The Sensex today is set to finish calendar year 2018 with a return of at least 5.9%Domestic stock markets started Monday's session on a choppy note with the benchmark indices reversing gains by afternoon, despite advances in Asian peers on easing of concerns about US-China trade talks.
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark index Sensex rose as much as 208 points to touch an intraday high of 36,285, before turning negative for the day with a loss of 42 points from the previous close.
Advances in auto, metal and pharma sectors pushed the indices higher although advances were capped due to volatility witnessed in energy stocks.
The Nifty and Sensex today were set to finish calendar year 2018 with returns of at least 5.9 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively.Here are 10 things to know:1.
At 12:26 pm, the Sensex traded 28 points lower at 36,047 and the Nifty was down 3.65points at 10,856.2.
Top gainers on the-30 scrip index were Tata Steel, Vedanta and Sun Pharma, up between 0.9 per cent and 1.7 per cent.
On the other hand, top laggards on the Sensex were Reliance Industries, PowerGrid and NTPC, trading around 0.7-0.8 per cent lower each.3.
Other Asian stocks also crept higher on a rare glimmer of optimism in what has been a rough year-end for equities globally.4.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.2 per cent, but was still down 16 per cent for the year.
E-Mini futures for the SP 500 firmed 0.7 per cent.5.
US President Donald Trump said he had a "very good call" with China's President Xi Jinping on Saturday to discuss trade and claimed "big progress" was being made.6.
A stronger Indian rupee also lifted sentiment on the final day of trading in 20187.
Analysts say investors will closely watch corporate earnings season beginning next week.8.
"We should say goodbye to 2018 on a sombre note, with not much volatility," news agency Reuters quoted Gaurang Shah, senior vice president, Geojit Financial Services, as saying.
"Market is waiting to dissect the next earnings season We should be trading in positive bias.
Domestic factors are what we're looking at," he added.9.
The Sensex and Nifty are set to finish 2018 with returns of at least 5.9 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively.10.
Infosys is due to kick off the corporate earnings season on January 11.(With agency inputs)