Markets closed on account of Mahashivratri

Sensex ended 28 points higher at 28,893, while the Nifty50 closed 13 points up at 8,940 on Thursday

Indian equity, forex, money and commodity markets will remain closed today to observe Mahashivratri. 

The market on Thursday settled flat after a smart rally thanks to gains in IT and telecom stocks on the expiry of February derivative contracts.

The S&P BSE Sensex crossed its crucial psychological of 29,000 in intraday trade, while the Nifty50 also went above its 52-week high for the first time since September 2016. The 30-share Sensex ended 28 points higher at 28,893 and the 50-share Nifty closed 13 points higher at 8,940. 

WORLD MARKETS

Asian shares took a breather on Friday, hovering just below 1-1/2-year highs as investors braced for a potentially wobbly session after US President Donald Trump called China "grand champions" of currency manipulation.

Over the past month or so, financial markets have been buffeted by rising protectionism under the Trump administration, and the President's latest comments on China does little to raise confidence on trade relations between the world's two biggest economies.

His comments came just hours after his new Treasury secretary pledged a more methodical approach to analysing Beijing's foreign exchange practices.

The offshore yuan stood flat at 6.8476 per dollar. In onshore trade, the yuan fell 6.6% last year in its biggest drop in over 20 years. All eyes are on the Chinese markets which open shortly.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.1% in early trade after four straight days of gains while Japan's yen-sensitive Nikkei was off 0.7%.

The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 46 nations, rose 0.15% to 446.69 on Thursday, touching a record peak at 447.67 at one point and extending its gains so far this year to almost 6%.

(with Reuters inputs)