Markets open green — but don't be fooled by the gap.

GIFT Nifty is trading 77 points higher at 23,280, up 0.33%, signalling a flat to positive open for Monday. Asian markets are mixed — Nikkei down 1.23%, Jakarta down 2.62%, while Hang Seng and Straits Times are holding slight gains. Dow futures are showing early morning strength after European markets closed marginally negative on Friday.

On commodities: Brent crude is trading above the $100 mark at $104, up 1.36%. Gold is cracking — down 0.33% at $5,005 per ounce. MCX gold closed at ₹1,58,400 and silver at ₹2,59,279.

The real story is in the FII/DII data. On Friday's cash market close, FIIs sold ₹10,700 crores of equity while DIIs bought ₹9,900 crores — net negative. For the month of March, FIIs have now sold ₹56,000 crores cumulatively. The cumulative yearly figures stand at  ...