Last week opened with a positive trend on the back of strong global markets. But towards the end, the direction of markets changed to hit and close on a flat note. The continuous FII fund flow though, kept the markets supporting at a very low level. On the positive side, counters like HUL, ITC and Reliance Industries are likely to move up further. On the negative side, investors can take short positions in the BEML counter.

The Govt. made key changes to the proposed land acquisition Bill, making it more attractive for industry by easing some stringent conditions. It relaxed the requirements of consent from landowners, tightening the definition of market value. The ministry has also rejected the Standing Committee's recommendation that the government should not be involved in acquiring land for private companies or public-private partnership projects. The Govt. also relaxed the consent requirement for PPP projects and private companies, i.e. private project developers will require obtaining consent of 80 per cent of landholders.