The Hindu Business Line : Sunday, January 02, 2005

Equity market in 2004: Sizzling across the board
IT WAS a year in which the opening lines of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities would have been a fitting description. Indeed, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times". It is not often that we ... More

The hits and misses of 2004
TO ASSESS how we at Business Line performed with its stock calling compared to the broad market, we collated all the calls we made from last November to October this year. We made a total of 376 calls on 250 ... More

Dividend yield strategy — BSE-100's dogs finish on top
Investing in dividend dogs of BSE-100 is similar to the strategy of `Dogs of the dow' followed in the US. For the third in a row, a strategy of investing in the top dividend yielding stocks of BSE-100 has delivered better returns than that of an aver age mutual fund. More

Reliance Industries: Uncertain still for shareholders
THE dice were always heavily loaded in favour of Mr Mukesh Ambani, ever since this high voltage tussle between the two brothers — Mukesh and Anil Ambani — spilled into the public domain. Even as shareholders ... More

MUTUAL FUNDS

Alliance Equity: Invest
AN investment can be considered in Alliance Equity Fund, as its portfolio appears well positioned on themes that can deliver value. It was among the several funds that delivered returns of over 100 per cent in 2003. ... More

PruICICI Power: Hold
INVESTORS can hold on to PruICICI Power. The fund has a good three-year track record. In 2003, it was among the top performing funds. But in 2004, its performance has been more sedate, lagging that of other diversified ... More

Is it the right time?

Prudential ICICI Mutual declares Rs 2.50 as dividend

INVESTMENTS

Portfolio management service — This can pay off for the well-off
YOU earn money in bagfuls, but don't have the time or inclination to manage it. If this description fits you, do consider entrusting your money to a professional portfolio management service (PMS). In return for a ... More

Prosperity handlers
TEMPTED to hand over your savings to a PMS? Most players offer a suite of "model" portfolios or "concepts" for investors to choose from. Here's a walk-through of what some players have to offer.

Birla Sun ... More

STOCKS

Punjab Tractors: Sell
INVESTORS can consider offloading their holdings in Punjab Tractors (PTL) at the current price of about Rs 196. While those with a higher appetite for risk may want to retain a portion of the holdings in their ... More

Petronet LNG: Buy
THE Petronet LNG stock has appreciated 36 per cent in the last fortnight alone, moving from Rs 23 to Rs 32 now. Shareholders can continue to stay with the stock for further appreciation in the next one year and ... More

Indian Rayon: Buy
AN INVESTMENT can be considered in the stock of Indian Rayon. Although the stock has run up considerably in recent weeks, it still looks attractively priced from a long-term perspective. The company's older business ... More

Munjal Showa: Buy
INVESTORS with a long-term perspective may include Munjal Showa in their portfolio. An impressive list of clientele, strong fundamentals and steady business prospects are positive features. Though the rising trend in ... More

Coromandel Fertilisers: Buy
LONG-TERM investors may add the stock of Coromandel Fertilisers to their portfolio. The stock appears to carry limited downside risk at an undemanding price-earnings multiple of eight times its trailing 12-month per share earnings. With ... More

Prism Cements: Buy
Investors can buy this stock from a one-to-two year perspective to capitalise on likely gains linked to its participation in the consolidation processes. The fundamentals are also acquiring a healthier hue. As a better balance emerges between ... More

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Bullish trend in ITC, Ranbaxy
ITC (Rs 1309.8): The earlier view that the stock has commenced the next round of an upward move is valid. After moving to a high of Rs 1338, the stock turned weak on Friday. The share price appears on course to hit the target zone of Rs ... More

Positive outlook still holds steam
Preferred View: Though the index logged a net gain of about 18 points, the market activity was lacklustre. The index was confined to a range and was devoid of any significant momentum. This, however, has not negated the positive ... More

Focus of the week
Alembic (Rs 272.5): The stock has moved to the earlier target zone (edition dated December 12) of Rs 275-280. The outlook remains bullish with the stock having broken out of a consolidation zone with huge volumes on Friday. The stock could ... More

Query corner
Prism Cement (Rs 21.6): The stock is likely to seek lower levels in the near term. The long-term outlook, however, is positive. After a drop to the Rs 18-19 range, the share price is expected to resume the next leg of the rally. A move to ... More

CARS

Sound of music... on the drive
MUSIC on the move can move you if you have a good car stereo system. Last week, in part one of this series, we outlined a few of the basic issues to be considered while shopping for a car music system. Read on for a ... More

Keep the music flowing
I HAVE been using a Santro (LE) for the past couple of years and have been satisfied with the car — be it mileage, driving comfort or air-conditioner efficiency. I have a Sony music system in my car. I am ... More

Tips `n' notes for car audios

ECONOMICS

Quakes, markets and power play
EARTHQUAKES share some characteristics with financial markets. Both follow a power law. Suppose you study the distribution of wealth in a city. You find that the number of people whose wealth is Rs 100 crore is ... More

STOCK MARKETS

Dalal Street's crisis matrix
BETWEEN the BSE Sensex at 6,498.06 on December 24 and its 14.97-point ascent to 6,513.03 last Monday, came a Magnitude-9 earthquake and a tsunami that left hundreds of thousands dead from Indonesia to Kenya, all along ... More

DERIVATIVES MARKETS

What are derivatives?
THE term `Derivative' indicates that it has no independent value, i.e. its value is entirely `derived' from the value of the underlying asset. The underlying asset can be securities, commodities, bullion, currency, livestock or anything else. ... More

Nifty may see further rise
LAST week saw the settlement of December contracts and the introduction of March series in the derivative segment. Rollover of open interest positions to January series was at an impressive level. More than 70 per cent of the open positions in ... More

Using futures/options
There was a sharp spurt in the option prices of Tata Steel though only two or three days were left for the expiry on 30 December. 1) Why this sudden surge in the option prices? 2) Is it due to high-implied volatility of the stock? 3) ... More

Options guide

Futures guide

FIXED DEPOSITS

Jubilant Organosys: Keep it reactive for a year
INVESTORS can consider the fixed deposit programme of Jubilant Organosys for a year. The company has bright prospects and its financials are improving. Longer tenures can, however, be avoided, as the incremental returns ... More

INTERVIEW

`Time to look beyond large-caps'
`Mutual fund investors do not have as much exposure to mid-cap stocks as they ought to.' More

INCOME TAX

Cost of delayed returns
I AM a salaried employee. In the assessment years (AYs) 2002-03 and 2003-04, my total income was below Rs 50,000. In the AY 2004-05, my total income was Rs 52,000. This would mean that I have to pay tax on Rs 2,000, ... More

Sale of ESOP and gift shares
I WORK for a private limited company, which has granted employee stock options. A foreign company, however, plans to acquire the company. At this stage, the employee stock options granted to us have vested in us and we ... More

Comments & Letters to the Editor to: bleditor@thehindu.co.in
Subscribe to: Business Line

Mid-term Credit Policy Review for 2004-05

Foreign Trade Policy 2004-09

Pick a Winner Stock Market Contest

Equity market in 2004: Sizzling across the board

The hits and misses of 2004

Dividend yield strategy — BSE-100's dogs finish on top

Reliance Industries: Uncertain still for shareholders

In Focus

Killer Tsunami

Multimedia Messaging Scandal

Press Note 18

Reliance: Is the 'Big Fight' in offing?

In Depth
Insurance Corner