Markets may open lower; OMCs, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki in focus

Markets are likely to open lower tracking the weakness in their select Asian peers which have declined on global crude oil prices falling to fresh lows.
 
At 8:20AM, the early indicator SGX Nifty was down 50 points at 8,211.

On the economic front, markets will react to the data on trade deficit for the month of November which was released after markets hours yesterday. At $16.86 billion, India's trade deficit widened to 18-month high driven by over six-fold jump in gold imports. In November last year, trade deficit was $9.57 billion.
 

Further, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation fell to zero in November, compared with 1.77 per cent the previous month, primarily on account of a sharp fall in global commodity prices.

 
Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors were net sellers in Indian equities worth Rs 455.72 crore on Monday, as per provisional stock exchange data
 
Japan's Nikkei has dropped to a more than one-month low dragged by a a renewed selloff in oil prices. Appreciating yen has added further pressure on the index. Nikkei has falled around 2%.
 
Mainland Chinese shares remain an exception to the general slump in the Asian markets. Shanghai Composite index has gained over 1%. Hang Seng  index, however, has lost close to 1%.
 
Overnight, drop in crude oil prices resulted in US markets closing lower. Dow Jones ended down 0.5%, S&P 500 declined 0.6% while Nasdaq Composite index declined around 1%.

 
Stocks to Watch
 
Maruti Suzuki will in focus as according to media reports, the company plans to raise prices of its vehicles by 2% to 4% in the next month to offset the increase in input costs.

Tata Steel will be in focus on reports that the Jharkhand High Court has ordered the state government to allow the steel major to resume operations at its mines in Jharkhand.

OMCs,like BPCL, HPCL, IOC will be in focus after a Rs 2-a-litre cut in petrol and diesel prices effective from Monday night.

RBI easing norms on infrastructure refinancing may help stocks like Tata Power, Adani Power, and NCC.

IDBI Bank will in focus on plans to sell its 5% stake in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) after approval from the government.
 
Bharti Airtel in news as it has signed a deal to sell its over 1,100 telecom towers in Zambia and Rwanda to Africa's leading mobile infrastructure company IHS Holding for about Rs 2,000 crore to lower its debt and turn around its loss-making operations in the continent.
 
SpiceJet on Monday secured a reprieve from Airports Authority of India (AAI), with its promoter and chairman, Kalanithi Maran, providing the guarantee that it would clear dues of Rs 200 crore. For now, the airline will not be put on a cash-and-carry mode.

Automotive parts maker, Motherson Sumi Systems will be in focus on media reports that it will acquire Germany's Scherer & Trier in a deal worth Rs 283 crore which will help the company to offer a diverse polymer products.