MUMBAI – The benchmark Nifty  closed flat with a positive bias, after witnessing a rangebound trading session throughout the day. Heavyweights like Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, SBI and Hero Honda helped the markets to stay in positive territory.

Commenting on the road ahead, technical analyst Mitesh Thacker of miteshthacker.com maintains a range of 5,450-5,480 on the upside and 5,370-5,350 on the downside. He said 5,510-5,520 could be a strong supply area on the Nifty. However, he cautioned that if Nifty breaks 5,350 it could have a bigger movement on the lower side.

HDFC, DLF, Kotak Mahindra Bank, BHEL, BPCL, Idea, Sun Pharma, Hindalco and Jaiprakash Associates were other gainers. However, selling in power, technology and select power companies’ shares along with ONGC, L&T, Reliance Communications, HDFC Bank, SAIL, M&M, Tata Motors and Sterlite Industries limited the gains to major extent.

Equity benchmarks have seen consolidation today, as it had rallied 1.2% on Monday following global cues and good earnings of ICICI Bank. The 30-share BSE Sensex closed at 18,114.83, up 33.62 points and the 50-share NSE Nifty 7.9 points to settle at 5,439.55.

Overall financial was the leading sector for the second consecutive day, led by ICICI Bank, which rose 2.4% today. The stock rallied 14.5% in last one month. Good improvement in asset quality helped the bank to post 17% jump in net profit for Q1FY11. Among other financials, SBI, HDFC and Axis Bank were up 0.4-0.9% while HDFC Bank and IDFC fell 0.65-1%.

Bharti Airtel from telecom space also gained 3.3% and Idea Cellular rose 1.25% while Reliance Communications fell 2.6%. Some Anil Dhirbhai Ambani Group companies’ shares were under pressure today; RNRL and Reliance Power fell 2.5-3.3% while Reliance Infra gained 0.4%.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a show-cause notice to two of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani  Group (ADAG) companies—Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) and Reliance Infrastructure and asked the two to appear for a personal hearing on September 3. It also summons Anil Ambani and four other directors. CNBC-TV18 learns that notice could pertain to investment of Pluri in Reliance Infra and RNRL.

In the oil & gas space, Reliance Industries rose 1.3% and BPCL was up 1.6% while GAIL and ONGC declined 0.5-0.6%. Hindalco from metal space gained 0.7% post better-than-expected numbers while SAIL, Jindal Steel and Sterlite Industries slipped 0.9-1%.

Hero Honda from auto pack went up nearly 2% and Maruti was up 0.3% while M&M and Tata Motors lost 0.65-1.5%. DLF from realty segment was up 0.6% while Unitech was down 0.2%.

In the capital goods space, BHEL and Siemens moved up 0.56-0.86% while L&T fell 1.5% and ABB was down 0.4%. TCS, Infosys and Wipro from technology pack were down 0.44-0.75%.

Jubilant Foodworks, SBI, ICICI Bank, Aster Silicates, Reliance Industries and Adani Enterpris were the most active shares on exchanges.

In the midcap space, HMT, Jubilant Foodworks, Cox & Kings, Shriram City and MVL were up 8-15% while Rei Agro, KGN Industries, Akzo Nobel, Himadri Chemical and Punj Lloyd lost 3.4-4.6%.

In the smallcap space, AP Paper Mills, Aptech, IFB Industries, SE Investments and Timex Group gained 9-13.4%. However, Banco Products, Kaveri Seed, Vikas WSP, Godawari Power and LGS Global lost 5-9%.

Top percentage gainers – Arunjyoti Enterprise, Piccadilly Agro, Kalyani Forge, Apollo Finvest and Laffans Petro shot up 20% each. However, Aster Silicates was down 20% at Rs 121.85 as against issue price of Rs 118 per share. Omkar Overseas was down 19.93%.

Total traded turnover on the markets stood at Rs 75,288.86 crore on Tuesday. This included Rs 13,040 crore from NSE cash segment, Rs 57,832.03 crore from NSE F&O and the balance Rs 4,416.83 crore from BSE cash segment.

About 1643 shares advanced while 1568 shares declined on BSE. Nearly 147 shares remained unchanged.

At 15.00 hrs IST, the Nifty was hovering around 5450 amid volatility. It was a choppy session for the markets as Nifty  was consolidating around 5450 mark in a narrow band of 30 points. The turnover was slightly on a lower side suggesting lack of retail participation in the markets. Buying continued in banking, oil&gas and pharma stocks. Capital goods, IT and FMCG stocks were major laggards of the day.

