Indian shares are expected to rise this week, as traders build positions in automobile and commodity stocks ahead of earnings next month, while bonds are seen steady as the fiscal-first-half draws to a close.
Brokers said a revival in foreign fund investments in recent weeks and strong flow of money into initial public offerings from mutual funds would also support shares.
"Everybody is looking forward to the earnings season," said Rushab Sheth, head of equity funds at Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co Ltd.
Top companies will start rolling out three months to September earnings from the second week of October. Auto and cement makers will also report their sales numbers for August later this week and early next week.
Foreign funds spent $403 million on buying Indian shares in the two weeks to Wednesday after a sluggish start to the month.
Foreign funds sold local shares for a net $31.6 million on Thursday, but analysts said revived interest in Asia's second-worst performing market would help it play catch-up amid an easing of political worries after May's change in government.
The top Bombay index fell 0.6 percent last week after rising to a 20-week closing higher earlier in the week.
The index has risen for four straight weeks, which encouraged some traders to book profits. The Bombay index is up about 23 percent from a 16-month low in mid-May.
BONDS: Federal bonds are expected to trade in a narrow range ahead of banks' half-yearly accounts closure on September 30, with most of the buying to boost balance sheet valuations having been exhausted in the previous week, dealers said.
Bonds perked up last week, with sentiment boosted in the last couple of sessions by comments by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that interest rate increases were not the right way to tame supply side-fuelled inflation.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond closed the week more than 6 basis points lower at 6.0592 percent.
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