Pre-market: Soft opening seen following US cues, Budget day

Apollo Hospitals, Cipla, United Spirits to be in focus

After a three month low closing yesterday, the Sensex is likely to see another session start in the red today. Early indicator, SGX Nifty was down 102 points at 5,694 at around 0645 hrs, IST.

In US makets, stocks ended flat on Thursday, giving up modest gains late in the session, denying the Dow a chance to inch closer to all-time highs.The Dow Jones industrial average shed 0.15 percent, to 14,054 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 0.09 percent, to 1,515. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.07 percent, to end at 3,160.

Asian shares edged down on Friday, with sentiment burdened by worries over the economic fallout from Italy's political stalemate, the likelihood of U.S. "sequestration" spending cuts, and caution ahead of China's manufacturing data.

But renewed confidence that major central banks will keep taking stimulative steps to support their economies, which lifted a global equities index overnight, underpinned prices.The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.2 percent, after ending February up 0.5 percent.Japan's Nikkei stock average opened down 0.8 percent.

STOCKS TO WATCH

Apollo Hospital will be reacting to the news of British private equity firm Apax Partners LLP  selling a 4.2 percent stake in the hospital.

Cipla will be in spotlight after the company offered over $500 million to buy out South African affiliate Cipla Medpro, sweetening its bid by 17 percent after earlier talks stalled over price.

United Spirits is likely to gain on the news of CCI approving a proposal by UK drinks group Diageo to buy a stake in Vijay Mallya controlled United Spirits.