Summary: The expiry of May series F&O contracts and US-China trade war concerns will be key triggers for indices on Thursday. Q4 results, FII inflow, crude oil prices and the movement of rupee against the US dollar will also be closely tracked. Benchmark indices ended Wednesday's session with losses. The S&P BSE Sensex slipped 248 points, or 0.6 per cent, to settle at 39,502, while the broader Nifty50 index ended the day at 11,861 levels. The rupee settled 14 paise lower at 69.83 per US dollar against Tuesday's close of Rs 69.68. RESULTS CORNER Coal India, ONGC and SAIL are among the 1,267 companies slated to declare their March quarter results for the financial year 2018-19 (FY19) today. GLOBAL CUES Asian stocks were trading with losses on Thursday as rhetoric from Beijing and Washington over trade matters kept alive investor concerns. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan stood little changed while Japan’s Nikkei was down 0.5 per cent and Australian stocks shed 0.66 per cent. US stocks tumbled in the overnight trade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 221 points to end at 25,126 while the S&P500 lost 19 points to settle at 2,783 levels. The Nasdaq too shed 60 points to close at 7,547 levels. In commodities, oil prices climbed on Thursday after an industry report showed a decline in US crude inventories. Brent crude futures were up 3 cents at $69.48.
