What changed for the market while you were sleeping? Top 10 things to know

The BSE Sensex fell 148.82 points to close at 40,558.49 on October 22 while the Nifty50 declined 41.20 points to 11,896.50 and formed a Doji (or Inside Bar) kind of pattern on the daily charts.

According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty is placed at 11,833.5, followed by 11,770.5. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 11,949.5 and 12,002.5.

Stay tuned to Moneycontrol to find out what happens in currency and equity markets today. We have collated a list of important headlines across news platforms which could impact Indian as well as international markets:

US Markets

Shares on Wall Street ended higher on Thursday in choppy trading, as investors cheered the prospect of more fiscal stimulus to support a pandemic-damaged U.S. economy, with more data pointing to a slowing labor market recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 152.84 points higher, or 0.54%, to 28,363.66, the S&P 500 gained 17.93 points, or 0.52%, to 3,453.49 and the Nasdaq Composite added 21.31 points, or 0.19%, to 11,506.01.

Asian Markets

Asian stocks were set for cautious gains on Friday after positive U.S. economic data and signs of progress in stimulus talks in Washington lifted Wall Street benchmarks.

In early Asian trade, futures for Japan’s Nikkei 225 index were up 0.3%.

Australia’s S&P ASX 200 and MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe were roughly flat. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were down 0.11%.

SGX Nifty

Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a flat opening for the index in India. The Nifty futures were trading at 11,884.50 on the Singaporean Exchange around 07:20 hours IST.

US Presidential Debate:

The final presidential debate involving United States President and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump and his rival from the Democratic Party Joe Biden, is underway.

Most opinion polls have placed former vice president Biden in the lead. But, with less than two weeks to go before the final ballots are cast, things could change with any slip up. This debate serves as the last opportunity for millions of voters to directly compare the two leading candidates’ policies and personalities. Catch the latest updates here.

RBI pegs minimum NOF for housing finance companies at Rs 25 crore

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on October 22 fixed the minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) size for housing finance companies at Rs 25 crore. The housing finance companies (HFCs) holding a Certificate of Registration (CoR) and having an NOF of less than Rs 25 crore will be required to achieve NOF of Rs 15 crore by March 31, 2022 and Rs 25 crore by March 31, 2023, the Reserve Bank said in a notification.

"HFCs failing to achieve the prescribed level within the stipulated period shall not be eligible to hold the Certificate of Registration (CoR) as HFCs and registration for such HFCs shall be liable to be cancelled," the RBI said, adding such companies will be required to approach the RBI for conversion of their CoR from HFC to NBFC-Investment and Credit Companies. It has also been provided that HFCs will not impose foreclosure charges/pre-payment penalties on any floating rate term loan sanctioned for purposes other than business to individual borrowers, with or without co-obligants.

SEBI disposes of proceedings against Bharti Telecom, Sunil Bharti Mittal, two others

Markets regulator Sebi on October 22 disposed of proceedings against four entities including Bharti Telecom Ltd and Sunil Bharti Mittal, in a matter related to alleged violation of insider trading norms while dealing in Bharti Airtel's scrip. The order follows an investigation conducted by Sebi in respect of trading of certain entities in the scrip of Bharti Airtel Ltd to ascertain alleged violation of the Prohibition of Insider Trading (PIT) norms.

The information pertained to the acquisition was alleged to be an unpublished price-sensitive information (UPSI). It was alleged that a transaction took place between Bharti Telecom and Gopal Vittal during the UPSI period as Vittal had sold 1.21 lakh shares of the company to Bharti Telecom on August 10, 2017 by way of a block deal.

Measures to deal with market volatility to be in place until November 26: SEBI

Capital markets regulator Sebi on October 22 said the measures to deal with market volatility will remain in place till November 26. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the watchdog, in March, came out with various measures, including revision of market wide position limit, to ensure orderly trading and settlement to contain high market volatility. Besides ensuring orderly trading and settlement, the steps were aimed at effective risk management, price discovery and maintenance of market integrity.

"On review of the COVID-19 pandemic related situation, it has been decided that the regulatory measures introduced vide Sebi press release dated March 20, 2020, shall continue to be in force till November 26, 2020," the regulator said in a release on Thursday. The stock exchanges and clearing corporations will be issuing necessary instructions to market participants in this regard, it added.

US weekly jobless claims push lower to 7,87,000

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits declined more than expected last week, though they remain extremely high indicating a slowdown in the labour market and broader economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as the boost from fiscal stimulus fades.

Economists are predicting claims will remain elevated amid a resurgence in new coronavirus cases around the country, which they say could lead to state and local government restrictions or more people shunning establishments like restaurants and bars.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin receives approval for Phase III trials: Reports

Bharat Biotech's coronavirus vaccine Covaxin has received approval for carrying out Phase III trials on October 22, reports suggest. The approvals were reportedly given after assessing data from Phase I and II and animal challenge study. Phase III is likely to start next month, Business Today reported. The report said an expert committee met on October 20 to give its nod to Phase III trials and suggested some 'minor amendments' in the protocol.

In its application, the firm said the study would cover over 28,500 subjects, aged 18 years and above. The study would be conducted at 19 sites in 10 states across the country, the report said.

Results on October 23

Tech Mahindra, Nestle India, Yes Bank, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company, IDBI Bank, JSW Steel, Aarti Drugs, Alphageo (India), Apollo Tricoat Tubes, Atul, Genus Power Infrastructures, Heidelbergcement India, Mahindra EPC Irrigation, Mold-Tek Technologies, Huhtamaki PPL, Persistent Systems, Premier Explosives, Rane Engine Valve, Sudarshan Chemical Industries, Supreme Petrochem, Vikas Multicorp and Wabco India.

FII and DII data

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 1,118.46 crore, whereas domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net sold shares worth Rs 2,019.87 crore in the Indian equity market on October 22, as per provisional data available on the NSE.

5 stocks under F&O ban on NSE

BHEL, Canara Bank, Mindtree, NALCO and Punjab National Bank are under the F&O ban for October 23. 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.