To access the newsletter, click on the link: http://share.thomsonreuters.com/assets/newsletters/Indiamorning/MNC_IN_03212016.pdf FACTORS TO WATCH 11:00 am: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at national photography awards event in New Delhi.

INDIA TOP NEWS  Indian jewellers calls off strike; gold imports to rise Indian jewellers called off a 19-day strike late on Saturday after government assured they will not be "harassed" by the excise department in collecting a new tax, the head of a trade body told Reuters.

 India slashes interest rates for small saving schemes The Indian government cut interest rates on Friday for term deposits offered to millions of small savers to align them with market rates, which have come down after rate cuts by the central bank last year.

 COLUMN-India's thirst for gasoline helps spur global oil demand: Kemp India's gasoline consumption is surging and has become one of the fastest-growing components of global oil demand. With other parts of the global economy struggling, continued growth in gasoline consumption in India, together with the United States and China, has become one of the most important indicators for global oil prices.

 Indian airlines look to smaller planes in regional push Indian airlines are in talks with ATR, Bombardier and Embraer to buy smaller planes to fly to the country's booming second and third tier cities ahead of a government drive to get more of the country connected by air.

 Cisco to invest $100 mln in India's digital push Cisco Systems Inc will invest over $100 million in India to support the country's ambitious plan to connect thousands of its villages to the internet and create jobs, Executive Chairman John Chambers said on Friday.

 Mumbai temple to mobilise gold as India scrambles to cut imports A 200-year-old Mumbai temple has said it will deposit a portion of its gold hoard with a bank by the end of the month for recycling, responding to a government campaign to monetise some of the country's thousands of tonnes of privately owned stocks of gold and cut costly imports.

GLOBAL TOP NEWS  Obama cheered in Havana at start of historic visit to Cuba President Barack Obama arrived to small but cheering crowds on Sunday at the start of a historic visit to Cuba that opened a new chapter in U.S. engagement with the island's Communist government after decades of hostility between the former Cold War foes.

 As China opens bad debt market, private equity firms step in Foreign distressed debt managers are building a presence in China, undeterred by an opaque legal system but equally encouraged by government steps to open up to specialised players and reduce a mountain of corporate bad debt.

 U.S. to offer China's ZTE "temporary relief" on export curbs - official The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected this week to lift export curbs it imposed on Chinese telecom equipment and smartphone maker ZTE Corp for alleged Iran sanctions violations.

LOCAL MARKETS OUTLOOK (As reported by NewsRise)  The SGX Nifty Futures was trading at 7,629.00, up 0.22 pct from its previous close.

 The Indian rupee is poised to open higher against the U.S. dollar, tracking likely gains in local shares amid expectations of continued foreign fund inflows after the Federal Reserve's dovish policy review last week.

 Indian sovereign bonds will likely edge higher, as states will borrow much less than anticipated this week and after the government's April-September borrowing calendar came along expected lines. The yield on the benchmark 7.59 pct bond maturing in 2026 is likely to trade in a 7.49 pct-7.55 pct range today.

GLOBAL MARKETS  The S&P 500 closed positive for the year on Friday for the first time in 2016 as the U.S. Federal Reserve's dovish tone and a strengthening economic outlook compelled investors to take on more risk.

 Asian stocks took a step back after three consecutive weeks of gains as a retreat in oil prices left investors in a ponderous mood about the health of the global economy.

 The dollar stayed on the defensive early, having extended its losses for a third week in the wake of dovish signals from the Federal Reserve.

 U.S. Treasuries prices rose for a fifth straight session on Friday, in line with gains in European sovereign markets, as investors continued to snap up U.S. government bonds with the expectation that the Federal Reserve will undertake fewer rate increases this year.

 Crude oil slid for a second session, falling further from last week's 2016 highs on concerns over a supply glut after the U.S rig count rose for the first time since December.

 Spot gold eased, but found support from a weaker dollar as the U.S. and European central banks kept alive the prospect of cheaper capital for longer.

MARKETS CLOSE FII INVESTMENTS EQUITIES DEBT PNDF spot 66.37/66.40 March 18 $258.1 mln $17.74 mln 10-yr bond yield 7.72 pct Month-to-date $1.91 bln -$93.51 mln Year-to-date -$964.04 mln -$1.19 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 = 66.50 Indian rupees)