To begin with, the SGX Nifty is up over 100 points this morning so a green start seems to be on the cards for Indian indices today. Traders can expect today's session to be a volatile one, it being the weekly expiry as well as the last trading day of a truncated week. The markets will remain shut tomorrow for Good Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the situation in the country was akin to a “social emergency”, and indicated the curbs were likely to continue beyond April 14. The PM said he would take a decision on extending the lockdown after a meeting with chief ministers on Saturday.

The number of coronavirus cases in the country, meanwhile, reached 5,916, with 178 deaths, according to data compiled by Worldometer. Globally, the death toll surpassed 88,085, and the number of infections have crossed 1.5 million.

There's also some news on the stimulus front. News agency Reuters quoted senior officials saying that the government is poised to announce a second stimulus package in coming days which will be worth around Rs 1 trillion and focus on help for small and medium businesses weathering the coronavirus outbreak.

The report further quoted a official saying that a separate package could be announced for bigger companies after assessing the extent of the hit they have faced due to the lockdown imposed to fight the outbreak.

Now, let's have a look at how the global markets have fared.

US stock markets jumped on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said Americans might be getting to the top of the "curve" in relation to the outbreak. Overall, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 gained 3.4 per cent each and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.58 per cent.

Asian shares were mixed on Thursday. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.5 per cent in early deals while Hong Kong was up half a per cent. Australian shares also gained 1.5 per cent.

In commodities, oil prices surged in early trade ahead of a crucial meeting of oil-producing countries later in the day. Brent futures were up 2.5 per cent to $33.68 a barrel.

Indian indices Sensex and Nifty closed with minor losses on Wednesday. According to experts, Nifty can witness strength only if it breaches the level of 9,000. Support comes in at 8,000 levels.

And, in the end, here's a stock idea by CapitalVia Global Research which recommends buying Tata Consumer Products Limited above Rs 297 for the target of Rs 316 with stop-loss at Rs 280.

Read by: Kanishka Gupta