The key domestic benchmarks are likely to open higher today tracking a
firm trend in most Asian markets after a positive closing at Wall Street on
Friday as investors’ cheered upbeat US payrolls data. American employers boosted
payrolls by a whopping 321,000 in November, up from a revised 230,000 in
October, while the jobless rate stood unchanged at a six-year low of 5.8 per
cent. China’s Shanghai Composite surged as the country reported a trade surplus
of USD 54.47 billion. Hang Seng was trading higher while Japan’s Nikkei 225 was
trading flat even as the yen tumbled against the US dollar. Back home, the
Sensex may be set for some consolidation after surging to record highs in recent
sessions. With the year drawing to a close, foreign fund inflows may ease in the
coming days. Investors will be eying the November WPI and CII numbers and IIP
data for October this week which will offer more cues over the health of Asia’s
third biggest economy.