Pre-Market: 5 stocks to watch out for today, Feb F&O expiry eyed

Markets are likely to see a volatile day ahead as investors will remain cautious on account of February month derivative expiry today. The expiry is scheduled today as the markets will be closed on Thursday due to Mahashivratri.

Today the SGX Nifty was flat with a negative bias at 6,206 levels, at 0820 hrs, IST.

U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday, easing back from record territory a day earlier as weak economic data offset gains in Home Depot and other retail shares.

The day's data showed gains in U.S. home prices slowed in December, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index, while the consumer confidence index fell more than expected in February.

Asian market got off to a cautious start on Wednesday following a flat finish on Wall Street and as concerns over opaque policy moves in China kept investors on edge.

Traditional safe havens such as the yen, Treasuries and gold all gained, while prices for industrial commodities eased, but the moves were modest at best.

Early Wednesday, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan

STOCKS TO WATCH

India VIX futures will be in action today. The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has announced rebate on transaction charges for its members on trades done in the futures contracts on NSE's volatility index viz. India VIX. Future trading on India VIX begins today. The discount on transaction charges is being offered so as to encourage active participation in India VIX, NSE said in a circular issued on Monday, 24 February 2014.

Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC’s) entry into North America, the state-run company is set to acquire a 10 per cent stake in Malaysian firm Petronas’ shale-gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in British Columbia for Canadian $1 billion.

Ranbaxy Laboratories has suspended shipments of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) from two of its Indian factories, at Toansa (Punjab) and Dewas (Madhya Pradesh) to overhaul manufacturing practices.

In a major achievement for power generator NTPC, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given clearance for a reworked plan of the company’s Rs 15,000- crore North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Project to come up in Jharkhand.

The board of state-owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) has approved the acquisition of a 5 per cent stake in Indian Oil Corp (IOC) from the government at a discount to the market price.