To access the newsletter, click on the link: http://share.thomsonreuters.com/assets/newsletters/Indiamorning/MNC_IN_03202017.pdf If you would like to receive this newsletter via email, please register at: https://forms.thomsonreuters.com/india-morning/ FACTORS TO WATCH 11:00 am: Budget session of parliament continues in New Delhi.

LIVECHAT- GREECE We take a look at what's in store for Greece's debt talks with the IMF with Yannis Koutsomitis, European affairs analyst and Managing Director of Imperial Media, at 02.30 pm. To join the conversation, click on the link: https://forms.thomsonreuters.com/communities/ INDIA TOP NEWS • Hardline priest's elevation a sign Modi is moving toward Hindu India A saffron-robed Hindu holy man was sworn in on Sunday to lead India's most populous state, sealing what appears to be a shift in course by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that could redefine the world's largest democracy as a Hindu nation.

• India's Adani to finalise Australia coal investment plan by June India's Adani Enterprises said it would finalise an investment decision by June for its Carmichael coal project in the northern Australian state of Queensland, which has been delayed due to protests from environmental groups.

• POSCO offers to surrender land for planned India steel project South Korean steelmaker POSCO has asked the eastern state of Odisha in India to take back the land it was allotted for a $12 billion steel project as it has not been able to start work, two senior state officials said.

• Indian drugmakers face squeeze in U.S. healthcare market India's small and medium-sized generic drugmakers say the threat of tougher rules and higher barriers for outsiders in the U.S. healthcare market will force many to find a niche or focus their expansion efforts on other countries.

• India's Music Broadcast shares rise on debut after $75 million IPO Shares of India's Music Broadcast Ltd rose as much as 24.6 percent in their trading debut on Friday, after the radio station operator's initial public offering of shares raised $75 million.

• India to examine if foreign airlines can fully own local carriers through investment partners India's civil aviation secretary said on Friday it was not possible for a foreign airline to fully own an Indian carrier, but will examine whether it can be done through an investment partner.

• India steel min says he hopes SAIL, ArcelorMittal resolve JV issues by May India's steel minister said he hoped state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd and ArcelorMittal SA would resolve differences over building an $897 million automotive steel plant before the deadline in May to close the deal.

GLOBAL TOP NEWS • Tillerson ends China trip with warm words from President Xi With warm words from Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues.

• Pressure builds on Trump to back off wiretap accusations U.S. lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion.

• Germany's Merkel and Japan's Abe urge free trade with jabs at U.S.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke up for free trade at a major technology fair on Sunday with jabs clearly pointed at an increasingly protectionist United States.

LOCAL MARKETS OUTLOOK (As reported by NewsRise) • The SGX Nifty Futures were trading at 9,152.00, trading down 0.20 pct from its previous close.

• The Indian rupee is poised to open little changed to slightly lower against the dollar amid a lack of fresh triggers after the U.S. Federal Reserve's hint of a gradual pace of rate increases sparked a rally last week.

• Indian government bonds are likely to open little changed, as investors await fresh cues on interest rates globally as well as in India. The yield on the benchmark 6.97 pct bond maturing in 2026 is likely to trade in a 6.84 pct-6.89 pct band today, a dealer with a state-run bank said. The bond had settled at 100.75 rupees, yielding 6.86 pct, on March. 17.

GLOBAL MARKETS • U.S. stocks dipped on Friday as bank shares fell alongside Treasury yields while Adobe helped buoy the S&P tech sector and the Nasdaq Composite.

• Asian stocks were slightly weaker early, following Wall Street's declines and the G20's decision to drop a pledge to avoid trade protectionism, while the Federal Reserve's seemingly dovish stance last week continued to drag the dollar lower.

• The dollar slowly ceded ground in Asia with greenback bulls still nursing grudges after the Federal Reserve's rate guidance last week proved to be less "hawkish" than many had wagered on.

• U.S. Treasury yields edged lower on Friday after data showing low inflation in March suggested that the Federal Reserve could aim for a slower pace of interest rate hikes this year than it had forecast on Wednesday.

• Oil prices fell as rising U.S. drilling activity and steady supplies from OPEC countries despite touted production cuts pressured already-bloated markets.

• Gold prices edged up as the dollar stayed on the defensive, finding support from the U.S. Federal Reserve's conservative guidance on the path of rate hikes this year.

CLOSE FII INVESTMENTS EQUITIES DEBT PNDF spot 65.46/65.49 March 17 $234.07 mln -$5.81 mln 10-yr bond yield 7.24 pct Month-to-date $2.42 bln $858.50 mln Year-to-date $3.98 bln $2.17 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 = 65.46 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Pradip Kakoti in Bengaluru) ))