DSE planning late-evening, Saturday trading sessions: Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) is mulling the idea of introducing a late-evening trading session between 1800 hrs and 2000 hrs. The basic aim behind the move is to integrate timings and functioning of DSE with the the stock markets across the globe. In addition, the NSE and the DSE are mulling the idea of commencing trading sessions on Saturdays with an aim to increase trading volumes and reduce kerb deals. Though both the exchanges have not finalised the time-table for going ahead with the Saturday trading, negotiations are on in full swing.

Banks reluctant to lendagainst demat shares: Even six months after the Reserve Bank of India relaxed norms for the banks to loan against dematerialised shares, several banks have remained aloof to the measures. To top it all, several bank branches in southern-India have in fact refused to accept shares in the demat form as collateral towards a loan.

UTI relaxes MMF repurchase limit: UTI has relaxed the limit for repurchase in the UTI Money Market Fund (MMF) from Rs 5 crore per fortnight per account, to Rs 5 crore per week per account.

RBI rejects registration application of International Credits: The Reserve Bank of India has rejected the application for certificate of registration submitted by Delhi-based International Credits Limited under Section 45 IA of the RBI Act, 1934. The RBI in a statement said the application was rejected on October 17.

Pivotal retreat on DSE on fag-end profit selling: Pivotals failed to hold early gains on the Delhi Stock Exchange today as profit selling at prevailinghigher levels by bull operators and general investors, reduced the prices to settle below previous marks. Along with the bearish trend, the DSE benchmark sensitive index dropped by 14.78 point to close at 639.31 points. It initially shot up to 658.57 on hectic buying support. Marketmen said the market was quite firm at the beginning on persistent buying by foreign institutional investors in the infotec segment while domestic funds were picking fundamentally strong shares.

CSE down on profit taking: There was a change for the worse today on the Calcutta Stock Exchange shortly after midsession with prices seeking lower levels in the wake of fresh bear selling and profit booking by bulls. The start, however, was on a steadier note and initially values looked up on scattered speculative buying. With new losses in prices, the CSE's 40-share index finished lower at 1609.32 points. The day's highest and lowest being 1638.63 and 1604.72 points respectively.

Equities fail to maintain early gains onMSE: Equities failed to maintain their early gains, due to increased selling and profit taking during the midsession and closed with small to moderate losses on the Madras Stock Exchange. The MSE share price index improved to 3257.60 at the end of the first hour but gradually moved down to close at 3246.59 over their previous close of 3249.66, losing 3.07 points.

Thai shares close 3.5% higher on speculation: Thai shares gained 3.5 per cent on Wednesday, driven by speculative retail buying focused on banks and finance companies, analysts said. Analysts said major foreign institutions boosted volumes in the afternoon, taking their lead from local players and investing in blue-chip issues across the board. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) main index closed up 11.22 points at 330.45, while the SET 50 selected index rose 0.87 points to 23.82.

Jakarta share prices close 1.8% down: Indonesian share prices closed 1.8 per cent weaker on Wednesday in the absence of fresh incentives, and withsentiment undermined by continuing student protests, dealers said. The Jakarta Stock Exchange composite index closed 5.811 points down at 312.290, with 281.5 million shares worth 225.5 billion rupiah (29.3 million dollars) traded.

European bourses sink on Wall Street, Asian losses: Bourses across Europe sank in line with the weak performances on Wall Street and in Asia overnight, wiping out much of the gains made in the European markets' previous session. London's FT-SE 100 index fell 48.1 points to 5,283.1 points, or 0.90 per cent. In Frankfurt, the X-DAX index fell 0.63 per cent to 4,653.31. In Paris, the CAC-40 index fell 0.85 per cent to 3,520.49 points. In Amsterdam, the AEX index fell 1.92 per cent to 976.45 points. In Milan, the Mibtel index fell 1.90 per cent to 19,801 points. The rout followed a tumble overnight of 2.2 per cent in the Tokyo Nikkei index led by losses in high-tech stocks, and a fall of 0.78 per cent in the Dow Jones in New York on rumors of a devaluation of the Braziliancurrency.

Singapore stocks close 2.3% higher: Singapore share prices ended 2.3 per cent higher on Wednesday on continued buying amid expectations of further interest rate cuts. The Straits Times Index rose 26.62 points to 1,180.22, while the broader All-Singapore index gained 6.29 points to close at 340.92.

Shanghai B shares down slightly: Shanghai's B shares, nominally reserved for foreign investors, fell 0.3 per cent on Wednesday on tiny turnover under the influence of a market holiday in Hong Kong, analysts said. The Shanghai Stock Exchange's B-share index shed 0.12 points to settle at 35.58 points, while the A-share index of locally traded stocks climbed 9.87 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 1,301.85 points.

Seoul shares up on bargain-hunting/futures: South Korean shares inched up on Wednesday amid bargain-hunting after recent falls and easier futures-led selling, dealers said. The composite index closed up 3.48 points at 363.91, off a high of 367.70. The Benchmark corporate bondyield was down at 10.00 per cent. The won was at 1,319 against the dollar.

Australian stocks up 1.3% after low inflation outcome: Australian share prices rose 1.3 per cent on Wednesday, encouraged by new data that showed inflation firmly under control and an interest rate cut in the offing. The Australian Stock Exchange's main indicator, the All Ordinaries index, rose 32.3 points to 2,615.2.