Sensex, Nifty Seen Little Changed At Open

(RTTNews) - Indian shares look set to open on a flat note Monday as traders return to their desks after a long holiday weekend.

Asian stocks were mixed in thin holiday trade, with markets in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand shut due to the Easter holiday.

Japan's Nikkei was down over 1 percent amid cautiousness over the U.S.-China trade tensions.

China's central bank expectedly kept its loan prime rates unchanged today, continuing its trend from last year.

U.S. stock futures traded lower, and the dollar weakened after White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Friday that the president and his team are examining the legal feasibility of removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, following criticism over interest rate decisions.

Just a day before, President Donald Trump blasted Powell on for not lowering interest rates, calling him "always TOO LATE AND WRONG."

Gold rose to a record while Brent crude futures hovered near levels of $68 per barrel.

Domestic equity markets witnessed a robust recovery last week, with benchmark indexes Sensex and Nifty both soaring over 4.5 percent as the postponement of U.S. tariffs and newly announced exemptions on certain products, sparked hopes for possible negotiations that might ease the strain on global trade.

News of a normal monsoon this year and easing retail inflation also boosted hopes for more RBI rate cuts in the coming months.

After weeks of sulking on the sidelines, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have net bought shares worth nearly Rs. 15,000 crores over the last three trading sessions, data showed.

Earnings will be in focus this week, with Axis Bank, HCL Technologies, HDFC Bank, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank and Maruti Suzuki India among the prominent companies due to report their financial results for the fourth quarter ending March 31.

The expiry of April series contracts could contribute to heightened volatility as the week progresses.