Markets may open flat to positive bolstered by GST clearance

Indian benchmark indices got off to a firm start on Wednesday, and soon gathered momentum, to trade with gains of around quarter per cent in the morning session, and in the second half the key indices capitalised on the momentum further, spurting to the highest levels of the day. In the end, the NSE’s 50-share broadly followed index, Nifty, surged by around half a per cent to settle at 9143 level, while Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensitive Index- Sensex advanced over one hundred and twenty points and closed above the psychological 29,500 mark.The European markets ended Wednesday’s session with modest gains. The markets got off to a positive start, but pared their gains ahead of today’s announcement from the U.K. Traders reacted to the news that Article 50 had been triggered with relative calm in the afternoon.  The DAX of Germany climbed 0.44 per cent and the CAC 40 of France rose 0.45 per cent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. gained 0.41 per cent.The U.S stocks ended Wednesday’s session mostly higher, with Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 Index ending the session in positive territory. However, Dow Jones ended the session with marginal losses. The Nasdaq Composite ended with a modest gain of 22 points. The S&P 500 advanced 3 points to 2,361. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with modest losses of 42 points.Asian stocks are trading negative. Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined by 47 points. Whereas, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is trading with losses of 61 points and the Shanghai Composite shed 24 points.At 8:15 am, SGX Nifty Index was trading higher by 11.50 points at 9156, indicating a flat to positive start for Indian equities. Investors will cheer the clearance of 4 GST Bills in the Lok Sabha, as the GST inches closer to being a reality by July 1, 2017. Expect some volatility later in the day as we have March F&O expiry today.