To access the newsletter, click on the link: here If you would like to receive this newsletter via email, please register at: here FACTORS TO WATCH 9:00 am: Reliance Retail MD V. Subramaniam, Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani, Arvind ED Kulin Lalbhai, Shoppers Stop MD Govind Shrikhande, Future Retail Joint MD Rakesh Biyani and other retail Industry officials at Retail Summit in Mumbai. 10:00 am: Power Minister R.K. Singh to address International R&D Conclave in New Delhi. 10:00 am: BSE to launch ‘Corporate Governance Scorecard’ report in Mumbai. 10:00 am: Magnetic Maharashtra Summit in Mumbai. 10:30 am: Federal Cabinet to meet in New Delhi. LIVECHAT - REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK An outlook on the real estate sector for 2018 with Emmanuel Lumineau, CEO of BrickVest. To join the conversation at 1530 IST, click on the link: here INDIA TOP NEWS • India police arrest 3 more Punjab National Bank staff in fraud case India's federal police arrested three more employees of Punjab National Bank in a $1.77 billion fraud case, an official with Central Bureau of Investigation said on Monday. • ANALYSIS-India's high-flying graphite electrode firms face curbs Indian manufacturers of graphite electrodes used in electric arc furnaces are booming on the back of China's pollution crackdown, but soaring prices have set the companies on a collision course with government and steelmakers. • India bank hack "similar" to $81 million Bangladesh central bank heist Hackers who tried to steal nearly $2 million from India's City Union Bank this month used tactics similar to those employed in the unsolved cyber heist of $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank in 2016, City's CEO said on Monday. • Singapore Exchange to launch new Indian derivatives before NSE deal ends Singapore Exchange Ltd said on Monday it will launch successor products to its flagship Indian equity index derivatives before the bourse's licence agreement with the National Stock Exchange of India expires in August 2018. • Castlelake in talks to buy Brazil mill from Shree Renuka -sources U.S.-based private equity firm Castlelake LP is in talks to take over a sugar and ethanol plant in Brazil owned by Indian company Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations. • INTERVIEW-Vedanta seeks to expand zinc output after price rally Vedanta may accelerate expansion of its African zinc operations to take advantage of prices that have reached their highest levels in a decade because of a shortfall following years of under-investment, its international zinc head said. • Indian police register case in Bank of Baroda loan scam India's federal police said on Monday it has registered a case against pen maker Rotomac Global and officials of various banks in connection with an alleged 29.19 billion rupees loan scam. GLOBAL TOP NEWS • Trump backs effort to improve gun background checks The White House said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump supports efforts to improve federal background checks for gun purchases, days after a shooting at a Florida school killed 17 people. • Head bowed, Florida shooting suspect returns to court for hearing A former student accused of last week's deadly shooting at a Florida high school returned to court for one of two hearings on Monday in a case that has galvanized advocates of stricter gun control, including many of the rampage survivors. • Over half of Japan firms do not plan base pay rise this year More than half of Japan's companies do not plan to raise base pay in annual wage talks in coming months, a set back for the prime minister and the country's main business lobby which has called for wage rises of 3 percent to fuel an economic revival. LOCAL MARKETS OUTLOOK (As reported by NewsRise) • The SGX Nifty Futures were trading at 10,314.50, down 0.54 pct from its previous close. • The Indian rupee will likely open lower against the dollar, tracking weakness across Asian stock markets, which could spill over to the domestic equities as well. • Indian sovereign bonds are likely to edge lower ahead of a supply of debt papers through a state auction, traders said. GLOBAL MARKETS • Asian stocks slipped, their recent recovery stalling after European equities broke a winning streak, while the dollar edged up to pull further away from three-year lows. • Oil markets were split, with U.S. crude was pushed up by reduced flows from Canada while international Brent prices eased. • Gold prices slid for a third straight session as the dollar rebounded from over three-year lows, while investors waited for the minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting for clues on the outlook for U.S. interest rates. CLOSE FII INVESTMENTS EQUITIES DEBT PNDF spot 63.89/63.92 February 19 -$139.32 mln - 10-yr bond yield 7.6 pct Month-to-date - - Year-to-date - - For additional data: India govt bond market volumes Stock market reports Non-deliverable forwards data Corporate debt stories [IN CORPD] Local market closing/intraday levels [IN SNAPSHOT] Monthly inflows [INFLOWS RTRS TABLE IN] ($1 = 64.2400 Indian rupees) (Compiled by Erum Khaled in Bengaluru)