Week Ahead: MSCI Rebalance Inflicts Technical Damage; Drags Resistance Down To These Levels

The markets traded in a volatile and largely range-bound manner through the week before ending with a modest loss. Nifty oscillated in a 605-point range, registering a high of 24,089.80 and a low of 23,484.75 before settling near the lower end of the weekly range. The sharp decline witnessed on Friday was largely driven by MSCI rebalancing-related flows, resulting in accelerated profit-taking and a weak close for the week. India VIX rose by 9.60% to 16.19, reflecting a pickup in volatility expectations and some increase in market nervousness following the late-week selloff. Nifty ended the week with a loss of 171.55 points (-0.72%).