Stock and commodity exchanges and forex and bond markets are closed on Friday for the second time this week, reducing the available trading sessions to just three. The market was closed for Mahavir Jayanti on Wednesday, sandwiching the week's third trading day between two holidays.
Stock markets in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, France, the UK, Germany, the US, Italy and Spain, among others, are shut on Good Friday marking an extended weekend. Japan, the only major market open for trading on Friday, saw its benchmark Nikkei 225 index rise 0.67 percent or 147 points, to 22,238 in early trade, responding to gains in US stocks the previous day. Overnight Wall Street trade saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average gain 0.4 percent, and the S&P500 advanced 0.2 percent while Nasdaq moves up 0.1 percent.
India's domestic commodity exchanges NCDEX and MCX are shut for both morning and evening sessions. The forex market is also closed on Friday, but the rupee gained 25 paise overnight to touch 69.35. The Indian rupee has finished the week 18 paise down.
Thursday's trading saw the benchmark BSE Sensex slip 135 points, or 0.34 percent, to 39,140 with 23 of the 30 constituents that make up the index ending in the red. NSE's Nifty slipped to 11,753, down 34 points or 0.29 percent with 31 shares of the 50-scrip index weakening and 19 gainings. Sensex and Nifty are 0.96 percent and 0.94 percent, respectively, up for the week.
The market will open on Monday after the weekend for a full five sessions of trade with Sensex and Nifty teetering on the brink of uncertain territory amid high volatility. NSE's volatility index India VIX gained another 4.81 percent to close on Thursday at 22.73 points after opening the day at 21.69 points and coming off the intra-day high of 23.04. The high volatility is expected to continue as the general election 2019 is going on with 93 constituencies having gone to poll in the second round on Thursday. Market experts warn of continuing volatility, though the market has been bullish on the belief that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to power for a second term at the head of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
