We expect the December 17 gap area of 10,845-10,816 to act as an important support level. Stocks in news: Indian Hume Pipe, BOSCH, Power Finance Corporation, Bharti Airtel, NHPC, ENIL and Mercator.

Indian indices are likely to open lower on Friday, following the overnight rout on Wall Street. In the recent past, Indian equity markets have showed remarkable resilience compared to its peers and has maintained its momentum. However, ahead of the Christmas holiday season, we suggest traders to remain light on the markets and focus on stock-specific approach. The SGX Nifty indicates Nifty may open around the level of 10,962, down by 0.29 per cent.  
  

Most of us have the bad habit of deferring tasks which are necessary. Read on to find the consequence of such procrastination. 

SBI Life gets picked up by our Bollinger Band Squeeze scanner, suggesting that a consolidation breakout is expected in the near term. The Bollinger Band Squeeze occurs when volatility falls to low levels and the Bollinger Bands narrow. A volatility contraction or narrowing of the bands can foreshadow a significant advance or decline.

The Finance Minister said that PSB banks that are under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) but have improved their performance and the banks that are close to PCA deadline will get capital infusion. 

The stocks most likely to witness significant movement on the bourses on December 21 are Next Mediaworks, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, Vakrangee, Container Corporation of India and Indian Energy Exchange.

Vakrangee gained approximately 4 per cent intraday as the company launched domestic money transfer services at its Nextgen outlets.

The board of oil explorer ONGC has approved a share buyback program for approximately 25 crore equity shares of the company at Rs. 159 per share. This is the company's first-ever share buyback program.

Omkar Speciality Chemicals can now produce Halquinol product on receiving the grant of the process patent. The stocks hit its upper circuit limit on Thursday morning. 

Bank officer's unions have called for a strike on December 21 and 26 which may keep banks closed until December 27, except on Monday, December 24.