GLOBAL MARKETS ROUNDUP
* Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange
fell 0.43 percent. The MSCI-Asia Pacific index excluding Japan was down 0.47 percent.
* U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, led by losses in technology after brokerage downgrades of Intel
and other major companies as worries increased about third-quarter U.S. earnings.
* Asian shares fell on Wednesday, led by losses in technology and materials stocks.
FACTORS TO WATCH
* U..S Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will visit Mumbai.
* Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to speak at International Energy ministers meeting in New Delhi (0430 GMT)
* World Steel Association's 2-day annual conference in New Delhi
* September auto sales
INDIAN STOCKS TO WATCH NOTE: Reuters has not verified third-party stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
TOP NEWS
* India should scrap a law that taxes asset transfers retrospectively, a government panel recommended in a draft report that could save Britain's Vodafone
$2 billion. (Reuters) RETAIL * Walmart
is planning a series of partnerships with small and mid-level suppliers in India across product categories to create a big list of private label brands that will be priced as much as 10-15 percent below established products and brands, said Raj Jain, MD & CEO of Bharti Walmart. (Economic Times)
* Everstone Capital, India Value Fund and the Aditya Birla Group are set to compete with a clutch of international private equity funds to acquire a controlling stake in Spykar Lifestyle, the biggest home-grown denim brand, persons familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. (Economic Times)
ENERGY/COMMODITIES * CRH Plc
said it had terminated talks with Jaypee Cement announces termination of negotiations to buy a cement plant from Jaypee Cements, part of Jaiprakash Associates
. (Reuters) * ONGC and Oil India will give $56 per barrel discounts on crude oil they sell to Indian Oil , BPCL and HPCL
this fiscal year to partially compensate their revenue losses on selling fuels at controlled rates, a senior oil ministry official said. (Economic Times)
* Power minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday said the government was examining the option of offloading 9.5 percent stake in NTPC
. (Times of India)
* India's oil output in 2012/13 is expected to rise 8 percent to 41.12 million tonnes from the previous year, Oil Minister S. Jaipal Reddy said on Tuesday. (Reuters)
* GVK Power and Infrastructure
cleared a major hurdle for a A$10 billion ($10.2 billion) coal project in Australia, winning federal government approval for a new export terminal in Queensland state. (Reuters)
* Reliance Industries
and its partners may have to shut under-performing gas fields in 2015/16 that used to be India's second-biggest producer, Oil Secretary G. C. Chaturvedi said on Tuesday. (Reuters)
* The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO), one of India's largest fertilizer makers, plans to build a C$1.2 billion ($1.22 billion) nitrogen plant in Eastern Canada with a Canadian partner to cash in on strong North American demand. (Reuters)
FINANCIAL
* A senior finance ministry official has disclosed his ministry has sought legal opinions on how the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) can be empowered to do issue new bank licences through executive action instead of awaiting legislative sanction. (Mint)
* Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd
has met all of its financial obligations to the National Stock Exchange, arising from a set of erroneous trades that jolted domestic markets last week, an official at the brokerage said on Tuesday. (Reuters)
* Wall Street banks have had enough of heavy work for puny paychecks on Indian government share sales - at least when it comes to smaller or difficult deals. (Reuters)
* The RBI slapped a penalty of 3 million rupees on ICICI Bank
and 5.5 million rupees on ING Vysya Bank
for violating certain norms related to Know Your Customer rules. (Economic Times)
* India shelved plans for an IPO in steelmaker Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, in a setback for the country's efforts to raise about 300 billion rupees ($5.72 billion) through state share sales by the end of the fiscal year in March. (Reuters)
AIRLINES
* India's aviation regulator has asked Kingfisher Airlines Ltd
to stop selling tickets until its concerns are resolved, a government source said. (Reuters) TELECOMS
* India's mobile phone subscriber base declined by 5.13 million in August, the second straight monthly fall, as carriers in the world's second-biggest wireless market continued to disconnect inactive users in a clean-up drive. (Reuters)
IT
* SEBI has banned Polaris Financial Technology's
promoter Arun Jain from dealing in the securities market for two years accusing him of violating insider trading norms. (Economic Times)
AUTOS * General Motors'
Indian unit is planning to launch up to eight new models over the next 5-6 years in the country as it looks to increase its share in the domestic auto market, GM India Vice President of Manufacturing Rakesh Mohan Sabbarwal told Press Trust of India. (PTI via Economic Times)
* Motorcycle maker Royal Enfield will soon launch a second generation Thunderbird 500 to replace the predecessor.
HEALTH CARE * Biocon is exploring new partnerships in the U.S. and Europe, chairman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said. (Economic Times) MEDIA
* The Bombay High Court has extended the deadline till Friday for Deccan Chronicle Holdings
to furnish bank guarantees. (Economic Times) RETAIL
* The world's largest brand consulting firm Interbrand plans to set up its local operations in the early part of the next year, Interbrand India chief strategist and head Ashish Mishra said.(Economic Times)
NOTE: Reuters has not verified third-party stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
(Compiled by Manoj Rawal; Editing by Rafael Nam)
((rafael.nam@thomsonreuters.com)(+91-22)(6180-7425)(Reuters
Messaging: rafael.nam.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: MARKETS INDIA STOCKS/PRE OPEN