Asian stock markets are lower today as Japanese and Hong Kong shares fall. The Nikkei 225 is off 1.5% while the Hang Seng is down 1.3%. The Shanghai Composite is trading down by 2.6%. Wall Street's main indices fell for a fourth consecutive session on Thursday after Europe's central bank said it would defer interest rate hikes and offered banks a new round of cheap loans, raising fresh concerns about global economic growth.

Back home, India share markets opened on a flat note. The BSE Sensex is trading down by 42 points while the NSE Nifty is trading down by 18 points. Both, the BSE Mid Cap index and BSE Small Cap index opened up by 0.2%.

Sectoral indices have opened on a mixed note with power stocks and telecom stocks witnessing maximum buying interest. While energy stocks and IT stocks are trading in the red.

The rupee is currently trading at Rs 70.11 against the US$.

Speaking of Indian stock markets, with the elections fast approaching, what can investors look forward to now?

And now with elections approaching, note that stock markets have remained volatile in the pre-election period.

It has certainly turned out that way again.

Good Times Ahead for Indian Stock Markets?

It started with the long-term capital gains tax.

Then corporate governance issues at various companies followed.

Then we had the IL&FS impact.

All this has ensured a rough ride for Indian investors.

Now with Indo-Pak tensions escalating, volatility can rise even further.

History of the past few elections paints a rosy picture.

Despite governments changing hands in 2004 and 2014, the Sensex gave returns of 44% and 13% in a year respectively.

Even in 2009, when the same government retained power, Sensex was up by 18% in a year.

So, do you think there are good times ahead for Indian stock markets? We will keep you updated on the developments.

Meanwhile, look out for the stocks that will rise fast when the tide of the market turns up.

In the news from the global markets. The European Central Bank changed track on its tightening plan on Thursday, offering banks a new round of cheap loans to help revive the eurozone economy.

The bolder-than-expected move came as the US Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world are also holding back on rate hikes.

It underlined how a global trade war, Brexit uncertainty and simmering debt concerns in Italy are taking their toll on economic growth across Europe.

The policy changes cast ECB President Mario Draghi once again as a nurturer of confidence in the bloc's still-fragile economy, only months after the bank announced the end of four years of unprecedented asset purchases, and as Draghi, himself prepares to hand over the reins to a successor later this year.

Whereas the bank had previously said rates would remain at their record low levels through the summer, it said it now expected them to stay there at least through the end of 2019.

The ECB now sees eurozone growth at barely 1.1% this year, compared to the 1.7% it projected in December.

The ECB's move to extend the horizon for steady rates was likely to be perceived as a policy reversal for the central bank that only ended bond-buying in December and which had signaled an interest rate hike for later this year.

Moving on to the news from pharma space. As per an article in a leading financial daily, Lupin has received approval for its Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets USP, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg, from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Reportedly, the approval has been granted to market a generic version of Pfizer Inc's Lipitorfl Tablets, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg.

Lupin's Atorvastatin Calcium tablets are the generic version of Pfizer Inc's Lipitor Tablets.

It is indicated to lower cholesterol in blood for adults and children over 10 years of age.

Atorvastatin Calcium tablets had annual sales of approximately US$ 696 million in the US (IQVIA MAT December 2018).

To know more about the company, you can access to Lupin's Q3FY19 result analysis and Lupin's 2017-18 Annual Report Analysis on our website.

Lupin share price opened the day up by 0.4%.