Sensex, Nifty, Midcap marginally higher; Zee Entertainment gains

Moneycontrol Bureau12:43 pm Europe Opens: European stocks opened lower as global markets gear up for Friday's US jobs report.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index opened 0.09 percent lower with all sectors in negative territory except for autos, banks, financial services, insurance and utilities.

Global markets appear to be turning cautious ahead of the all-important US jobs data due on Friday. The non-farm payrolls report will be eagerly watched by the US Federal Reserve and could determine whether the central bank increases interest rates in September.12:35 pm FII View: After attempting several times to break the key 8,700 resistance level, the Nifty managed to close above it yesterday.For Tushar Mahajan, Head of Listed Futures & Options - India of Nomura, the breakout means the index is headed for the 9,000 mark. Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Mahajan said that the leadership for this market will come from domestic-led segments like consumer discretionary, industrial engineering and oil & gas and not from global sectors like IT and pharmaceutical.12:20 pm Buzzing: Surya Roshni shares rallied to all-time high of Rs 192.20, up 5.2 percent intraday after media reports suggested that two private equity firms showed interest to buy lighting business.

"Warburg Pincus and Bain Capital have expressed interest to buy into the lighting business of Surya Roshni, as the New Delhi-headquartered company is demerging it into a standalone unit," a media report said quoting unnamed sources.

The private equity acquirers could have the country's second largest maker of lighting goods at about USD 400 million, or Rs 2,400 crore, the report added.

Also read - RBI, govt exploring introduction of interest-free banking12:00 pm Market Check

Equity benchmarks as well as broader markets were marginally higher amid consolidation in noon trade.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was up 58.89 points at 28401.90 and the 50-share NSE Nifty gained 30.50 points at 8774.85. About 1252 shares advanced against 1116 declining shares on the BSE.

Zee Entertainment gained over a percent after the media company sold its sports business to Sony Pictures Networks for USD 385 million (around Rs 2,600 crore).Tata Motors was the biggest gainer on the Sensex, up 2.8 percent followed by Hero Motocorp with 2 percent upside. UltraTech Cement topped buying list on Nifty, up 4 percent after the Reserve Bank of India allowed FIIs up to 30 percent in the company.TCS, Axis Bank, Infosys, ONGC, ITC and Reliance Industries were losers.