5 things to know before Sensex, Nifty begin trade

After the WPI inflation for the month of March had been announced key indices, Sensex and Nifty ended marginally higher on Monday.

The BSE Sensex ended 112.78 points higher at 34,305.43, while Nifty edged marginally above 10,500 to trade at 10,528.35.
Shares of Cipla, Grasim Industries and UPL rallied up to 5 per cent, while those of Wipro, SBI, Tech Mahindra and Bharti Airtel traded under pressure. 

But tracking the global cues, on what note equity and currency markets will start the day? Below, we have listed out five major headlines around the world that could be one of the deciding factors in trade sentiments. 

1. WPI inflation eases to 2.47% in March on cheaper food items
Inflation based on wholesale prices slipped marginally to 2.47 per cent in March on falling prices of food items, especially vegetables and pulses.

On the basis of Wholesale Price Index (WPI), inflation was 2.48 per cent in February and 5.11 per cent in March last year.

According to a government data released on Monday, food articles witnessed deflation after about eight months as vegetables, cereals, pulses, eggs, meat and fish, turned cheaper. 

2. Asia stocks edge up on easing Syria tensions; focus on earnings
Asia stocks edged higher on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street gains as the focus shifted to corporate earnings and looming economic data from China amid signs Western-led strikes on Syria weren't likely to escalate.

The dollar pulled back along with safe-haven US Treasuries as investor risk appetite improved in the broader markets.

The world's second biggest economy was expected to have carried most of its strong momentum from last year into the first quarter of 2018, after growing 6.8 per cent in the fourth quarter.

3.China Q1 GDP grows 6.8 pct y/y, slightly more than expected
China's economy grew 6.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2018 from a year earlier, official data showed on Tuesday, slightly above expectations and unchanged from the previous quarter.

The data points to continued resilience in the world's second-largest economy even as its export outlook is being clouded by escalating tensions with the United States, its largest trading partner.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected gross domestic product (GDP) to expand 6.7 per cent in the January-March quarter, slowing only marginally from 6.8 per cent growth in the previous two quarters.

4.Fortis shareholders need objective advise on buyout offers: Report
Fortis Healthcare shareholders need an objective and independent decision-making body to advise its board on the company's sale, which has received three takeover bids, proxy advisory firm IiAS said on Monday.

Currently, there are three offers, which are extremely diverse, it said in a report.

The offers are from Manipal Health Enterprises, a joint one by Hero Enterprise Investment Office and Burman Family Office and Malaysia's IHH Healthcare Berhad.

5. UltraTech revised offer divides Binani creditors
There is a growing clamour for the rebidding of Binani Cement after Kumar Mangalam Birla's cement arm UltraTech had raised the bid offer to about Rs 8,000 crore last week. The company had earlier emerged as the second highest bidder for the Braj Binani group's cement asset.

With the new offer now coming in from UltraTech, there is growing resentment at the Dalmia Bharat's bid, which was earlier cleared as the highest by the Committee of Creditors.

Dalmia Bharat official, however, told DNA Money that rebidding is out of the question.

"Dalmia or even Binani are not in a position to decide that," he said.

(with inputs from agencies)