10 things you need to know before the opening bell on July 31

SUMMARY

The Indian market is likely to open higher on Friday amid mixed trade in Asian peers. At 7:20 am, the SGX Nifty was trading 49.50 points or 0.45 percent higher at 11,151.00, indicating a positive start for the Sensex and Nifty50.

By CNBCTV18.comJul 31, 2020 7:41:50 AM IST (Published)

1. Asia: Stocks in Asia Pacific were mostly lower in Friday morning trade following a record contraction in U.S. gross domestic in the second quarter. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 slipped 0.62 percent in early trade while the Topix index shed 0.72 percent. The Kospi in South Korea slipped 0.17 percent. Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.88 percent. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded largely flat, reported CNBC International.

2. US: US Stock futures jumped on Thursday night, priming Wall Street to end the week on a high note as some of the biggest tech stocks — Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet and Apple — reported quarterly results that beat high expectations. Nasdaq 100 futures traded 0.9 percent higher. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 173 points, or 0.7 percent. S&P 500 futures climbed 0.5 percent. Apple reported a blowout quarter, with overall sales expanding by 11 percent. Apple also announced a 4-for-1 stock split, reported CNBC International.

3. Market At Close On Thursday: Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, ended lower Thursday dragged by selling in banks, energy and metals on the monthly futures & options expiry day. The Sensex ended 335.06 points or 0.88 percent lower at 37,736.07 while the Nifty lost 100.70 points or 0.90 percent to settle at 11,102.15 level. (provisional) Losses in index heavyweights such as IndusInd Bank, HDFC, Axis Bank, among others dragged Nifty to end the July series at 11,100 level.

4. Crude Oil: Oil prices sank on Thursday following weak U.S. economic data and after a tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting the nation should delay its November presidential election. Oil markets recovered from their lowest levels of the selloff. West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled $1.35, or 3.27 percent, lower after falling more than 5 percent earlier in the session. Brent crude futures, which expire on Friday, settled 81 cents lower at $42.94 per barrel, reported CNBC International.

5. Rupee Close: The Indian currency ended 4 paise lower amidst weak equity market and strong US dollar. The rupee ended at 74.84 against the US dollar as compared to Wednesday's close of 74.80. Forex traders said rupee was trading on a muted note after the US Federal Reserve reiterated its dovish stance and held interest rates steady.

6. Trade Body Over New Set Of Relaxations: CII on Thursday said the new set of relaxations introduced while extending the lockdown till August 31 in Tamil Nadu would pave way for quick revival of the economy besides ensuring the livelihood of people. Confederation of Indian Industry-Tamil Nadu chairman Hari K Thiagarajan said the 'calibrated' and 'cautious' approach by the State government during the lockdown improved business sentiments in the state. "The relaxation in allowing 75 percent of the workforce in industrial units, removal of restrictions on the sale of e-commerce products including non-essential items besides extending working hours of shops and restaurants would pave the way for quick revival of the economy and ensure livelihoods of people in the state," he added.

7. NS Vishwanathan On Restructuring: Former RBI Deputy Governor NS Vishwanathan, in an interview with CNBC-TV18, on Thursday said tight restructuring should target only those impacted by COVID-19 pandemic and restructuring can't be a bandwagon for those not impacted by the pandemic. "If restructuring is done, it must be limited. Provisioning must be done, and can't tailor policies for individuals," added Vishwanathan on Indianomics’ special series “Money Matters’. CNBC-TV18’s Latha Venkatesh spoke to Former RBI Deputy Governor NS Vishwanathan on how Reserve Bank of India should shape moratorium, loan restructuring and what impact it can have on the economy and the banking sector.

8. Govt Receives 131 Claims Under Insurance Scheme For Healthcare Providers: The central government has received 131 claims under an insurance scheme for healthcare workers engaged in COVID-19 related duty and payments have already been made in 20 of them, an officer said on Thursday. The claims are coming in a bit slow as families are initially in a state of shock when a death occurs and, therefore, it takes time to do the necessary paperwork, Officer on Special Duty in the Health Ministry Rajesh Bhushan said at a press briefing. "Under the scheme, we have received 131 claims. Out of these 131 claims, payments have already been made in 20 cases. In 64 cases payment has been processed and would be made in the coming few days, while 47 cases are with different state governments. Maximum number of cases are in Maharashtra, Delhi and Telangana," he said.

9. AAI Asks SpiceJet To Operate On Cash And Carry Basis: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had placed SpiceJet's operations under "cash and carry" arrangement at all airports, via a notice issued on July 29. However, the decision has now been deferred. Under the cash and carry mode, an airline can use airport facilities only after making advance payments. "Airports Authority of India deferred its decision to put SpiceJet on cash and carry. SpiceJet continues to have normal operations at all AAI-run airports as before without any impediments," the airline's spokesperson told CNBC-TV18. An airline has to make payments for services such as landing, parking and using navigation services to the Airports Authority of India. As per the standard procedure of AAI, an official said that airlines can maintain dues equivalent to half of their security deposit.

10. US Prez Trump Calls For Delay In Polls: President Donald Trump is for the first time floating a delay to November's presidential election, as he makes unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. The dates of federal elections are set by Congress, and the Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the Jan. 20, 2021 presidential inauguration.Trump tweeted Thursday: With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting, even in states with all-mail votes.