India : Markets may open flat to negative as global peers lack fervour; Infy result to dictate further

Indian benchmark indices on Wednesday got off to a cautious start on reports of geopolitical tension between US and North Korea, but soon after opening, the indices edged lower, however, indices recovered most of their losses, and ended the session moderately lower. Finally, the NSE’s 50-share broadly followed index – Nifty plunged by over quarter a percent to settle above the crucial 9,200 support level, while Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensitive Index – Sensex took a triple digit cut and closed below the psychological 29,700 mark.The CPI inflation, which represents retail inflation, was up from 3.65 per cent in February to 3.81 per cent in March.  IIP for February shrank 1.2 per cent, after the 3.27 per cent increase in January.The European markets got off to an optimistic start on Wednesday as geopolitical tensions began to ease out. However, concerns over the political situation in France ruined the mood among investors. Early gains quickly began to erode and the markets finished the day with mixed results. The DAX of Germany climbed 0.13 per cent, but the CAC 40 of France fell 0.01 per cent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 0.22 per cent.The U.S. stocks closed lower on Wednesday as investors remained cautious amid persistent geopolitical risks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 59 points to close at 20,591. The Nasdaq Composite Index declined 30 points. The S&P 500 index fell 9 points to close at 2,345.  Both the S&P 500 and Dow Industrials closed below their 50-day moving averages for the first time since early November.Asian markets are trading lower on Thursday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 moved lower by 212 points. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 48 points, and the Shanghai Composite is trading near the neutral line.At 8:19 am, SGX Nifty index was trading with losses of 33 points at the 9199 level, indicating a negative start for Indian equities.  IT major, Infosys is ready to kick off the March quarter earnings season.