Market Heads-up! 10 things to know before you make your opening trade on December 23

Indian equity markets on Wednesday extended gain to end on a positive note for the second straight day. Both Sensex and Nifty50 witnessed gains of over 1 per cent with all sectoral indices ending the day in the green.   

“On the technical chart, the nifty has settled above the prior day Doji Candlestick, which suggests a decisive movement in the index. Moreover, the price has also moved above the 9- & 21-hour SMA on the hourly chart and confirmed a breakout of Bullish Harami candlestick on a four hourly chart,” Sachin Gupta, AVP – Research, Choice Broking says in a post market comment on Wednesday.  

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“At present, the Index has support at 16750 levels while immediate hurdle at around 17000 levels, crossing above the same can show 17200-17300 levels, which may act as resistance zone. On the other hand, Bank nifty has support at 34600 levels while resistance at 35500 levels,” Gupta said.  

Stay tuned to Zeebiz.com to find out what could impact your trade today. We have collated a list of top 10 news points which could impact markets, companies, or economy:      

Global Markets:  

The US stock market ended higher on Wednesday as all major indices settled in the green. Dow Jones added 0.74%, Nasdaq Composite closed 1.18%, S&P 500 settled after gaining 1.02% and Russel 2000 too surged 0.86% in yesterday's closing 

Asian Markets:  

Asian markets started Thursday on mixed note. Japanese Nikkei 225 was trading with 0.39% gain, while Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng Index declined 0.10% and 0.28% respectively.  

SGX Nifty:  

SGX Nifty Futures was trading with 88.50 points gain to 17,066.50 around 7.15 am, hinting at positive opening for the Indian markets on Thursday.  

RBI Guv for continued policy support to nurture eco revival: MPC minutes  

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das pitched for continued policy support to nurture revival in sectors especially those which are exposed to the evolving headwinds in the wake of spread of Omicron variant of Covid, showed MPC minutes released by the central bank on Wednesday.  

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on December 8 had unanimously voted for status quo on policy rates for the ninth consecutive time.  

As per the minutes, Das said there was growing uncertainty regarding the evolving global macroeconomic outlook.  

Sebi observation letter validity period for NFOs back at 6 months  

Sebi on Wednesday restored the validity period of "observation letter" issued by the markets regulator for launching new fund offerings (NFOs) by mutual funds to six months.  

This will come into force with immediate effect, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular.  

The regulator, in March 2020, had extended the validity period of observation letter issued by it for the launch of NFOs from six months to one year from the date of Sebi letter.  

Oil prices steady as Omicron caution lingers  

Oil prices were steady on Wednesday as fears of tight supply were offset by COVID-19 concerns after Singapore suspended quarantine-free travel and Australia renewed its vaccination push due to a surge in Omicron variant cases.  

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were unchanged at $71.12 a barrel at 1250 GMT after jumping 3.7% on Tuesday. Brent crude futures fell 15 cents, or 0.20%, to $73.83 a barrel after gaining 3.4% in the last session.  

Sebi's total income down 15% to Rs 813 cr in 2019-20  
Capital markets regulator Sebi's total income declined by 15 per cent to Rs 813 crore in 2019-20 mainly due to a drop in earnings from fees and subscription.  

According to the annual accounts of Sebi made public on Wednesday, the total expenditure of the regulator rose to Rs 588.14 crore for the year ended on March 31, 2020, from Rs 492.34 crore in the previous fiscal.  

The other administrative expenses increased from Rs 131 crore to Rs 148 crore and the establishment expenses climbed from Rs 293.15 crore to Rs 375.69 crore.  

I-T refunds of over Rs 1.44 lk cr issued so far in FY22  

Income tax refunds of over Rs 1.44 lakh crore have been issued to 1.38 crore taxpayers so far this fiscal, the I-T department said on Wednesday.  

This includes 99.75 lakh refunds of Assessment Year (AY) 2021-22 (fiscal ended March 31, 2021) amounting to Rs 20,451.95 crore. More than 4 crore ITRs for 2020-21 fiscal (ended March 2021) have been filed till December 21.  

In a tweet, the department said income tax refunds of Rs 49,194 crore have been issued to 1,35,35,261 entities and corporate tax refunds of Rs 95,133 crore have been issued in over 2.11 lakh cases.  

FII & DII Data:  

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) remained net sellers for Rs 1209.82 crore in the Indian markets while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1404.89 crore, provisional data showed on the NSE.   

Stocks under F&O ban on NSE    

Three stocks: Indiabulls Housing, Escorts and ZEEL are placed under the F&O ban on Wednesday. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.   

(With inputs from PTI, Reuters and other agencies)  

(Disclaimer: The views/suggestions/advices expressed here in this article is solely by investment experts. Zee Business suggests its readers to consult with their investment advisers before making any financial decision.)