The Hindu Business Line : Sunday, August 22, 2004

Choosing a scooter
I want to buy a two-wheeler and am considering the Honda Activa and the Kinetic Nova. Can you compare these two-wheelers keeping in mind their performance, comfort, power, control, cost, maintenance and mileage? -- Ajish Kumar. K The ... More

INSIGHT

Preferred ten mutual funds — Unfazed by rapid asset expansion
IF YOU invest in funds with a consistent track record, you need not worry too much about their getting larger in terms of assets under management. The asset bases of such top performers as HDFC Equity, HDFC Tax Plan ... More

What the duty cut means for oil cos
OIL companies have always been subject to a high regulatory risk in India caused by governmental actions. That risk was demonstrated yet again last week when the Government reduced duties on petrol, diesel, cooking ... More

Need to be bullish about investing
Large losses suffered by investors in both stock and debt markets in 2004 may only engender a sense of fatigue. Investors, however, need to set aside such emotions and keep investing in order to build wealth. More

Monsoons losing hold on India Inc.
IT ARRIVED too early, retreated when it should have reached a crescendo and has now staged a late, if not dramatic, comeback. The south-west monsoon this year has truly displayed the weather god at his whimsical best. ... More

MUTUAL FUNDS

Benefit of a floating rate
SEVERAL floating rate bond funds have been launched lately. Why are such funds in demand? Such funds primarily invest in floating rate bonds (or floaters). A floater is one where interest payments are linked to a ... More

Sundaram Growth Fund
SUNDARAM Growth Fund added as many as eleven stocks to its portfolio in July. The fund had a significant cash position of about 14 per cent of the total assets in June. Cash now accounts for only about 1.5 per cent of its portfolio. Exposures ... More

Reliance Growth: Buy in a phased manner
INVESTMENT can be considered in the Reliance Growth Fund, which has an impressive track record across different phases of the stock market. The portfolio appears to hold the potential to deliver gains and a substantial ... More

UTI Growth & Value Fund: Hold
INVESTORS can hold UTI Growth & Value Fund. After a difficult period in 2000 and 2001, the fund turned in a good performance in 2002 and 2003. It also performed well over the past year, delivering returns of about 58 ... More

BOB Mutual Fund launches 3 more schemes

BOB Mutual fund has launched three open-ended funds: BOB MIP Fund, BOB NRI Fund and BOB Children Fund. The issue closes on August 26, 2004. The following are the details: BOB MIP fund is an income plan that will invest predominantly in ... More

STOCKS

Mahindra & Mahindra: Hold
SHAREHOLDERS of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) can continue to hold on to the stock at current levels. Investors may also use price declines to add the stock to their portfolio for potential long-term gains. M&M is likely ... More

Cipla: Buy
INVESTORS can consider fresh exposures in the Cipla stock. Its dominant position in the domestic market (Cipla is one of the top two leading companies in this space), tie-ups with established players for its developed ... More

Grasim: Buy
INVESTORS with a one to two-year perspective may consider exposures in the stock of Grasim Industries at the price of Rs 1,077, as the boom in commodity prices is likely to spur earnings growth. Any decline linked to weakness in the broad ... More

Zensar Technologies: Hold
INVESTORS may consider retaining their exposure in the Zensar Technologies stock. The stock trades at a price-earnings multiple of 19 times its trailing per share earnings, but the prospects for growth are fairly ... More

Rico Auto: Buy
LONG-TERM investors may consider adding Rico Auto to their portfolio. Taking into account the company's prominent position in its industry and growing presence in the export market, the long-term prospects appears ... More

Cummins India: Hold
STRENGTH in exports, introduction of engines for the domestic market and rising income from services continue to contribute to the growth story of Cummins India. The earnings performance for the June 2004 quarter ... More

EIH: Hold
SHAREHOLDERS can hold on to the stock of EIH, which is part of the Oberoi group and enjoys the No.2 position in the Indian hotel industry. Even though its financial performance over the past few years has not been ... More

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Focus of the week
Glenmark Pharma (Rs 186.8): After been locked in a narrow range, the stock made a decisive breakout on Friday, backed by a surge in volumes. It now appears to be headed towards the Rs 200-mark in the near term. Hold with a stop-loss at Rs ... More

Pivotals may remain weak
ONGC (Rs 689.2): The stock did not see any significant price movement last week. It was stuck in a narrow range unlike other few index stocks. The flat trend provided stability to the Nifty and Sensex. They would have been battered had a ... More

Bearish trend likely till Sept
Preferred View: Analysis based on Gann methodology points to a bearish trend till the last week of September. As observed in earlier weeks, the index is likely to test the earlier low at 1292. This view would be valid as long as the ... More

Query Corner

CARS

The new C-Class!
THE C-Class just got classier. Within months of being introduced in the major automotive markets of the world, the new Mercedes Benz C-Class has been launched in India. The new C-Class has been redesigned, both ... More

TWO/THREE WHEELERS

The new Kinetic Nova — More power, more style
AFTER fighting the might of the Honda scooters Activa and Dio, the smartly designed Kinetic Nova has now come back into the market with a new set of stripes and a brand new, bigger four-stroke mill in its belly. But ... More

LIFE INSURANCE

SBI Life's Shield Plan
HAVE you felt the need for a term assurance plan where the sum assured increases progressively with the plan's term to keep pace with your rising income stream, and yet offers the feature of paying a constant premium ... More

DERIVATIVES MARKETS

Get set for a negative bias in the Nifty
SLUGGISH volumes in the derivative segment captured the indecisiveness of the market players as the market was stuck in a relatively narrow range, despite oil prices firming up at scorching pace. Apart from low volumes, the widening basis ... More

A relaxed, yet safer future
THE existing eligibility criteria for stocks and indices, the position limits and the risk containment measures in the derivative markets were reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Derivatives and Market Risk Management (Advisory Committee) ... More

Futures guide

Options guide

FIXED DEPOSITS

Sundaram Home Finance: Make it your home, now
INVESTORS can park their money in the fixed deposit programme of Sundaram Home Finance. The company's fundamentals are strong and the interest rates are higher than that of housing finance companies such as HDFC. ... More

INTERVIEW

"This fund will work irrespective of interest rate trends" — Mr Naval Bir Kumar, MD, Standard Chartered Mutual Fund
Debt investing today is a complicated business. With interest rates changing direction ever so often, you can no longer afford to park your investment in a top-ranking debt fund and forget about it. If you want to pep up the returns from your ... More

INCOME TAX

Here's an employer giving monthly LTA
SUPPOSING an employee gets leave travel assistance (LTA) on a monthly basis, will he still be entitled to exemption under Section 10(5). Can a person claim the exemption in respect of more than one travel in a year? ... More

PF transfer on job change
I RESIGNED from a company two years back and have taken up employment with another company. I have not transferred my provident fund balance from the previous company to the one I have joined. I am now aged 46. If ... More

INVESTOR PROTECTION

The genie in the bottle
The recent trading activity in GTB's shares can be likened to the story of the genie in the bottle. More

BOOKS

Apparent `dogs' outperform analysts' picks
FROM Benjamin Graham to Warren Buffett and beyond is the gamut of Value Investing, a book by Bruce C. N. Greenwald, Judd Kahn, Paul D. Sonkin and Michael van Biema, published by Wiley ... More

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