Indian share markets ended higher on Monday, taking cues from its Asian peers. The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 34,300, up 294 points while the broader Nifty index settled at 10,539, up 84 points.

Gains were largely seen in realty stocks, capital goods' stocks and power stocks.

Top Stocks in Focus

Lupin share price will be focus as it has received tentative approval for its Hydrocortisone Butyrate Lotion, 0.1% from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market a generic version of Precision Dermatology, Inc.'s Locoid Lotion, 0.1%.

Bharti Airtel share price will hog limelight today as it has entered into a strategic partnership to bring exciting digital content from Hotstar's portfolio to Airtel customers.

Yes Bank has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Assam Rifles to provide the customized banking solution, to officers of the force and their family members. The Bank will offer its special banking programme, 'Yes Vijay' to Officers, Junior Commissioner Officer (JCOs) and Jawans of Assam Rifles.

Larsen & Toubro's (L&T) arm - L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE) -  has signed a major field development EPC contract with Al Dhafra Petroleum Operations Company, Abu Dhabi, UAE, with a value in excess of Rs 22 billion. The stock will be in focus.

Idea Cellular's board has allotted 326.6 million Equity Shares of face value of Rs 10 each on preferential basis to Birla TMT Holdings, Elaine Investments, Singapore and Oriana Investments, Singapore, forming part of the promoter group, at an issue price of Rs 99.5 per share including a premium of Rs 89.5 per share, aggregating to around Rs 32.5 billion.

Global Stock Market Drivers

European stocks rallied on Monday, starting trading on a firmer note after the worst weekly sell-off in two years shattered an extended period of low volatility and raised investor fears of an end to a bull-run in equities.

The global sell-off has been blamed on an unwinding of trades betting on low volatility and concerns over a return to inflation, lifting sovereign bond yields, at a time when central banks are removing the safety net of ultra-loose monetary policy.

In a sign of those concerns, market participants continued to sell US government debt, lifting the yield on 10-year Treasuries by 5.1 basis points to 2.8821%. It started the year at 2.4%.

The European rebound came after strength in Asia, where the Shanghai Composite rose 0.8% and Seoul's Kospi was up 0.9%. US stock futures were also pointing to gains on Wall Street after last week's sell-off.

Here are some important things to watch out for this week:

• Chinese New Year celebrations for the Year of the Dog begin in China and follow across much of Asia, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Chinese mainland markets will remain closed from 15-21 February.
• The US consumer-price index, due today, will probably increase at a moderate pace in January, as per Bloomberg. Retail sales in the US, also out today, is expected to increase for a fifth straight month.
• Japan is expected to extend the longest stretch of economic growth since the mid-1990s when it reports fourth-quarter gross domestic product today.
• Earnings season continues in full swing with reports from Bunge, TripAdvisor, SunPower, Con Edison, Bombardier, Heineken, Loews, Michelin, PepsiCo, MetLife,Cisco, Japan Post Bank, Credit Suisse, Nestle, Airbus, Allianz, Telstra, Coca-Cola, Deere, Eni, Credit Agricole and Campbell Soup.

IPO Buzz

The initial public offering (IPO) by Aster DM Healthcare on Monday received 4% subscription. The issue got 1.5 million subscriptions compared with the issue size of 37.4 million shares, according to data available with the NSE.

The price band for the offer is set at Rs 180-190 per share.

Aster DM Healthcare is one of the leading private healthcare service providers, which operates in multiple Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states such as United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. It also has presence in India with Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) hospital in Kozhikode in Kerala.

To know our view on this IPO, you can read our IPO note on Aster DM Healthcare (requires subscription).

Results Corner

Prism Cement, Allahabad Bank, GVK Power, Cox & Kings, Dena Bank, Jet Airways, among others will announce their quarterly results today.

Oil Prices

Oil prices rose 1% on Monday, recovering at least some of last week's steep losses, as Asian stock markets found their footing after days of chaotic trading.

Looming over oil markets, however, was rising US production, which is undermining efforts led by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Russia to tighten markets and prop up prices.

Brent crude futures were at US$63.42 a barrel, up 1% from the previous close. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at US$59.83 a barrel. That was up 1.1% from their last settlement.

The firmer prices came after crude registered its biggest loss in two years last week as stock markets slumped.