1 / 101. Asia: Stocks in Asia-Pacific were higher on Thursday morning as investors continue to wait for the result of the U.S. election. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 advanced 0.99 percent while the Topix index traded 0.45 percent higher. Over in South Korea, the Kospi also gained 1.54 percent. Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged higher, with the S&P/ASX 200 gaining 0.95 percent. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.51 percent higher, reported CNBC International. (Image: Reuters)
2 / 102. US: U.S. stock index futures moved higher in overnight trading on Wednesday as investors hoped that the winner of the U.S. presidential election would soon be determined. Futures contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 20 points, or 0.04 percent. S&P 500 futures advanced 0.18 percent, while Nasdaq 100 futures traded 0.64 percent higher, reported CNBC International. (Image: AP)
3 / 103. Closing Bell On Wednesday: The Indian stock market ended higher on Wednesday led by the gains in the US futures, which are currently trading up to 2 percent higher. Reliance Industries and Sun Pharma contributed the highest gains to the Nifty50 index today. The Sensex ended 355 points higher at 40,616 while the Nifty rose 95 points to settle at 11,908. Broader markets were mixed with the Nifty Midcap up 0.5 percent and the Nifty Smallcap down 0.24 percent. Among sectors, the Nifty Pharma surged over 2 percent while the Nifty IT jumped 1.8 percent. The Nifty Auto and the Nifty FMCG were also in the green, however, the Nifty Bank, the Nifty Fin Services, and the Nifty Metal ended in the red for the day. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 104. Crude Oil: Oil prices jumped on Wednesday after President Donald Trump falsely claimed victory in a tight U.S. election with millions of votes still to be counted and after data showed a large decline in U.S. crude inventories. West Texas Intermediate settled 4 percent, or $1.49, higher at $39.15 per barrel. Brent crude was up by 92 cents, or 2.3 percent, at $40.63 a barrel, reported CNBC International. (Image: Reuters)
5 / 105. Rupee Close: Rupee depreciated 35 paise to close at 74.76 against the US dollar on Wednesday, tracking strong American currency ahead of the US Presidential election results. At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 74.74 against the greenback and finally settled at 74.76, down 35 paise over its last close, reported PTI. (Image: Reuters)
6 / 106. 2020 US Elections: Joe Biden inches closer to victory as he now needs six more electoral votes to win the crucial presidential elections, the results of which have taken longer than usual to be declared. (Image: AP)
7 / 107. PMI On Services Sector: Indian service sector activity ended the seven-month sequence of decline and registered growth in October, supported by improved market conditions amid easing COVID-19 restrictions, a monthly survey said on Wednesday. At 54.1 in October, up from 49.8 in September, the seasonally adjusted India Services Business Activity Index posted above the 50.0 no-change mark for the first time since February. On the job front, there was another monthly decline in employment. The pace of job shedding was solid and matched that recorded in September. Furthermore, payroll numbers contracted across the five monitored sub-sectors. ”Survey participants indicated that workers on leave had not returned and that widespread fear of COVID-19 contamination continued to restrict staff supply,” said Pollyanna De Lima, Economics Associate Director at IHS Markit. (stock image)
8 / 108. DGFT On Exports: While October data looked promising for exports, the situation will improve further in the coming months due to collaborative efforts of all the stakeholders, a top official of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said on Wednesday. Since April, when there was a huge downfall in exports, it has made good progress and is going to rise in the coming months, Director General of Foreign Trade Amit Yadav said while speaking to exporters through a virtual session. The countrywide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of coronavirus infection. "COVID still continues. In the earlier part, times were challenging for exporters and importers. But the October data looks promising. With collaborative efforts, there will be better results," Yadav said. (Image: Reuters)
9 / 109. Small Businesses Reaching Near-Normal Levels: Business activity of the micro, small and medium enterprises – which are regarded as the backbone of the Indian economy – is fast reaching near-normal levels, and rapidly adopting digital business tools to drive efficiency and growth, according to a report. Out of 36, 16 states and UTs are witnessing business activity levels higher than pre-COVID times, while Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi are trending at 90-95 percent of their pre-COVID levels, as per the data gathered by startup OkCredit. Bihar, Haryana, Assam, Rajasthan, and Himachal are the states where business activity is 10 percent higher, it said. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Punjab are also exhibiting higher business activity, it added. (stock image)
10 / 1010. Experts Says Hiring Of Freshers Improving: Demand for freshers, which was the hardest hit following the lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, has seen an uptick since June and this trend is likely to continue till the end of this financial year, say experts. The sectors that are witnessing significant uptrend include EdTech and e-Learning followed by healthcare, HR tech and FinTech. ”Freshers hiring had dropped down to mere 1.5 lakh during March 25-April 30, from the average 5 lakhs per month. However, the scenario is improving and currently there are around 3.5 laps fresher job openings listed on the portal, Teamlease.com and Freshersworld.com VP and Business Head Kaushik Banerjee told PTI. Hiring began to look up for freshers in late June and is likely to pick up more strength during the September-November period, he noted. (Image: AP)