The Sensex was up 33.26 points or 0.18% at 18114.47, and the Nifty was up 6.30 points or 0.12% at 5437.95. About 1496 shares advanced, 1545 shares declined, and 317 shares remain unchanged.

In the largecap space, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Hero Honda, Reliance and BPCL were up 1.2-2.8%. On the losing side, Reliance Communiactions, Reliance Power, Mahindra and Mahindra, Suzlon Energy and Larsen were down 1.5-2.6%.

Index heavyweight Reliance was trading at Rs 1,026.90 up 1.22% from its previous close of Rs 1,014.55. Tech major Infosys was trading at Rs 2,778.90 down 0.74% from its previous close of Rs 2,799.55. Refinery major HPCL was trading at Rs 440.60 up 1.16% from its previous close of Rs 435.55.

Cigarette major ITC was trading at Rs 155.25 down 0.72% from its previous close of Rs 156.38. Hindustan Lever was trading at Rs 253.25 down 0.12% from its previous close of Rs 253.55.

Top gainers on the BSE Midcap: Jubilant FoodWorks, Wockhardt, Cox and Kings, HMT and Hind Nat Glass were up 5-12%.

Top losers on the BSE Midcap: KGN Industries, Rei Agro, Akzo Nobel, Puravankara Projects and Himadri Chemicals were down 3-5%.

Top gainers on the BSE Smallcap: AP Paper Mills, IFB Industries, SE Investments, Take Solutions and Gujarat Natural were up 8-13%.

Top losers on the BSE Smallcap: Kaveri Seed Company, Banco Products, Vikas WSP, Bhagwati Banquets and Tatia Global were down 5-7%

Nifty trades in tight range; SBI, ICICI Bk, Bharti, RIL up

At 11:52 hours IST – the 50-share NSE Nifty was trading in a narrow range of 5432-5450. It has been in a range of 5350-5450 since three weeks, though it has seen a rally yesterday.

Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Bharti, SBI, Hero Honda, DLF, NTPC, BHEL, Jaiprakash Associates, HUL, HDFC, Maruti, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Unitech, Idea and Sun Pharma were keeping the markets in a positive terrain.

On the other side, profit booking in technology, metal and cement companies’ shares along with L&T, ITC, M&M, Tata Motors and Siemens capped the upside. Even Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group companies’ shares like Reliance Power, Reliance Communications, Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Capital were down by 2%, 1.6%, 1.4% & 0.4%, respectively. RNRL declined 2.4%.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a show-cause notice to two of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) companies—Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) and Reliance Infrastructure and asked the two to appear for a personal hearing on September 3. It also summons Anil Ambani and four other directors. CNBC-TV18 learns that notice could pertain to investment of Pluri in Reliance Infra and RNRL.

The Sensex was trading at 18115, up 34 points and the Nifty was at 5440, up 8 points. The BSE Midcap Index was up 0.34% and Smallcap up 0.7%.

Aster Silicates (down 19.5%), SBI (up 0.7%), ICICI Bank (up 2.3%), Aban Offshore, Reliance Industrial Infra, Reliance Industries (up 1%) and BHEL were the most active shares on exchanges.

Sensex lacklustre; TCS, Infy, L&T, ITC, RComm slip

At 10:39 hours IST – the benchmark Sensex was consolidating at previous day’s closing value, after witnessing 1.2% rally on Monday. On one side, heavyweights like SBI, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel were supporting the markets. DLF, Axis Bank, BHEL, NTPC, BPCL, Hero Honda, Maruti, Unitech, Tata Steel, SAIL, Idea and HUL were other gainers.

However, selling in technology and cement companies’ shares along with L&T, Reliance Communications, Tata Motors, M&M, Sterlite Industries, HDFC Bank, HDFC, Reliance Infrastructure and Jindal Steel capped the gains to major extent.

The Sensex was trading at 18096, up 15 points and the Nifty was at 5436, up 4 points. About 810 shares advanced while 417 shares declined on NSE.

There was a mixed trade in Asian markets as well; Shanghai was down 0.6% and Jakarta fell 1.5%. However, Hang Seng, Nikkei, Taiwan and Kospi gained 0.2-0.8%.

