Sensex, Nifty Likely To Open Higher

Asian markets were muted with Australia's jobs data for March expected later today; Nikkei 225 advanced 0.22 per cent in early trade, while the Topix index gained 0.55 per cent and South Korea's Kospi advanced fractionally.

The domestic stock markets are likely to open in the green, going by early indications from SGX Nifty futures trading. Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a positive opening for the index in India, with a 109-points gain (against April 13 close). At 7:30 am, the Nifty futures were trading at 14,650.25, higher by 109 points or 0.95 per cent, on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Asian markets were muted with Australia's jobs data for March expected later today. Nikkei 225 advanced 0.22 per cent in early trade, while the Topix index gained 0.55 per cent and South Korea's Kospi advanced fractionally. Meanwhile in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 dipped slightly. Wall Street indexes closed mixed on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 falling despite another record intraday high for the latter and big banks' stellar results on the first day of earnings season. The Dow Jones rose 0.16 per cent, while the S&P 500 lost 0.41 per cent and Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.99 per cent.