11:00 am: Winter session of parliament continues in New Delhi.
LIVECHAT - GLOBAL TRADE WITHOUT TPP with Parag Khanna, senior research fellow at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Donald Trump has vowed to withdraw the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Day 1 when he moves into the White House. Khanna, author of "Connectography", will talk about who may be hurt by the end of the pact, and who may stand to benefit, at 10:00 am. To join the conversation, click on the link: https://forms.thomsonreuters.com/communities/ INDIA TOP NEWS India unexpectedly keeps rates unchanged even as cash crunch roils economy India's central bank unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 percent on Wednesday, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage that threatens to slam the brakes on the world's fastest-growing large economy.
Tata Steel sweetens offer to UK workers, moves closer to merger Tata Steel UK offered British unions a deal guaranteeing jobs and investment on Wednesday in return for pension cuts, moving the company closer to merging its European assets with Germany's Thyssenkrupp.
India seeks nod to up net spending by $5.2 billion Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought parliamentary approval on Wednesday to increase net spending by 351.7 billion Indian rupees ($5.2 billion) in the current fiscal year that ends in March 2017.
Tata seeks shareholder support before vote to remove Mistry from group cos Tata Sons' interim chairman Ratan Tata reached out to shareholders of Tata group companies on Wednesday, seeking their support to remove Cyrus Mistry from the board of these companies.
Indian banks see lower lending rates even as cenbank stays pat India's bankers welcomed the central bank's decision to reverse an order that forced them to surrender all their deposits, saying it would allow them to lower their lending rates even after interest rates were kept unchanged on Wednesday.
Sun Pharma says U.S. finds more concerns at Halol plant Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, India's largest drugmaker, said on Wednesday the U.S. health regulator has informed the company of more concerns found at its Halol manufacturing plant after a recent inspection.
ONGC exploring swap deals to import gas from Myanmar A unit of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC) is in early talks with Gazprom for supply of natural gas through a complex swap involving Russia, China and Myanmar, the head of the unit said on Wednesday.
GLOBAL TOP NEWS Japan Inc warns of global trade contraction under Trump presidency -Reuters poll Corporate Japan is bracing for a rocky ride under incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, a Reuters poll showed, with well over a third of firms seeing a contraction in global trade as concerns about a rise in U.S. protectionism threaten to shatter a fragile economic recovery.
'No survivors' after plane crash in northern Pakistan mountains There were no survivors after a plane carrying 47 people crashed into a mountain in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, the airline's chairman said, as recovery operations continued late into the night at the remote crash site.
Rebels seek ceasefire with Syrian army closer to retaking Aleppo Syrian rebels in besieged eastern Aleppo called on Wednesday for an immediate five-day ceasefire and the evacuation of civilians and wounded, but gave no indication they were ready to withdraw as demanded by Damascus and Moscow.
LOCAL MARKETS OUTLOOK (As reported by NewsRise) The SGX Nifty Futures were trading at 8,211, up 0.87 pct from its previous close.
The Indian rupee will likely open higher against the U.S. dollar, tracking gains across Asian currencies and equities, amid expectations the European Central Bank will announce an extension to its bond-buying programme at its policy review today.
Indian government bonds will likely edge lower after the nation's Monetary Policy Committee kept the key interest rate unchanged, disappointing investors, and sounded hawkish on inflation. The yield on the benchmark 6.97 pct bond maturing in 2026 is likely to trade in a 6.35 pct - 6.45 pct band today.
GLOBAL MARKETS Wall Street surged on Wednesday, with the Dow industrials and S&P 500 hitting fresh records, as equities continued their march upward after the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, and a new high for transportation stocks added to the bullish tone.
Asian shares hopped higher after Wall Street strode to new records and bonds rallied on wagers the European Central Bank would extend its asset buying campaign at a policy meeting later in the session.
The euro held firm near a three-week high versus the dollar, as investors turned their attention to the European Central Bank's policy meeting later in the day, and as the greenback was dragged down by a drop in U.S. bond yields.
U.S. Treasury yields fell, with the 30-year yield on track for its biggest drop in more than three months, as disappointing overseas economic data reduced optimism about global growth ahead of a European Central Bank meeting.
Oil prices edged up, supported by a weaker dollar ahead of next week's Federal Reserve meeting and by a drawdown in U.S. crude stocks.
Gold edged up slightly, with the U.S. dollar weaker as markets waited for clues on the future of the European Central Bank's asset purchase programme later in the day.
CLOSE FII INVESTMENTS EQUITIES DEBT PNDF spot 67.43/67.46 December 7 $28.73 mln -$246.34 mln 10-yr bond yield 6.61 pct Month-to-date -$87.52 mln -$2.05 bln Year-to-date $4.06 bln -$5.20 bln For additional data: India govt bond market volumes Stock market reports Non-deliverable forwards data Corporate debt stories [IN CORPD] Local market closing/intraday levels [IN SNAPSHOT] Monthly inflows [INFLOWS RTRS TABLE IN] ($1 = 67.63 Indian rupees) (Compiled by Sai Sharanya Khosla in Bengaluru)