Aster Silicates (down 18.6% at Rs 124.80 – issue price was Rs 118), SBI, Aban Offshore, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industrial Infra, Reliance Inds and Tata Steel were the most active shares on exchanges.

In the midcap space, Hindusthan National Glass, Petronet LNG, Greaves Cotton, Cox & Kings and Kirloskar Brothers gained 4-7% while Rei Agro, KGN Industries, Whirlpool, Infotech Enterprise and Shree Global lost 2-4%.

In the smallcap space, AP Paper Mills, IFB Industries, SE Investments, Take Solutions and Kalyani Steels rallied 7-15% while Banco Products, Maharashtra Polybutenes, Bhagwati Banquet, Gokaldas Export (post disappointing numbers; reported loss of Rs 18 crore in Q1FY11 versus profit of Rs 2.9 crore) and Intra Infotech lost 4.7-7%.

Nifty consolidates; ICICI Bank, GAIL, DLF, ONGC gain

The benchmark Nifty was positive in opening trade and jumped above 5450 but profit booking in some heavyweights and weak Shanghai wiped out some early gains. The markets already discounted global markets’ rally in Monday’s trade.

At 9:01 hours IST, the Sensex was trading at 18131, up 50 points and the Nifty was at 5443, up 12 points. The CNX Midcap rose 30 points to 8529. About 654 shares advanced while 181 shares declined on NSE.

Among the frontliners, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, PNB, GAIL, Wipro, DLF, Maruti, Jaiprakash Associates, Tata Motors, SAIL, Hero Honda, TCS and Hindalco were gainers in early trade.

However, ITC (ex-bonus today), Idea Cellular, Ambuja Cements, ACC, Reliance Communications, Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure and RNRL were under pressure.

Midcap & Smallcap Space:

Future Capital was up 1% while McDowell Holding was down 2.5%.

Recently listed Aster Silicates and Emami Infrastructure were down 20% & 3%, respectively.

Results Reaction

NMDC was up 3% while India Cements and Madras Cement declined 1% each.

Global cues:

Asian markets were mixed in trade after initial positive trade. Shanghai was down 0.7% and Jakarta down 0.5%. However, Nikkei was up 1.2% and Hang Seng up 0.6%. Straits Times, Kospi and Taiwan were marginally in green.

The US markets ended at highest level in 10 weeks, after strong US manufacturing reading and strong earnings from BNP Paribas & HSBC ((both rallied over 5%)).

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 209 points at 10674. The Nasdaq Composite was up 40 points 2295 and S&P 500 up 24 points at 1126.

Commodities rallied yesterday as dollar fell 0.8% to a new three-month low.

Commodities

September crude oil futures rose 3.1% at USD 81.34/bbl; at six-month closing high

September natural gas was down 4.1% at USD 4.721 per MMBtu, had rallied last week

December gold was up 0.1% at USD 1185.4/ounce

Aluminium futures gained 4% at USD 2163.25/ton

F&O cues:

Futures Open Int up Rs 3003 crore

Options Open Int up Rs 4814 crore

Nifty Futures add 12 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty Futures at 2-point premium

Nifty Open Int PCR unchanged at 1.25

Nifty Puts add 44 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty Calls add 32 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5400 Put adds 12 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5300 Put adds 5 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5400 Call adds 5 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5600 Call adds 4.8 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5500 Call adds 4.7 lakh shares in Open Int

Stock Futures add 3.3 crore shares in Open Int

MUMBAI - At 13:25 hours IST – the 30-share BSE Sensex was quiet in trade and was hovering just around its previous day’s closing value. On the global front, European markets were marginally in red on the back of profit booking, as it rallied more than 2.5% on Monday.

Technology, metal, cement and Anil Dhirbhai Ambani Group companies’ shares were putting some pressure on the markets. L&T was the leading lower; ONGC, ITC, M&M, HDFC Bank, Tata Motors, Ranbaxy, Power Grid and Suzlon Energy were other losers in trade.

However, buying continued in Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, HDFC, Hero Honda, SBI, DLF, Unitech, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra, Idea, Siemens, HUL, Tata Power and Idea, which were quite supportive.

The Sensex was trading at 18103, up 22 points and the Nifty was at 5436, up 4.6 points. The broader indices were also marginally in green.

