raised hopes for strong fuel demand.<\/p>\n U.S. stocks struggled for direction before ending slightly higher overnight after the release of disappointing home sales data and better-than expected jobless claims and manufacturing readings. <\/p>\n The Dow finished marginally higher, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 both edged up around 0.2 percent. <\/p>\n European stocks also closed higher on Thursday as data showed Euro zone inflation reached a new record high of 8.9 percent year-on-year in July.<\/p>\n The pan European Stoxx 600 gained 0.4 percent. The German DAX and France’s CAC 40 index rose about half a percent each while the U.K.’s FTSE 100 added 0.4 percent. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Market Analysis<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n