Indian shares posted their biggest weekly fall in four on Friday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the key jobs data in the U.S.
According to a Reuters survey of economists, the Labor Department's closely followed employment report will likely show that nonfarm payrolls increased by 200,000 jobs last month, matching January's gains.
The unemployment rate is forecast to have fallen one-tenth of a percentage point to 4 percent,
which would be the lowest level since December 2000, Reuters reported.
On Friday, the benchmark Sensex ended down 44 points, or 0.13 percent, at 33,307 and the Nifty fell 16 points, or 0.15 percent, at 10,226.
The Indian rupee strengthened against the U.S. dollar on the back of gains in local equity markets.
The partially convertible rupee closed at 65.17 on Friday, down 0.03 paise from its previous close of 65.14.
So far this year, the rupee weakened 1.8 percent, while foreign investors have bought $235 million and $888 million in equity and debt markets, respectively.
Here's what to watch in the coming days.
Macro-economic data
The government will announce inflation data based on consumer price index (CPI) for February on Monday while the wholesale price index (WPI) inflation will be released on Wednesday.
Industrial production data for January 2017 will come out on Monday. India's industrial production rose by 7.1 percent year-on-year in December 2017, following an upwardly revised 8.8 percent gain in the previous month.
IPO rush
The initial public offer (IPO) of state-owned defence equipment maker Bharat Dynamics (BDL) will open for subscription on Tuesday with a price band of Rs 413 - Rs 428 per share.
Bandhan Bank will launch its IPO on Thursday. The issue closes on March 19.
U.S. data
U.S. Core Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for February will be unveiled on Tuesday. Other notable data due in the U.S. for the week ahead includes retail sales, industrial production and housing starts.
