Sebi cancels Madhumilan Fincorp registration: Sebi has cancelled the registration of category I merchant banker, Madhumilan Fincorp, with effect from June 15, 1998, for their failure to pay the annual registration fees. Sebi has also suspended the registration of two category IV merchant bankers -- Krishna Murari Agarwal & Co and M&V Associates -- for the same reason for the remaining period of their registration.

Trading to resume in 4 scrips: BSE has decided to allow dealings in the shares of the following companies to resume from July 13: Arco Leasing, Great Western Industries, Mahanivesh (India) and Sneh Constructions. Dealings had been suspended earlier because of non-compliance with the listing requirements of the exchange.

Nifty rises 17 points: Equities continued to move upwards for the fourth consecutive dayon Thursday following fresh support by bull operators. The NSE-50 index gained 16.90 points to close at 961.05 points. The Mid-cap Index went up by 3.35 points to 1,408.95 points. The total turnover on the exchange stood at Rs 1,476.32 crore. Forty three securities hit their price bands on Thursday.

MSE Index up 30 points: Select pivotals improved on the Madras Stock Exchange on Thursday even as popular software scrips slid on profit-taking. The MSE Share Price Index rose by 30.23 points to close at 3,738.47 points. L&T rallied by Rs 14 to Rs 231.35, Reliance by Rs 2 to Rs 147.85 and ITC by Rs 13.55 to Rs 691. Satyam Computer lost Rs 15.30 to end at Rs 435.95.

NSE completes settlement: NSE completed its 189th settlement (number 1998025) on Thursday. The total value of the settlement was Rs 1,008.68 crore for securities and Rs 187.76 crore in funds. The quantity of securities settled through the dematerialised mode was 55.48 lakh valued at Rs 73.76 crore. The pay-out has been completed andall shortages to the extent of 0.86 per cent have been auctioned. Unrecrified bad deliveries for the previous settlement to the extent of 0.17 per cent have also been auctioned.

OTCEI Index up marginally: In lacklustre trading, equity prices showed a modest rise on investor support at the OTCEI on Thursday. The OTCEI Composite Index opened at 114.18 poinrs and closed at 114.23 points, showing a modest increase of 0.05 point over the previous close.

Demat volume at Rs 6.91 cr: The demat segments of NSE and BSE together reported a volume of Rs 6.91 crore. At the NSE, 64,900 shares of VSNL valued at Rs 541.92 lakh changed hands. Reliance saw 9,799 shares valued at Rs 14.42 lakh traded. SBI reported trades for 1,958 shares valued at Rs 4.21 lakh. On the BSE, Reliance saw 40,000 shares valued at Rs 58.67 lakh traded.

Steady trend on BgSE: Share prices remained firm at the Bangalore Stock Exchange on Thursday. According to marketmen, most of the pivotals barring Satyam Computers andReliance reported minor gains. The turnover on the bourse stood at Rs 21.68 crore. ITC closed higher at Rs 688.35 (Rs 679) whereas Satyam Computers declined to Rs 432.60 (Rs 445). SBI and Tisco were better at Rs 214.80 (Rs 214.35) and Rs 125.80 (Rs 124.60) while Reliance saw a marginal fall to Rs 145.60 (Rs 145.65).

Skindia Index up 2.12%: The Skindia GDR index moved up by 2.12 per cent from 696.50 to 711.26 on July 8. The Skindia GDR Index p/e ratio was 16.58 on July 8 compared with 16.17 on July 7. The top gainers were BSES, Ranbaxy Labs and Videocon International which quoted at $12.40 ($11.75), $18.10 ($17.25) and $1.25 ($1.20) respectively. Losers included Raymond Woollen, Dr Reddy's Labs and Indian Hotels.

Rupee ends slightly down: Good corporate demand and an equally good supply from exporters saw the rupee close marginally weaker on Thursday than its previous close. The rupee opened at 42.57/60 and weakened in morning trades to touch its intra-day low of 42.64, dealers said. Aftertouching 42.64, the rupee rebounded as exporters entered and sold dollars. This saw the rupee touch its intra-day high of 42.54 before it closed at 42.57/60.

Call rates end at 6.5%: The call money market witnessed a steady trend on Thursday owing to adequate liquidity with banks. The call rates opened at 6.25-6.50 per cent, little changed from their previous close. Later, they eased to 6.00-6.25 per cent owing to large offerings by banks. They finally closed at the opening levels of 6.25-6.50 per cent.

NSE debt market turnover at Rs 235 cr: The wholesale debt market segment of the NSE witnessed trading worth Rs 235.45 crore. The 11.55 per cent government security maturing in 2001 was traded for Rs 70 crore at a weighted yield of 11.50 per cent. The 13.65 per cent government security maturing in 1999 was traded for Rs 25 crore at a weighted yield of 9.87 per cent.

Silver, gold prices dip: Prices of both silver and gold reacted on Thursday due to a fresh fall in global prices coupledwith an increase in arrivals. Ready silver (.999) and tenderable silver declined by Rs 40 each to close at Rs 8,050 and Rs 8,055. Standard gold and 22-carat gold eased by Rs 10 each to finish at Rs 4,275 and Rs 3,955.

Cotton prices steady: Firm conditions prevailed at the local cotton market on Thursday. Mills' activity was centred around qualities S-4, 797, G-12, Y-1, Mech and Wagad. About 3,000 bales changed hands. Bengal deshi ended at Rs 1,660/1,670 per maund. Bhatinda J34SG ended at Rs 2,150 per maund.

Groundnut oil ends down: Edible oils declined moderately while in listless trading on Thursday. Groundnut oil eased by a rupee to Rs 502. Groundnuts ready at Rs 2,060, linseeds ready at Rs 1,550 and castorseeds ready Madras at Rs 1,526 ended unchanged.