Market may open near lower circuit

Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could crash 1,044 or 13.5% points at the opening bell.

Taking note of the continued abnormally high volatility in the market due to coronavirus scare, Sebi has come up with various measures, including revision of market wide position limit, to ensure orderly trading and settlement, effective risk management, price discovery and maintenance of market integrity.

These measures will kick-in from the beginning of trading today, 23 March 2020 and will be in effect for a period of one month. The position would be reviewed thereafter and appropriate view taken thereon.

Sebi has revised market wide position limit (MWPL). For stocks in F&O segment meeting certain criteria, MWPL may be revised to 50% of the existing levels.

The margin for stocks meeting specific criteria will be increased, apart from having revised position limits in equity index derivatives (futures and options).

Sebi also proposed to raise margin for non-F&O stocks in cash market to 40% in a phased manner. The proposed margins would only be applied in the cash market and may be applicable for a period of one month.

The regulator also proposed flexing of dynamic price bands for F&O stocks. Currently, the bands are relaxed in the event of market trends in either direction. In addition to the existing requirements, the dynamic price bands may be flexed only after a cooling-off period of 15 minutes from the time of meeting the existing criteria specified by stock exchanges for flexing.

Sebi and stock exchanges will continuously monitor the market developments and review the position and take any further suitable actions as may be required.

Overseas, Asian markets were trading sharply lower on Monday on growing anxiety over the fallout from the Covid-19 coronavirus as no certainty was in sight on how long it would continue.

Stocks were hammered as a rising tide of national lockdowns threatened to overwhelm policymakers' frantic efforts to cushion what is likely to be a deep global recession.

In US, stock indexes finished another bruising week with sharp losses as panic over the coronavirus outbreak refused to abate, amid the acceleration of the global death toll. Investors haven't yet been comforted by the government's response to limit the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic, whose severity and duration is unclear.

Back home, the market surged on Friday, as recovery in global stock markets triggered bargain hunting in domestic shares. The key indices came off day's high after Maharashtra announced lockdown across major cities in the state. However, the state government clarified that stock exchanges, clearing corporations, depositories, stockbrokers and Sebi registered participants will be exempted from the lockdown. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 1627.73 points 5.75% at 29,915.96. The Nifty 50 index was surged 482 points or 5.83% at 8,745.45.

The trading activity on that day showed that the foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 3345.95 crore on Friday, 20 March 2020, as per provisional data released by the stock exchanges. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 2431.24 crore, on Friday, 20 March 2020, as per provisional data.

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