Top losers – Reliance Communication was trading at Rs 173.80, down 2.66%; L&T was at Rs 1,785, down 1.5%; M&M was at Rs 651.55, down 1.34%; Hindalco was at Rs 162.20, down 1.31% (ahead of results); Reliance Infrastructure was at Rs 1,104.05, down 1.12%; Reliance Power was at Rs 159.20, down 1.97%; Ambuja Cements was at Rs 116, down 1.78% and Suzlon Energy was at Rs 56.15, down 1.66%.

Top gainers – ICICI Bank was trading at Rs 960.90, up 2.27%; Hero Honda was at Rs 1,857, up 1.75%; BPCL was at Rs 652.90, up 1.45%; Reliance Industries was at Rs 1,023.85, up 0.92%; Bharti Airtel was at Rs 320.90, up 0.90% and HDFC was at Rs 3,043.20, up 0.63%.

Top gainers on the BSE Midcap – HMT, Hindusthan National Glass, Jubilant Foodworks, Jai Corp and Kirloskar Brothers gained 5-6%.

Top losers on the BSE Midcap – KGN Industries, Puravankara Projects, Punj Lloyd (ahead of results), Akzo Nobel and Rei Agro lost 2.7-5%.

Top gainers on the BSE Smallcap – AP Paper Mills, IFB Industries, SE Investments, Take Solutions and Gujarat Natural were up 9.6-12%.

Top losers on the BSE Smallcap – Vikas WSP, Tatia Global, Bhagwati Banquet, Subros and Banco Products fell 4-6.4%.

Arunjyoti Enterprise, Piccadilly Agro, Apollo Finvest, Laffans Petro and Fairdeal Fila shot up 17.5-20%.

MUMBAI: At 11:52 hours IST – the 50-share NSE Nifty  was trading in a narrow range of 5432-5450. It has been in a range of 5350-5450 since three weeks, though it has seen a rally yesterday.Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Bharti, SBI, Hero Honda, DLF, NTPC, BHEL, Jaiprakash Associates, HUL, HDFC, Maruti, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Unitech, Idea and Sun Pharma were keeping the markets in a positive terrain.

On the other side, profit booking in technology, metal and cement companies’ shares along with L&T, ITC, M&M, Tata Motors and Siemens capped the upside. Even Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group companies’ shares like Reliance Power, Reliance Communications, Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Capital were down by 2%, 1.6%, 1.4% & 0.4%, respectively. RNRL declined 2.4%.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a show-cause notice to two of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) companies—Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) and Reliance Infrastructure and asked the two to appear for a personal hearing on September 3. It also summons Anil Ambani and four other directors. CNBC-TV18 learns that notice could pertain to investment of Pluri in Reliance Infra and RNRL.

The Sensex was trading at 18115, up 34 points and the Nifty was at 5440, up 8 points. The BSE Midcap Index was up 0.34% and Smallcap up 0.7%.

Aster Silicates (down 19.5%), SBI (up 0.7%), ICICI Bank (up 2.3%), Aban Offshore, Reliance Industrial Infra, Reliance Industries (up 1%) and BHEL were the most active shares on exchanges.

MUMBAI:

The indices came under severe selling pressure in the last one hour of trade. The Sensex finally closed 17,868.9, down 123.71 points, or 0.69%, while the broad-based Nifty fell 41.30 points, or 0.76% to 5,367.6.

Disappointing first-quarter earnings posted by some of the heavyweights like ONGC and Hero Honda dampened the sentiment in the Indian market.

“The months with result announcements always tend to be volatile. Some of the heavyweights have disappointed. Hence their stocks have corrected, which has taken a toll on the overall market,” said Sandip Sabharwal, CEO, Portfolio Management Services, Prabhudas Lilladher.

Sebi data shows FIIs investments in the secondary market have crossed Rs 10,000 crore ($2 billion) in July. Flows into emerging markets have hit a 16-week high; with India equity funds witnessing their eighth-straight week of inflows.

MUMBAI

Global markets look weak ahead of the GDP number for the April-June quarter in the US. Investors are concerned about recovery in the world’s largest economy and the signals so far have been far from reassuring despite strong earnings from many Wall Street companies. On Thursday, the Labour department said that the weekly claims for unemployment benefits fell marginally but the small drop failed to enthuse investors.

Global cues drove the Indian markets that opened lower and witnessed flat trade on the back of weak Asian trade. The European markets opened lower and extended losses as trade progressed. The benchmark indices mirrored Europe’s downfall, ahead of the quarterly GDP numbers in the US later today, to close near the day’s low.

