Portfolio Management Definition It is a process of encompassing many activities of investment in assets and securities. The portfolio management includes the planning, supervision, timing, rationalism and conservatism in the selection of securities to meet investor’s objectives. It is the process of selecting a list of securities that will provide the investor with a maximum yield constant with the risk he wishes to assume. The portfolio management is growing rapidly serving broad array of investors — both individual and institutional — with investment portfolio ranging in asset size from few thousands to crores of rupees. Despite growing importance, the subject of portfolio and investment management is new in the country and is largely misunderstood. In most cases, portfolio management has been practiced as a investment management counseling in which the investor has been advised to seek assets that would grow in value and / or provide income. Portfolio management is Continue reading
Investment Management
Characteristic features of a developed Money Market
In every country of the world, some type of money market exists. Some of them are highly developed while others are not well developed. Prof. S.N. Sen has described certain essential features of a developed money market. Highly organized banking system: The commercial banks are the nerve centre of the whole money market. They are principal suppliers of short-term funds. Their policies regarding loans and advances have impact on the entire money market. The commercial banks serve as vital link between the central bank and the various segments of the highly organized banking system co-exist. In an underdeveloped money market, the commercial banking system is not fully developed. Presence Of A Central Bank: The Central Bank acts as the banker’s bank. It keeps their cash reserves and provides them financial accommodation in difficulties by discounting their eligible securities. In other words, it enables the commercial banks and other institutions to Continue reading
Commodities Exchange in India
Commodities (commodity) are basic raw materials and foodstuffs such as metals, petroleum, coffee, grain etc. Commodities are traded on a commodity exchange both by the companies that use them (e.g. chocolate manufacturers) and by speculators. Futures contracts allow commodity producers and commodity users to bring some predictability and stability to pricing. By buying futures contracts, they can hedge against underlying price changes in the commodity. Commodity exchange are the exchanges where the trading of futures and forwards take place, basically commodity exchange are trading in future contacts on those commodities which have some regional relevance it is not going to be as easy as a share of a company to get listed in a different exchange. Commodity exchanges in India are expected to contribute significantly in the strengthening Indian economy to face the challenges of globalization. Continue reading
Governance of the demutualized stock exchanges
In the past, in almost all the stock exchanges, the broker members of the governing boards have been critical in the governance of the stock exchanges. The reconstitution of the governing boards of the stock exchanges by SEBI, which reduced the broker representation on these boards to 50%, had helped in making the boards more independent and minimized the influence of brokers. However, in most stock exchanges on account of the brokers retaining posts of the officer bearers of the stock exchanges till recently viz. president, vice-president and treasurer, they continued to play a dominant role in the management of the stock exchange. The fall-out of this practice has been that most stock exchanges have failed to develop good corporate governance practices and strong management teams. This has not only been a perception but also a reality in most stock exchanges. Conflicts of interest have bedeviled the operations of the Continue reading
The Role of Portfolio Management in an Efficient Market
You have learned that a basic principle in portfolio management is the diversification of securities. Even if all stocks are priced fairly, each still poses firm-specific risk that can be eliminated through diversification. Therefore, rational security selection, even in an efficient market, calls for the selection of a well-diversified portfolio, providing the systematic risk level that the investor wants. Even in an efficient market investors must choose the risk-return profiles they deem appropriate. The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) states that a market is efficient if security prices immediately and fully reflect all available relevant information. If the market fully reflects information, the knowledge of that information would not allow an investor to profit from the information because stock prices already incorporate the information. In an efficient market, no securities are consistently over-priced or under-priced. While some securities will turn out after any investment period to have provided positive Continue reading
Formula Plans in Portfolio Management
The investor uses formula plans to facilitate him in making investment decisions for the future by exploiting the fluctuations in prices. The formula plans have sketched the basic rules and regulations for purchasing and selling of investments. The formula plans make the average investors superior to others. These formula plans in portfolio management are based on the fact that the investors will not have the problem of forecasting fluctuation in stock prices and will continue to act according to formula. So, formula plans are a type of investment strategy that makes use of pre-determined rules for the nature and timing of change in one’s investment portfolio as the market rises or falls. Rules for Formula Plans These plans work according to a methodology which is related for the working of each plan These plans cannot be used for short periods of time. The longer the period of holding the investments, Continue reading