Markets may open positive amid mixed cues from Asian peers

Indian markets are expected to open with modest gains as cues from Asian peers are mixed. The SGX Nifty is currently trading at 10,858 level, up by 27 points.   
  
Asian stocks are lacking clear direction on Monday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng has shed 0.24 per cent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index has dipped 0.48 per cent while Japanese stock market Nikkei 225 has gained 0.55 per cent.  
  
Back home, markets eked out small gains on the final trading session of the week amid softened wholesale price index (WPI) data. The market swung between positive and negative terrain for a major part of the day. At the end, Nifty added 0.13 per cent to end above the 10,800 mark and Sensex closed higher by 0.09 per cent, just shy of 36,000 mark. The broader indices ended in the green with Nifty Mid-cap and Small-cap adding 0.30 and 0.04 per cent, respectively. Among sectoral indices, Nifty Pharma ended as top loser, while Nifty Realty gained the most.  
  
The US equities on Friday witnessed a dramatic crash amid renewed concerns about the outlook for global economic growth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 2.02 per cent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq nosedived 2.26 per cent and the S&P 500 fell 1.91 per cent.  
  
The European markets ended lower on Friday as global growth concerns continued to dampen sentiments and weaker-than-expected data weighed on the markets. The IHS Markit Flash Eurozone PMI index fell to 51.7 in December, its lowest level in four years. The DAX of Germany dipped 0.54 per cent, the CAC of France lost 0.88 per cent and the UK’s FTSE 100 declined 0.47 per cent.