The broader markets outperformed the benchmark indices. The BSE small cap index rose 0.24 per cent and the CNX midcap index gained 0.42 per cent.

Among the midcaps, Central Bank rose 10.43 per cent. The bank’s net profit rose 26 per cent. Omaxe gained 6.60 per cent after reporting strong numbers. Oriental Bank extended gains and rose 6.51 per cent. The bank had reported earnings on Thursday. IRB Infra rose 7.35 per cent.

Among small caps, INOX Leisure rose 15.64 per cent after reports of Reliance Mediaworks offering to acquire a stake in the company. Reliance Mediaworks denied the report in a communication to the BSE.

All sectoral indices ended with declines. Realty stocks fell 1.40 per cent and the IT index fell 1.13 per cent.

On the Sensex, 8 stocks advanced while 22 declined. Bharti was the biggest loser, down 3.17 per cent. Hero Honda declined 2.95 per cent. The company reported a 1.6 per cent decline in net profit (YOY). DLF, ICICI Bank, Tata Motors, Sterlite Industries, HUL and Reliance Infra declined more than 2 per cent.

M&M was the biggest gainer rising 2.70 per cent. SBI and HDFC Bank rose more than 1 per cent.

ICICI Bank and Infosys were the big drags, pulling the Sensex down by 60 points. HDFC Bank and SBI pushed the index up by 23 points.

Federal Bank fell 1.62 per cent and ABB fell 4.02 per cent on results. Petronet declined 4.08 per cent on profit booking.

Reliance Power, BPCL, HPCL and Reliance Infra are some companies that will report earnings later today.

On Thursday, the Dow fell 31 points to end at 10,467. The Dow futures were down 37 points to 10,372 at 4.10 pm suggesting a negative opening for the Wall Street.

Asian markets closed lower. The Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 1.64 per cent to 9,537. Japan’s industrial production fell in June and consumer prices have declined for the 16th month. The Kospi in South Korea closed 0.65 per cent lower and the Hang Seng dropped 0.30 per cent.

The Chinese markets were lower too.

The European markets were lower ahead of the US GDP numbers. The CAC 40 in France declined 0.59 per cent, the DAX in Germany fell 0.74 per cent and the FTSE was trading lower 0.59 per cent at 4.10 pm.

MUMBAI:

The sell-off in heavyweights like Bharti Airtel, ONGC, ICICI Bank, Infosys, TCS, Hero Honda and Tata Motors was putting a pressure on themarkets. However, buying continued in SBI, HDFC Bank, M&M, Tata Steel, ITC, L&T, JSPL, Hindalco, Maruti, HDFC and RIL.

The Sensex was trading at 17932, down 60 points and the Nifty was at 5389, down 19 points.

Aster Silicates (listed on Wednesday), SBI, SpiceJet, Reliance Industries, IRB Infra, Hero Honda and Tata Steel were the most active shares on exchanges.

In the midcap space, Central Bank, Omaxe, Oriental Bank, HCC and Jubilant Foodwoks rallied 4.7-7.6% while Bombay Rayon, Petronet LNG, Sterlite Tech, Chambal Fertiliser and Federal Bank lost 2.7-4.7%.

In the smallcap space, Sandur Manganes was locked at 20% upper circuit. INOX Leisure, Everest Inds, Prime Focus and Piramal Glass were up 8.5-15.6% while LGS Global, Heritage Foods, Hawkins Cooker, Spice Mobility and Disa India slipped 3.6-5%.

HCC rose 5% as its reported 55.5% jump in net profit at Rs 28.3 crore. The company has approved 1:1 bonus issue as well as IPO for its Lavasa unit, in which it holds 65% stake.

Nifty trades in tight range; ONGC, Hero Honda, Siemens dip

At 11:45 hours IST – the 50-share NSE Nifty was trading in a tight range of 5385-5413, with a negative bias. It has been consolidating around 5400 mark for third consecutive week. Weak Asian markets has kept the markets under pressure since early trade; Shanghai and Nikkei fell 1-1.4%. Hang Seng, Straits Times, Kospi and Taiwan were down 0.5% each.

