Share markets in India are presently trading marginally lower.

The BSE Sensex is trading down by 67 points, down 0.1% at 52,522 levels.

Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty is trading down by 19 points.

Bajaj Finserv and Maruti Suzuki are among the top gainers today. Wipro and Adani Ports & SEZ are among the top losers today.

The BSE Mid Cap index is trading up by 0.3%.

The BSE Small Cap index is trading up by 0.2%.

On the sectoral front, stocks from the automobile sector, are witnessing most of the buying interest.

On the other hand, stocks from the oil & gas sector, are witnessing most of the selling pressure.

US stock futures are trading higher today, indicating a positive opening for Wall Street.

Nasdaq Futures are trading up by 41 points (up 0.3%) while Dow Futures are trading up by 111 points (up 0.3%).

The rupee is trading at 74.36 against the US$.

Gold prices are trading up by 0.2% at Rs 47,080 per 10 grams.

In domestic markets, gold futures were trading higher in early trade today tracking a positive trend in international spot prices.

International spot prices were up after US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell promised not to raise interest rates too quickly.

Note that gold tends to appreciate on expectations of lower interest rates, which reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

Speaking of the precious yellow metal, how lucrative has gold been as a long-term investment in India?

The chart below shows the annual returns on gold over the last 15 years...

As you can see, barring just two years - 2013 and 2015, gold has delivered positive returns in 13 of the last 15 years.

The recent price volatility in the bullion market has rattled many traders. Even with the recent volatility in prices, gold remains among the best-performing commodities this year to combat the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Moving on to stock-specific news...

Among the buzzing stocks, today is Hero MotoCorp.

Hero MotoCorp's share price gained over 2% in intraday trade today after the company decided to raise prices by up to Rs 3,000 from 1 July 2021.

According to a statement released by Hero MotoCorp, the upward revision is a direct result of the increase in commodity prices.

The statement further adds that the company is driving cost savings programs aggressively in order to minimize the impact on the customer.

Currently, there is no indication of the exact prices, but it is expected to be across all segments.

The price hike trend has been picking up ever since the second wave of Covid-19 took over the country.

Maruti Suzuki recently hiked prices on its offerings while BMW and Tata Motors have both seen price revisions in their lineup. Mahindra & Mahindra is considering a revision as well.

How the price hike pans out for the company remains to be seen. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more updates from this space.

At the time of writing, Hero MotoCorp shares were trading up by 1.7% on the BSE.

Moving on to news from the airline's sector...

Jet Airways Hits 5% Upper Circuit as Airline Receives Nod to Fly from NCLT

Shares of Jet Airways hit an upper circuit of 5% on the bourses after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) cleared the resolution plan submitted by the Kalrock-Jalan consortium.

The consortium will now apply for the relevant government approvals before it can recommence operations.

The NCLT approval will be valid for 90 days from today, following which the airline will have to approach the tribunal again for an extension.

Mounting debt had forced Jet Airways to suspended its flights in April 2019.

After over a year of being shut down last October, a committee of creditors finally approved the revival plan submitted by the consortium.

The consortium proposed to invest Rs 6 bn to repay creditors to acquire about a 90% stake in the carrier.

While it will be responsible for negotiations with airports and suppliers, the committee of creditors will function as a quasi-board and look after all corporate actions and compliances.

The consortium will also have to pay a performance bank guarantee of around Rs 1 bn and meet other conditions.

We will keep you posted on more updates from this space. Stay tuned.