The Hindu Business Line : Sunday, May 29, 2005

OT LONG ago, `balanced' funds — that invest in a combination of equity and debt instruments — did not merit even a second look from investors. Their performance was ... More

Why 2004-05 is a year to forget for oil companies
FISCAL 2004-05 is a year that the oil companies would rather forget; especially the refining and marketing outfits. Except for Indian Oil, which is scheduled to declare its results tomorrow, all the others have come out with their report cards ... More

Chance for SEBI to make an impact
The present situation in the stock market is a chance for SEBI to make its mark and correct the perception that the entire system is in favour of manipulative brokers and business-houses. More

Before you pull the trigger on the analyst...
A `BUY' recommendation pops up from the financial media, and immediately you call up your broker to say `buy'. You turn the page, and there's a `sell'. And you pick up your mobile to make another call, so as not to lose gains made or stem further ... More

OPEN OFFERS

Ambuja Cement Eastern: Reject
SHAREHOLDERS of Ambuja Cement Eastern can reject the open offer made by the Holcim group of Switzerland and Ambuja Cement India, which is now owned by Holcim and Gujarat Ambuja Cement. Our recommendation is predicated on a merger of Ambuja Cement ... More

MUTUAL FUNDS

SBI Magnum Balanced Fund: Hold
INVESTORS in SBI Magnum Balanced Fund may retain their holdings, as there has been a substantial improvement in the fund's performance over the past three years. The equity portfolio has a neat mix of mid-cap stocks and large-cap ... More

Reliance Growth Fund: Invest
RELIANCE Growth Fund is a mid-cap focussed fund that can provide a kicker to your returns; but it comes with a fairly high risk profile. The fund has consistently made the best of bull markets, with an aggressive investment strategy that milks ... More

SPICE fund: caution to investors

STOCKS

State Bank of India: Buy
FRESH investments in the stock of State Bank of India can be considered. The stock is trading below its book value, if we consider the consolidated balance sheet. The valuation is thus appealing and can deliver attractive returns for investors ... More

Uttam Galva Steels: Hold
THE price of the Uttam Galva Steels stock has fallen by over 30 per cent in the last two months. Shareholders can remain invested in the company, as there is room for attractive returns over the medium term. At the ... More

Thirumalai Chemicals: Buy
AN INVESTMENT can be considered in the stock of Thirumalai Chemicals, which quotes at about nine times the annualised earnings for FY-05. While its competitors in the industry have reported insipid performance, the ... More

Jet Airways: Hold
JET Airways' financials have truly taken flight in the company's maiden performance announcement since its IPO. The net profits for 2004-05 have expanded by a better-than-expected 140 per cent to Rs 392 crore, while revenues surged 24 per cent to ... More

Avaya GlobalConnect: Pare exposures
SHAREHOLDERS of Avaya GlobalConnect (formerly Tata Telecom) may consider pruning their exposure in the stock. The stock has shed over 10 per cent since the announcement of the earnings performance, for 2004-05, on May 17. However, given the ... More

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Weak outlook for Reliance
SBI (Rs 668): The stock moved in line with expectations. It moved to the target zone of Rs 670-675 and closed on a relatively weak note on Friday. After a short-term weakness, the stock is likely to resume the earlier upward move. The ... More

Nifty may head for corrective phase
Preferred view: Contrary to expectations, the market sentiment turned distinctly bullish during the week gone by. The break above the resistance level of 2040 was the first sign of strength. The close above the resistance level ... More

Query corner
Shall I hold or exit from Harrisons Malayalam bought at Rs 83? — Sreeji Harrisons Malayalam (Rs 96.1): After a sharp run-up in the recent weeks, the share price appears to be in a corrective phase now. The long-term trend ... More

Focus of the week
Cipla (Rs 287): After a protracted phase of correction, the stock has staged a recovery in the recent weeks. The recovery phase does not appear complete and the stock could move to higher levels in the near term. The share price could ... More

CARS

True to the soul of a motor show
AS MOTOR shows go, this may not have been in the same league as the ones in Geneva, Frankfurt or Paris, but the Seoul Motor Show, held between April 30 and May 8 in the South Korean capital, did have its significance. ... More

TWO/THREE WHEELERS

Bajaj riding the tech `Wave'
IN BUSINESS, it pays to keep a good thing going. It is no different in the auto world where any new technology that raises the benchmark in performance will find increasing application in future products. Bajaj Auto is ... More

Yamaha Fazer boasts excellent finish
I AM 24 years old and live in Anantpur. I want to buy a new 125cc or 150cc bike. Though I have previous experience with riding bikes, I find it difficult to handle them in heavy traffic and some times when I have a ... More

ECONOMICS

Doesn't add to zero
MY FRIEND is a disappointed man. The index options he bought expired worthless on May 26. The amount he lost is the gain for the person who sold the options. Financial economists refer to such situations as zero-sum or constant-sum game. Is the ... More

DERIVATIVES MARKETS

Reversal of trend in Nifty likely
Nifty outlook: Last week, we had anticipated a negative outlook for Nifty and had recommended shorting Nifty futures keeping stop-loss at 2013 points. But quite contrary to our expectation, the Nifty defied gravity all through the week ... More

10 securities introduced
The average daily volumes improved to Rs 13,606 crore against the previous week figure of Rs 9,568 crore. Rollover: Rollover of positions was also moderate; around 70 per cent of Nifty contracts were rolled over to June series; in the ... More

CREDIT CARDS & DEBIT CARDS

ABN Amro's Freedom Credit Card
ARE you one of those people who does not have a credit card for the fear of running up enormous bills? Maybe you should look at ABN AMRO's Freedom Credit Card. No, it's not what you think. "Freedom" does not mean no ... More

FIXED DEPOSITS

FD OPTIONS

UBI's scheme for senior citizens
United Bank of India: Senior citizens can consider investing in the recently introduced long-term term deposit scheme of United Bank of India. The Bank has introduced a new term deposit bucket of between 7 and 10 years. Senior citizens ... More

INCOME TAX

Dollars by wire for working from home
I AM employed by an American company and I work from my residence in India. My employer pays me $1,200 per month and this is paid to me by wire transfer. Is this taxable? If yes, how do I file a return of ... More

Beyond five lakh

IPOS

SEBI GUIDE
FAQ on IPOs
There are two types of issues one where company and lead manager fix a price (called fixed price) and other, where the company and the lead manager stipulate a floor price or a price band and leave it to market forces to determine the final price ... More

RETAILING

Loyalty cards: Shopper's delight
SHOPPING, it turns out, is not always enjoyable, especially if you have a taste for big brands and fancy shopping malls. If you shun crowds and like to wander leisurely along aisles on a normal weekday, your purchases ... More

BOOKS

No single investment is right for everyone
IF you think that engaging a Big Four to advise you on money matters will cost a fortune, Ernst & Young has a solution. Its counsel, packaged as Personal Financial Planning Guide, and written by Martin Nissenbaum, Barbara J. Raasch and ... More

CARTOON