Asian share markets gained today while the US dollar softened after China said it would drop its quarantine requirements for inbound visitors, further easing three-year border controls aimed at curbing Covid-19.

The Nikkei rose by 0.2% while the Hang Seng was down by 0.4%. The Shanghai Composite is trading higher by 0.8%.

US markets were closed on Monday for Christmas.

Back home, Indian share markets are trading on a flat note following the trend on SGX Nifty.

Benchmark indices opened in green but succumbed to profit booking as the session progressed tracking mixed global cues.

At present, the BSE Sensex is trading lower by 40 points. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty is trading lower by 7 points.

Tata Motors, Power Grid, and Tata Steel are among the top gainers today. HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, and TCS are among the top losers today.

Broader markets are trading on a positive note. The BSE Mid Cap index is trading higher by 0.3% and the BSE Small Cap index is trading higher by 1%.

Sectoral indices are trading on mixed note stocks in the FMCG sector, finance sector, and banking sector witnessing selling.

Meanwhile, stocks in the utilites sector, realty sector, and metal sector are witnessing buying.

Wipro's share price is falling continuing the downtrend while Aurobindo Pharma is also falling, defying the market trend.

At a time when pharma stocks are rising, Aurobindo is trading near 52-week lows.

The rupee is trading at 82.7 against the US dollar.

In the commodity markets, gold prices trade higher by Rs 78 at Rs 54,755 per 10 grams.

Meanwhile, silver prices are trading lower by 0.4% at Rs 69,352 per 1 kg.

Speaking of stock markets, stock splits have been a rage in 2022 with the world's most valuable companies such as Amazon, Alphabet or Tesla announcing massive splits.

Will India's highest-priced companies do the same with their stocks in 2023?

Should these companies allow their shares to trade at such exorbitantly high prices or should they split shares?
 

How PSUs have performed recently

PSU banks have been rallying for the last few months, on the back of an improvement in financials. They are now growing faster than their peers and are fiercely competing with their private sector counterparts.

However, valuations are now steep and higher than normal. Therefore, any correction in the overall market results in a similar correction in the sector.

As a result, the Nifty PSU Bank index is down by 3.2% over the last five days, compared to a 1% decline in the Sensex.

It has witnessed a few lows due to overall correction in the market and due to higher-than-normal valuations of PSU Banks.

Another roll-out of 5G services by Jio

Reliance Jio on Monday announced it has launched True 5G services in Andhra Pradesh.

The 5G services were launched in Tirumala, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur districts.

State IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath said that 5G services will bring transformational benefits to the people.

Apart from their existing investment of Rs 26,000 crore (about Rs 260 billion), additionally, Jio has invested over Rs 65 billion (bn) in deploying a 5G network in Andhra Pradesh.

By December 2023, Jio True 5G services will be made available in every town, taluka, mandalam, and the village of Andhra Pradesh.

Jio demonstrated the benefits of 5G in the field of healthcare, through Jio Community Clinic medical kit, and the revolutionary AR-VR device, Jio Glass.

State Chief Secretary Dr. K.S. Jawahar Reddy said that the launch of Jio's True 5G services will open doors to growth opportunities in the areas of e-governance, education, healthcare, IT, and SME business.
 

NTPC Enters a new MoU

For developing a commercial-scale green methanol production facility, NTPC has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tecnimont, an Indian subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group, Italy.

The objective of the MOU is to jointly evaluate and explore the possibility to develop a commercial-scale green methanol production facility at an NTPC project in India.

The green methanol project involves capturing carbon from NTPC power plants and converting it into green fuel.

Green methanol has a wide range of applications, including serving as a base material for the chemical industry, storing renewable electricity, and even as a transportation fuel. It is also considered a substitute fuel for maritime fuel applications.
 

Grindwell Norton commissions state-of-the-art plant

Grindwell Norton has commissioned its paper maker manufacturing plant in Bengaluru.

This state-of-the-art plant is equipped with IOT-enabled control systems to ensure minimum wastage levels, reduce Co2 emissions, by incorporating a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer and recover heat, and improve fuel efficiency, and consistency.

First, it employs women technicians in the operating team, trained in safety, quality, and operational excellence.
 

GR Infraprojects receives a completion certificate

G R Infraprojects has received a completion certificate for the project of construction of eight lanes access-controlled expressway carriageway from Jodmi village to Bani village of Mandsaur district section of Delhi.

The completion certificate has been issued by the authority's engineer on 26 December 2022 and has declared the project fit for entry into commercial operation with effect from 20 December 2022.

G R Infraprojects is an integrated road EPC company with experience in the design and construction of various road/highway projects across many States in India.
 

Maruti Suzuki aims to record production

One of India's biggest auto companies Maruti Suzuki is aiming for record production for the next fiscal year as it seeks to retail four SUV models which would help the company to claw back its market share further in the fastest-growing segment of the passenger car market.

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