MARKET LIVE: SGX Nifty trends indicate a positive opening for Sensex, Nifty

LIVE market updates: The Indian markets are poised to open higher for the third straight day on Thursday, tracking cautious gains by global markets, although another record daily surge in Covid-19 cases could limit the upside. Besides, weekly options expiry is likely to inject volatility into the session.

On the Covid front, India recorded its biggest-ever daily surge of 1.26 lakh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to Worldometer.

Global cues

On Wall Street, the S&P500 and Dow Jones closed 0.15 per cent and 0.05 per cent higher, respectively, on Thursday after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting reiterated its commitment to keep interest rates low until the US economy makes a more secure recovery. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, dropped 0.07 per cent.

Asian equities largely tracked Wall Street’s cautious gains. Australian ASX 200 rose 1 per cent in early trading and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.8 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.35 per cent.

Crude oil prices rose on an improving global economic outlook, but were held in check by rising gasoline inventories. Brent gained 0.67 per cent to settle at $63.16 per barrel.

(with inputs from Reuters)