Cashed-up investors in Indian federal bonds are seen awaiting the yields from two bond auctions this week before re-entering the market.
"Bonds should be range-bound at least till Tuesday and then depending on the cut-off at the auctions we could see a resumption of buying, especially at the longer end," said S.P. Prabhu, a bond analyst with IDBI Capital Market Services.
The government plans to raise 50 billion rupees through the sale of 7.38 percent 2015 bonds on January 6.
This will be followed by an open market auction of an 18-year bond by the central bank, on January 7, for another 50 billion rupees.
Analysts expect Indian states to tap a cash-laden market the following week through a sale of loans for about 80 to 100 billion rupees.
Surpluses in the money market are currently estimated at around 400 to 450 billion rupees.
The cash pile was boosted last week by an interest payment on federal deposits that delivered around 80 billion rupees to pension funds.
The easy money conditions coupled with data on Friday showing a lower-than-expected rise in the wholesale price index buoyed sentiment, helping bond yields ease on Friday and Saturday.
Official data showed wholesale price inflation was at 5.63 percent in the year to December 20, compared to traders' estimates of 5.65 percent and 5.57 percent in the year to the previous week.
This helped the yield on the benchmark 10-year end the week two basis points lower at 5.0973 percent.
Though funds in the market remained ample for now, supporting bonds, analysts said data showing a robust rebound in Asia's third-largest economy was clouding the outlook for both liquidity and interest rates.
The Indian central bank has had a soft monetary bias for nearly three years, helping yields fall to record lows in 2003. The 10-year bond slid nearly 100 basis points last year.
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