ONGC was the leading loser on Nifty while Siemens and Hero Honda were the biggest losers post disappointing numbers for the quarter ended June 2010. The sell-off continued in PSU oil & gas, telecom, technology and realty companies’ shares along with ICICI Bank, Tata Motors, ITC, NTPC, BHEL, HDFC, SAIL, Ambuja Cements and Reliance Infrastructure, which were putting some pressure on the markets.

However, buying was seen in SBI, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, M&M, PNB, L&T, Kotak, Mahindra, Tata Steel, JSPL, Maruti, Ranbaxy Labs, Hindalco, Sun Pharma and ACC, which capped the losses to large extent.

The Sensex was trading at 17940, down 52 points and the Nifty was at 5392, down 16 points. However, the broader indices were outperforming the benchmark indices; gained 0.7% each.

Top gainers – HCL Tech was trading at Rs 390, up 3.16%; Ranbaxy Labs was at Rs 450.95, up 2.04%; Kotak Mahindra was at Rs 777.85, up 1.69%; M&M was at Rs 653.05, up 1.42%; Suzlon Energy was at Rs 57.15, up 1.42%; SBI was at Rs 2,505.55, up 1.31%; Tata Steel was at Rs 539.20, up 1.07%; Hindalco was at Rs 162.05, up 0.71% and Maruti Suzuki was at Rs 1,205.65, up 0.68%.

Top losers – Hero Honda was trading at Rs 1,819.70, down 2.91%; Siemens was at Rs 701.40, down 2.73%; GAIL was at Rs 442.60, down 2.24%; Tata Motors was at Rs 850.30, down 1.89%; ONGC was at Rs 1,227.10, down 1.56%; Bharti Airtel was at Rs 313.70, down 1.03% and Wipro was at Rs 412.35, down 0.98%.

Aster Silicates, SBI, SpiceJet, IRB Infra, ARSS Infra, Reliance Industries, Hero Honda and Tata Steel were the most active shares on exchanges.

In the midcap space, Central Bank, Omaxe, Oriental Bank, Berger Paints and Andhra Bank rallied 4-8% while Petronet LNG, Ipca Labs, IVRCL Assets, Sterlite Tech and Chambal Fertiliser fell 2.4-3.3%.

About 1832 shares advanced while 1321 shares declined on BSE. Nearly 199 shares were unchanged.

Sensex flat with negative bias; RIL, SBI, L&T gain

At 10:23 hours IST – the benchmark Sensex was trading lower with modest losses, dragged by technology, realty and select telecom companies’ shares. ONGC, Hero Honda and Siemens were down 1.5-2.76% on disappointing earnings. Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, ITC, Sterlite Industries, HDFC, NTPC, SAIL, BHEL, Ambuja Cements and BPCL were other losers in trade.

However, buying in heavyweights like Reliance Industries, SBI and L&T capped the losses to major extent, which gained 0.5-0.9%. HCL Tech, Tata Steel, Cairn, JSPL, M&M, Ranbaxy, Sun Pharma, Maruti, HDFC Bank, Reliance Communications, Hindalco and HUL were other gainers.

The Sensex was trading at 17961, down 30 points and the Nifty was at 5397, down 11 points. About 830 shares advanced while 401 shares declined on NSE.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading lower. Shanghai and Nikkei fell 1.1-1.7%. Hang Seng, Straits Times, Kospi and Taiwan declined 0.5-0.8%.

HCL Tech rallied 3.12% post better-than-expected numbers reported on Wednesday. Ranbaxy Labs rose 2.12%, Daiichi Sankyo said company’s net sales rose 84.7% to 54.8 billion Yen in the quarter ended June 2010. Ranbaxy made gains on valuation of derivatives.

Aster Silicates, SpiceJet, IRB Infra, Reliance, ARSS Infra, SBI, Hero Honda and Tata Steel were the most active share on exchanges.

In the midcap space, Central Bank, Omaxe, IRB Infra, United Breweries and Oriental Bank were up 4-7.6% while Petronet LNG, Bombay Rayon, Federal Bank, Chambal Fert and Rallis India fell 1.6-3.7%.

In the smallcap space, INOX Leisure rose 18%. Everest Inds, SpiceJet, Prime Focus and TCI Industries gained 7-10.5% while LGS Global, Heritage Foods, Maharashtra Polybutenes and Intra Infotech declined 3.8-5%.

Nifty below 5400 on global cues, disappointing earnings

The benchmark Nifty started the session lower following weak global cues and disappointing earnings. Telecom, technology, select auto and select financial companies’ shares were under pressure.

