Mkts see-saw; HDFC Bank, HDFC, Satyam gainers

Markets are trading with extreme volatility as technology, FMCG, banking and select capital goods stocks are supporting frontline indices while oil & gas, auto, metal and select power stocks are pulling indices lower. Midcap and small cap indices are not showing any great movement, both are trading flat.

At 12:31 pm, the Sensex declined by 42 points at 14,681 and Nifty down 24 points at 4,406. Market breadth is slightly weak; about 1114 shares have advanced while 1233 shares declined. Nearly 815 shares are unchanged.

HDFC Bank, HDFC, Satyam and Sun Pharma are top gainers while Grasim, Hindalco, Reliance Ind, BPCL and Suzlon Energy are losers.

BSE IT gained 1% and Bankex up just 0.6%. However, Oil & Gas fell 1.9%, Auto and Metal plunged over 1%. Power lost 0.9% and Realty down 0.55%.

Markets @ 11:21 am : Mkts lacklustre; Hindalco, Sterlite, Ambuja, Grasim losers

Markets are witnessing some volatility and consolidating at current levels for further upmove. Buying is seen in technology, FMCG, banking and select pharma stocks while selling in oil & gas, metal, auto and power stocks.

At 11:21 am, the Sensex rose 15 points at 14,739 while Nifty fell 11 points at 4,419. BSE Midcap and Small cap indices are also flat.

Market breadth is mixed; about 1449 shares have advanced while 1501 shares declined. Nearly 212 shares are unchanged.

Top gainers are HDFC, HDFC Bank, Satyam and Sun Pharma while losers are Hindalco, Grasim, Sterlite Industries and BPCL.

Reliance Capital, Reliance Ind, Vishal Info and ICICI Bank are most active counters on the bourses.

BSE IT Index rose 1.75%. Indian Rupee is trading around 43.23 per dollar.

Bankex jumped nearly 1.7%, FMCG gained 1.1%, Capital Goods and Healthcare 0.8% each. However, Oil & Gas fell 1%, Auto down 0.8% and Metal slipped 0.5%.

Crude is hovering around USD 115 a barrel on the NYMEX.

Hindalco Industries lost nearly 3% as after rights issue of 3:7 at price of Rs 96 a share, dilution will be 43% versus 33%. So there could be EPS downgrade.

Markets @ 10:13 am : Markets choppy; IT Index up over 2%

Markets have recovered early trade losses and trading flat with some choppiness as buying is seen in technology, select realty, pharma and banking stocks while selling in select oil, metal, auto and FMCG stocks.

At 10:13 am, the Sensex rose by 20 points at 14,744 while Nifty fell 11.45 points at 4,419. Nifty August Futures is trading with 8 points premium. BSE Midcap and Small cap indices are also flat.

Markets breadth is negative; about 1333 shares have advanced while 1624 shares declined. Nearly 205 shares are unchanged.

Top gainers are Infosys, Wipro and Satyam while losers are Hindalco, Sterlite, Reliance Comm and Ambuja Cements.

Indian Rupee is trading at 43.2650 per dollar.

BSE IT Index rose over 2% and Healthcare was up half a percent. However, Metal and Oil & Gas lost nearly 1% each. Auto and Power fell 0.5% each.

Hindalco Industries plunged 4.5% as its board panel finalised rights issue at Rs 96 per share to raise over Rs 4,000 crore.

Markets @ 9:56 am : Mkts trade lower on higher inflation, weak Asian cues

Markets have opened lower following weak Asian cues and increase in inflation numbers for week-ended August 2 at 12.44% as against 12.01% in previous week. Selling is seen in oil & gas, banking, power, metal, auto and capital goods stocks.

At 9:56 am, the Sensex fell 60 points at 14,663 and Nifty down 24 points at 4,406.

Amongst frontliners, Hindalco, Maruti Suzuki, Sterlite Ind and Ambuja Cements have lost ground while Infosys, Satyam and Wipro have gained.

Reliance Communication fell 2.5% in early trade as its subsidiary, Reliance Infratel has scrapped IPO plans as Sebi deadline lapses.

Currently crude oil is trading above $ 114.55 per barrel on the NYMEX. It has hit a low of $ 111.34/bbl on Friday for the first time since May. Crude oil has lost 24% since the all-time peak.

US markets ended mixed. The Dow advanced 43.97 points, or 0.38%, to 11,659.90. The S&P 500 index gained 5.26 points, or 0.41%, to 1,298.20, while the Nasdaq declined 1.15 points, or 0.05%, to 2,452.52.

Market cues:

Inflation for week-ended Aug 2 at 12.44% Vs 12.01%
Crude hovering around $ 114/bbl after falling to a low of $112/bbl
FIIs net sell $160.2 mn in equity on Aug 13: SEBI
NSE F&O Open Int up by Rs 151 crore at Rs 76,656 crore
F&O cues:

Futures Open Int down by Rs 1341 crore, Options Open Int up by Rs 1492 crore
Nifty futures shed 4 lakh shares in Open Int, at 7-point premium
Nifty Open Int PCR at 1.15 vs 1.24
Nifty Puts shed 11 lakh shares, Calls add 15.7 lakh shares in Open Int
Nifty 3900 Put adds 2 lakh shares in Open Int
Nifty 4500 Put sheds 7 lakh shares in Open Int
Nifty 4300 Put sheds 2.8 lakh shares in Open Int
Nifty 4500 Call adds 4.5 lakh shares in Open Int
Nifty 4700 Call adds 3.7 lakh shares in Open Int
Stock futures Open Int unchanged