Nifty seems to be headed lower

F&O OUTLOOK

The derivative players were aggressive buyers of put options at 4800, 4900 and 5000 strike prices and wrote call options at the strike price of 5000. The open interest in 4800 and 4900 puts increased by over 14 per cent each. This means the Nifty is likely to test 4800 in the coming days.

Call and put writers generally take contrary views on the market direction. Call writers expect a fall, whereas put writers anticipate a rise in the value of underlying stocks or indices. However, puts are bought on expectations of a market decline.

The Nifty May futures traded at a discount at close of trade, with the open interest rising substantially by nine per cent, indicating a fresh built-up in short positions.

However, after the close-out session (settlement of remaining trades at specific prices after the trading session), the Nifty futures closed at a premium of 10 points and the OI increased by 3.7 per cent. Some short positions would have been squared off during the close-out session.

There was limited stock-specific activity. The May futures of National Aluminium rose 6.67 per cent on the back of thin volumes. Cairn India saw profit booking in early trade and short built-up later.

The stock ended 8.30 per cent lower than the previous day's close and the OI rose by 15.5 per cent, indicating built-up in short positions.