At 9:01 hours IST, the Sensex was trading at 17928, down 63 points and the Nifty was at 5389, down 20 points. About 360 shares advanced while 367 shares declined.

Results Reaction

Siemens and ONGC tumbled 2%, Hero Honda lost 4% post disappointing numbers.

Hero Honda’s Q1 net profit was down 1.6% at Rs 492 crore while expectation was at Rs 563 crore and ONGC’s Q1 net profit was down 24% at Rs 3661 crore while expectation was at Rs 3920 crore. Siemens has reported Q3FY10 adjusted PAT at Rs 156 crore as against Rs 200 crore, de-growth of 22% (YoY).

Petronet LNG was down 2% and SAIL down 1.7%.

Reliance Power fell 2% ahead of numbers.

Tata Motors, Ambuja Cements, Idea Cellular, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel, PNB, ITC and Infosys were witnessing selling pressure.

However, HCL Tech rose 1%. Maruti Suzuki, ABB (ahead of numbers), Cipla L&T and Suzlon Energy were other gainers.

Central Bank of India rose 6% and Bank of Maharashtra gained 3% post good numbers.

Global cues:

Asian markets were trading lower. Nikkei and Hang Seng declined 1-1.5%. Hang Seng, Straits Times, Kospi and Taiwan fell 0.4-0.8%.

The US markets slipped from day’s high. Technology stocks were the biggest losers. Euro hit a new two-month high post economic data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended down 31 points at 10467, after slipping 118 points from day’s high of 10585.

Commodities

CRB Commodity Index was up 1.5%, Energy was up 2.1%

September crude oil contract was up 1.9% at USD 78.36/bbl

September natural gas was up 2.4% at USD 4.82 per MMBtu

September silver was up 1% at USD 17.62/ounce

August gold contract rose 0.7% at USD 1168.4/ounce

Sugar went up 3.3% at 19.5 cents

Baltic Dry Index was up 2.1%.

F&O cues:

Nifty Open Int PCR at 1.28 versus 1.19 at start of July series

Nifty 5300 Put adds 15 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5400 Put adds 10 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5600 Call adds 11 lakh shares in Open Int

Nifty 5500 Call adds 10 lakh shares in Open Int

Marketwide rollover at 82% versus 77% last time

Nifty rollover at 77% versus 70% last time

MUMBAI

The BSE small cap index rose 0.70 per cent and the CNX midcap index gained 0.59 per cent.

Among the midcaps, Central Bank rose 8.06 per cent. The bank’s net profit rose 26 per cent. Omaxe gained 6.06 per cent after reporting strong numbers. Oriental Bank extended gains. The bank had reported earnings on Thursday. Among the small caps, INOX Leisure rose 15.7 per cent after reports of Reliance mediaworks offering to acquire a stake in the company. Reliance denied the report in a communication to the BSE.

Among the sectoral indices, Consumer Durables continued to see buying interest, Banking and metal stocks rose too. The declines were led by realty and IT stocks. TCS, Wipro and Infosys fell.

On the Sensex, 10 stocks advanced while 20 declined. Hero Honda was the biggest loser, down 2.87 per cent. The company reported a 1.6 per cent decline in net profit (YOY). Tata Motors, Bharti and DLF declined more than 1.5 per cent. M&M, Tata Steel and SBI gained more than a per cent on the Sensex.

Infosys and ICICI Bank were the big drags, pulling the Sensex down by 31 points. SBI pushed the index up by 10 points.

ONGC declined 1.13 per cent and Federal Bank fell 2.60 per cent on results.

ABB, Reliance Power, BPCL, HPCL and Reliance Infra are some companies to announce earnings today.

Global markets look weak ahead of the GDP number for the April-June quarter in the US. Investors are concerned about recovery in the world’s largest economy and the signals so far have been far from reassuring despite strong earnings from many Wall Street companies. On Thursday, the Labour department said that the weekly claims for unemployment benefits fell marginally but the small drop failed to enthuse investors. The Dow fell 31 points to end at 10,467.

Asian markets fell after Wall Street declined. The Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 1.64 per cent to 9,537 at 12.20 pm. Japan’s industrial production fell in June and consumer prices have declined for the 16th month. The Kospi in South Korea was down 0.65 per cent and the Hang Seng dropped 0.24 per cent.

The Chinese markets were lower too.

