• The market is likely to extend Wednesday’s solid surge on firm Asian stocks. The S&P CNX Nifty futures for December 2009 expiry were trading 2.5 points lower in Singapore. The government will today unveil data on some wholesale price indices for the year through 12 December 2009 viz. the food price index, the primary articles index and the fuel price index

• However, trading volumes are likely to take a hit today, 24 December 2009, as the market remains closed for four days in a row from Friday, 25 December 2009 to Monday, 28 December 2009. The market remains closed on Friday on account of Christmas. It remains closed on Monday, 28 December 2009 on account of Moharram.

• The government will wait until the February 2010 budget to consider withdrawing some of the fiscal stimulus measures, Finance Minister said on Wednesday. Growth outlook for the second half of FY 2010 looks better, he added. The finance minister said farm output must grow 4% for the economy to expand 9-10% annually. He said industrial production has started picking up. The finance minister said the economy can grow 7.75% in the fiscal year that ends in March 2010 (FY 2010).

• Meanwhile, the latest data showed that corporate advance tax payments for the October-December 2009 quarter shot up sharply, suggesting a higher profit growth in corporate sector in the third quarter (October-December) of the current fiscal. Corporate advance tax payments for the quarter were up 44% to Rs 48,300 crore against a 3.7% decline in April-June quarter and a 14.7% increase in July-September quarter. The company-wise break-up of advance tax collection suggests a broadbased recovery with automobiles, cement, metals and consumer goods, doing well.

• Asian stocks were trading slightly higher today, 24 December 2009 on rise in commodity prices.

• Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday after a dull start with weaker dollar helping stocks stage a late comeback.

• Back home, as per provisional data on NSE, foreign funds bought shares worth Rs 769.53 cr and domestic funds bought shares worth Rs 13.02 cr on Wednesday.