Investments are both important and useful in the context of present day conditions. The following points have made investment decision increasingly important. Planning for retirement Interest rate High rate of inflation Increase rate of taxation Income Investment channels 1. Planning for retirement: A tremendous increase in working population, proper plans for life span and longevity have ensured the need for investment decisions. Investment decision have becomes significant as working people retire between the age 55 and 60. The life expectancy has increased due to improved living conditions, medical facilities etc. The earnings from employment should, therefore, be calculated in such a manner that a portion should be put away as savings. Saving from the from the current earning must be invested in a proper way so that principal and income thereon will be adequate to meet expenditure on them after their retirement. 2. Interest rate: The level of interest rates Continue reading
Investment Management
Put Option
An option is a contract, which gives the buyer the right to buy or sell foreign currency at a specific price, on or before a specific date. For this, the buyer has to pay to the seller some money, which is called as premium. There is no obligation on the buyer to complete the transaction if the price is not favorable to him. Whenever a person has an intention to sell foreign currency by paying a premium amount immediately and settling the same on a later date, it is known as a Put Option. Put Option has two parties, one a buyer of a Put Option and other a seller of a Put Option. Example: Mr. A is interested in selling a US Dollar. Spot rate is US$ 1 = 45.50. Mr. A believes that some 15 days down the line, with the budget coming up, the price of the Continue reading
Fama and French Three Factor Model
Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is the backbone of modern portfolio theory. According to CAPM, the expected return on stock is a function of its relationship with the market portfolio defined by its beta. However, Eugene Fama and Kenneth French (1992) brought together two more factors and found that stock return is based on a combination of not just market beta but also firm size and value. They came up with a new model known as Three Factor Model as an alternative to CAPM. What is Fama and French Three Factor Model? Fama and French three factor model expands on the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) by adding size and value factors in addition to the market risk factor in CAPM. This model considers the fact that value and small cap stocks out-perform markets on a regular basis. Fama and French attempted to approach and measure equity returns in a Continue reading
Entities which can register as FII’s in India
Entities who propose to invest their proprietary funds or on behalf of “broad based” funds (fund having more than twenty investors with no single investor holding more than 10 per cent of the shares or units of the fund) or of foreign corporate and individuals and belong to any of the under given categories can be registered for Foreign Institutional Investors (FII’s). Pension Funds Mutual Funds Investment Trust Insurance or reinsurance companies Endowment Funds University Funds Foundations or Charitable Trusts or Charitable Societies who propose to invest on their own behalf Asset Management Companies Nominee Companies Institutional Portfolio Managers Trustees Power of Attorney Holders Banks Foreign Government Agency Foreign Central Bank International or Multilateral Organization or an Agency thereof Some of the above mentioned types are described below: Pension funds: A pension fund is a pool of assets that form an independent legal entity that are bought with the contributions Continue reading
Stock – Meaning and Definition
Stock is the share in the ownership of the company. Stock represents the claim on the company’s assets and earnings. In other words, it means, the more the stock, the ownership stake in the company becomes greater. The stock is represented by a stock certificate which is a document that proves the ownership in the company. Few years ago when the person wanted to buy or sell shares, he/she physically took the certificates to the brokerage firm. But now information technology has increased, because of which this stock document is stored electronically. Now trading with a click of mouse or a phone call has made transacting easier. The stock certificate is considered worthless if there is no claim on the ownership of the company’s assets and earnings. Another important feature of stock is its limited liability. It means as the owner of the stock, he/she is not responsible for the Continue reading
Mutual Funds and Stock Analysis
The investment pattern in a mutual fund depends on investment objective. The Asset Management Company (AMC) team includes the research analysts, fund managers and dealers appointed by AMC itself. The fund manager is held responsible for all the investment decisions taken and also takes decision on the investment pattern, of the scheme based on the objectives of the scheme. Information with regard to various investment opportunities are provided by the research team and the dealers implement the decision of the fund manager. The fund manager uses both primary and secondary markets for actually investing the funds. The deals are placed through the fund’s brokers and the custodians take care of the back office operations involved in the investment decisions. The research team evaluates the features of the stocks and recommends the same to the find managers. The various types of equity research include the following: A study of the earnings Continue reading