MUMBAI:

The broader markets saw buying interest. The BSE small cap index rose 0.43 per cent and the CNX midcap gained 0.40 per cent. Overall, 60 per cent stocks advanced on the BSE in early trade.

On the Sensex, 6 stocks advanced while 24 declined. Hero Honda was the biggest loser, down 2.48 per cent. The company reported a net profit of Rs.491.69 cr vs ` 500.11 cr. (YOY) that was below market expectation. ITC and ICICI Bank were pulling down the index by 20 points while RIL pushed the index up by 12 points.

M&M, Maruti and RIL gained in early trade. Sterlite and ONGC declined.

ONGC declined 1.01 per cent and Federal Bank fell 3.49 per cent on results. Central Bank rose 5.51 per cent on good earnings. All these companies reported earnings after market hours on Thursday.

ABB, Reliance Power, BPCL, HPCL and Reliance Infra are some companies to announce earnings today.

Global markets look weak ahead of the GDP number for the April-June quarter in the US. Investors are concerned about recovery in the world’s largest economy and the signals so far have been far from reassuring despite strong earnings from many Wall Street companies. On Thursday, the Labour department said that the weekly claims for unemployment benefits fell marginally but the small drop failed to enthuse investors. The Dow fell 31 points to end at 10,467.

Asian markets fell after Wall Street declined. The Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 1.75 per cent to 9,526 at 9.30 am. The Kospi in South Korea was down 0.77 per cent and the Hang Seng dropped 0.48 per cent.

The Chinese markets were lower too.

MUMBAI

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty closed at 5411, down 13.9 points or 0.26 per cent. The broader index hit a high of 5415.85 and low of 5381.55.

BSE Midcap Index was up 0.27 per cent and BSE Smallcap Index moved 0.16 per cent lower.

Amongst the sectoral indices, BSE Oil&gas Index slipped 0.51 per cent and BSE Healthcare Index declined 0.31 per cent. BSE Bankex moved up 0.95 per cent and BSE Auto Index advanced 0.48 per cent.

HDFC (2.65%), Hindalco Industries (2.50%), ICICI Bank (2.14%), Tata Motors (1.65%) and Sterlite Industries (1.62%) were amongst the top Sensex gainers.

Losers included Reliance Communications (-2.32%), Bharti Airtel (-1.26%), Reliance Infrastructure (-0.99%), Cipla (-0.73%) and Reliance Industries (-0.71%).

Market breadth was positive on the BSE with 1425 gainers against 1503 losers.

MUMBAI:

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Realty, automobile and power stocks are mostly off their lows. Oil, capital goods, metal and information technology stocks are also edging up from the day’s lows now. Midcap and smallcap stocks continue to remain subdued.

The Sensex is up 23.95 points or 0.13% at 17,981.32, nearly 80 points off the day’s low, while the Nifty index of the National Stock Exchange is up with a gain of 9.50 points or 0.18% at 5407.05.

According to a report from the government, Food article index was up 9% for the week ended July 17, 2010, while Primary Article index surged 14% and Fuel Group index moved up by 14%.

Hindustan Unilever has gained 2.6% to Rs 259 on sustained buying at the counter. HDFC is up by a little over 2.5% at Rs 2969. Maruti Suzuki, Hindalco, Hero Honda, HDFBA, ICICI Bank and Cipla are up 0.5 %- 0.8%.

BHEL, ITC, Reliance Infrastructure and Sterlite Industries have posted modest gains. NTPC, Jaiprakash Associates, ONGC and Wipro are up marginally.

MMTC rules firm with a hefty gain of 25%. Petronet LNG has gained 4.3%. Asian Paints, HCL Technologies, IDFC, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Tata Global, Exide Industries, Alstom Projects, LIC Housing Finance, IFCI, Marico and Procter & Gamble have also posted smart gains.

Top gainers | Worst losers | More tips

Bank of Baroda is up nearly 2% at Rs 730 on strong results. The PSU bank has posted a net profit of Rs 8591.60 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 as compared to Rs 6853.80 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Total income increased from Rs 47351.50 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2009 to Rs 53442.00 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

Aban Offshore, which shot up to Rs 915.90 earlier in the day after the company said it has received an order worth Rs 500 million for the deployment of a jack-up rig for about 120 days, has drifted lower on stiff resistance and is currently trading at Rs 890, down nearly a percent from its previous closing price.