Moneycontrol Bureau
Indian markets are expected to open in the red Friday, tracking losses in Asian markets and ahead of the key US jobs data.
In Singapore, the SGX Nifty was trading 0.6 percent, or 43.5 points, lower to 7,719.
In key markets and asset classes, Wall Street closed mixed overnight, key Asian markets such as Nikkei, Shanghai and Hong Kong were off 0.2 percent to 1.2 percent, the US dollar rose, crude gained while gold slipped marginally.
Locally, bank shares will likely be in focus after the Lok Sabha passed the Bankruptcy Bill and after the Reserve Bank of India published draft guidelines that would pave the way for on-tap bank licensing.
Analysts said the two developments (the bill is yet to pass muster with Rajya Sabha) will boost banks' recovery process and create a new generation of lenders.
Markets would also take cues from earnings today: companies such as Siemens, Titan and Wockhardt are slated to declare results. Hero Moto will react today after it posted numbers after market close yesterday.
In stocks in news, ITC has shut down its cigaratte factories from May 4, till such time it said would comply with the new pictorial warning norms. Bharti Airtel announced it would sell 950 towers across Republic of Congo to Helios Towers.
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