Pre-Market: Cautious opening likely

Global cues mixed

Markets are likely to open on a cautious note following strong global cues.

U.S. stocks were mixed Thursday, a day after logging big gains thanks to the passage of a fiscal cliff deal in Washington. The Dow Jones ended down 21 points at 13,391.

In Asia, markets were mixed. While Nikei surged over 2%, Kospi, Taiwan and Hang Seng mirrored Wall Street and traded in red.

In individual stocks, keep a ookout for Maruti. Strong demand for mid-range vehicles such as the Swift and the Dzire helped
India’s largest passenger car maker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, post six per cent rise in December sales, even as most auto makers saw
their volumes dwindle in the month.

In a further boost to the textile industry in Gujarat, two industry biggies Arvind Ltd and Welspun India Ltd. are set to invest in
integrated textile parks and manufacturing facilities. Shares of textile firms may come into focus today.

The Talcher Thermal Power Station of National Thermal Power Corporation ( NTPC) Ltd has achieved a record power generation of
3887.69 million units in 2012. NTPC will be in the limelight.

Also keep a a look out for NMDC. India's biggest iron ore producer has cut the price for its most common grade by almost 6 per cent in
January, an unexpected move that will help lower the costs of steelmakers.