Benchmark indices was trading higher in the morning trade after opening flat amid rising rupee, increasing crude prices as the investors await the March-quarter earnings results. Nifty50 closed below its crucial level of 9,200 yesterday taking cues from the global markets over uncertainty from geopolitical tensions.
At 11:00 am, the S&P BSE Sensex was trading at 29,748 up 173 points, while the broader Nifty50 was ruling at 9,229 up 47 points.
In the broader market, BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap gained 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively.
"Yesterday’s slippage was largely on anticipated lines, and has brought prices to the crucial 9,170/9,150 region. With a flag pattern also in formation in hourly chart, today’s play could center on the 9,170/50 region’s ability to spark an upswing. However, oscillators are not compressed enough to give such move enough momentum, while weakening directional moving indicators suggest that downsides could be equally impotent," said Geojit Financial Services in a note.
Sectors and Stocks
Infosys, ONGC, Dr Reddy's, Maruti and Tata Motors were the top gainers on BSE Sensex while Bajaj Auto, HUL, M&M and Reliance were the top laggards.
Infosys gained over 1% on the rising rupee. Other majot IT stocks TCS, Wipro were also trading in green in the early morning trade.
Unitech gained nearly 6% after a local court on Monday granted interim bail to real estate company's Managing Directors Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra for three months.
Suzlon Energy gained over 1% after the company announced it has bagged an order of 50.4 MW to supply 24 units of its S111 turbines of 120 meters from a power producer for its project in Karnataka.
Other Developments
On Monday, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 716.19 crore, while Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 210.69 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.
Meanwhile, oil rose towards $56 a barrel on Monday, supported by another shutdown at Libya's largest oilfield over the weekend and geopolitical tensions following last week's US missile strike on Syria, said a Reuters report.
Retreating after a three-session winning run, the rupee on Monday lost 28 paise to end at 64.56 against the dollar with geopolitical tensions taking the spotlight at the global level. This was the biggest single-day fall in the currency in three months. It opened 12 paise down 64.67 against dollar.
Global Markets
Asian stocks fell in choppy trade on Tuesday as the political tinderbox in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula added to uncertainty over the looming French vote, pushing edgy investors into safer assets such as the yen and Treasuries.
Oil continued its steady climb on supply concerns in the wake of US missile strikes on a Syrian air base last week, and a shutdown at a Libyan oilfield.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan swung between gains and losses and was last down 0.4%.
Tokyo's Nikkei slipped 0.5%, dragged lower by a stronger yen. The declines were led by Toshiba, which slumped 4.3%, with the conglomerate expected to file its twice-delayed earnings results on Tuesday, possibly without a full sign-off by auditors.
Chinese stocks fell about 0.1% and Hong Kong shares surrendered earlier gains to slide 0.7%.
South Korean shares and Taiwan were also lower.
Australian stocks reversed earlier losses to climb 0.5 percent, after a measure of business conditions hit the highest level in a decade. They earlier hit their highest level since April 2015 for the second session in a row.
(with inputs from agencies)