The Hindu Business Line : Sunday, February 12, 2006

Investment quiz
1. He is considered to have pioneered low-cost air travel, when he launched his Skytrain service connecting London and New York in 1977. Though his airline shut shop five years later, the low-cost model has been around ever since. He died ... More

OPEN OFFERS

FCI OEN Connectors: Reject
FIDJI Luxco is making an open offer to acquire 20 per cent stake in FCI OEN Connectors at Rs 405 per share. The offer is pursuant to the acquisition of the connectors business by Fidji Luxco from the Areva Group, ... More

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

STD calls for Re 1 from March 1
BSNL and MTNL have announced the new One India tariff plan, dropping STD rates by as much as 50 per cent for 35 million fixed line users and 15 million cellular subscribers. The new plan will enable users make STD calls at Re 1 a minute to ... More

AIRLINES

BA offers special London return fares at Rs 14,500
BRITISH Airways (BA) has announced a discounted return airfare of Rs 14,500 for travel from Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai to London. Passengers can extend their journey to any other destination in the UK and to Munich or Frankfurt on paying Rs 3,000 ... More

IA announces special fares
Indian Airlines has announced yet another special fare for travel in the domestic sectors. Called `Unchecked Fares', the new scheme is valid on 146 sectors for a limited number of seats. The offer closes on April 30. The new scheme offers ... More

AUTOMOBILES

Budget expectations — Looking for excise breaks
THE Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, had dangled the carrot of an 8 per cent cut in excise duty for passenger vehicles last year, but did not deliver it as part of his Budget for 2005-06. For the automobile ... More

INSIGHT

Sensex at 10K: Strength beyond numbers
SENSEX 10,000, Nifty 3000. As the indices crossed these milestones, investors had much to cheer about. For the Sensex, 10,000 has been a long-coveted number. At this level, had you owned the Sensex basket for the ... More

Shocks and surprises: A take on Q3 earnings
Earnings of companies that account for 90 per cent of market capitalisation either equalled or surpassed expectations built into stock prices. Valuation levels are rich. The earnings performance does, however, make a case for staying invested in equi ties. More

Temper optimism with caution
In the short run, the stock market is a voting machine; in the long run, it is a weighing machine. — Benjamin Graham, the legendary US investor, considered the father of security analysis AMONG ... More

Ambanis...
... The argument continues
IT WAS, in retrospect, a short-lived truce. The settlement reached between the Ambani brothers in June last year was expected to put a full-stop to their dispute, but it was a mere comma. Here were the two brothers, both ambitious, eager to ... More

MUTUAL FUNDS

HDFC Equity: Invest
INVESTMENTS in HDFC Equity can be considered with a considerably long-term perspective. This fund's aggressive strategy is not suitable for an investor with a holding period of less than three years, especially given ... More

Kotak-30: Invest
EXPOSURES may be considered in Kotak-30, as the fund's performance remains impressive and it is showing a higher degree of consistency than a few years ago. The sector and stock preferences appear well positioned to ... More

Reliance Growth: Invest
HAVING scaled new highs, the market is expected to be volatile and a correction is seen as overdue. Investing in funds may be a safer option for those who want to restrict the possible downside risk. A diversified fund ... More

SEBI GUIDE
Investment avenues
Investments in securities are spread across a wide cross-section of industries and sectors and thus the risk is reduced. More

Moderate expectations
WHAT does Sensex 10000 mean for investing in equities? Though a milestone, it is just a number; investors should treat it as just that and nothing more. We remain bullish on the long-term prospects. At this stage of ... More

Emerging S.T.A.R.
PRUICICI Emerging S.T.A.R (Stock Targeted At Returns) is an open-ended equity fund that aims at capital appreciation by investing in diversified mid-cap stocks. We take a look at how the fund managed its portfolio over ... More

FUND TALK
Do dividends increase returns?
One of your columns made the point that whether you buy into a fund with a high NAV or one with a low NAV cannot make a material difference to returns. I have a query on this. Suppose I invested Rs 10,000 in two funds — one with an NAV ... More

STOCKS

CCL Products: Buy
INVESTORS can consider taking exposure in the CCL Products stock (Rs 465), which trades at about 16 times its trailing 12-month earnings. Commencement of operations at its freeze-dried plant offers potential for revenue and earnings growth. ... More

Grasim: Buy
GRASIM (Rs 1,575) appears to be an attractive investment option in the large-cap space. Investors can buy this stock with a one to two-year perspective. Its cement business appears poised for robust growth, as there is better pricing power across ... More

Precot Mills: Hold
AT Rs 310, the Precot Mills stock trades at about 11 times its trailing four quarters' per-share earnings. The Coimbatore-based yarn maker has benefited from rock-bottom cotton prices over the past year, as have most of its peers. Prices of ... More

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Query Corner
Should I hold or exit from NDTV bought at Rs 241? — K.N.R. Narendra Babu NDTV (Rs 214.1): The outlook is bullish and the stock could move to Rs 245-250 shortly. This view would be invalidated on a close below Rs 199. Fresh ... More

Identifying price targets
Based on your recommendation, I purchased Sesa Goa and Gujarat NRE Coke. Though you had mentioned the target price of Rs 1,200-1,250 for Sesa Goa and Rs 112-120 for Gujarat NRE, the probable time period within which it would be achieved is not ... More

Firm undertone in pivotal stocks
SBI (Rs 880): Contrary to the expected bearish trend, the stock ruled firm and closed right at the positive trigger level of Rs 880. The failure to move down and the subsequent rally towards the positive trigger level have negated the ... More

Outlook for Nifty is positive
Preferred view: After having crossed the psychological 3000-point mark in the earlier week, the Nifty managed to consolidate and hold above this level during the week gone by. It is positive to notice that the index managed to hold ... More

Focus of the week
Gateway Distripark (Rs 250.5): After touching a high of Rs 301.5 in mid-November, the stock went into a corrective phase that appears to have been completed at the recent low of Rs 212. The subsequent price action from this low ... More

CARS

`S' is for Merc standard
MERCEDES-BENZ has always been known as a manufacturer of cars that epitomise quality, luxury, safety and cutting-edge technology. But not all its cars have been known to offer exciting design that are representative of ... More

Offers on Innova
Toyota Kirloskar Motor has come out with a new offer on the Innova. Toyota has done away with the options of lower interest rate and zero down payment. Customers would now have to pay an EMI as low as Rs 9,999 over a five-year period with a down ... More

Laura saloon from Skoda
Skoda Auto has announced the launch of a manual transmission version of the Laura saloon, which was launched with an automatic gearbox in December. The car is priced at Rs 15.65 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai), about Rs 1 lakh lower than the ... More

Discounts on Tata cars
Tata Motors along with ICICI Bank has come out with offers at select dealerships. The company is offering a discount of Rs 31,000 on the Indica and Rs 22,000 on the car's turbo version. The offer also includes discounts of Rs 35,000 on the ... More

Ford tinkers Ikon's trim
Ford India has come out with a slightly different trim set for the Ikon Flair. The car features a new-look gear-knob and steering wheel and fog lamps, which were not available in some of its earlier versions. ... More

TWO/THREE WHEELERS

Tech push for Kinetic
TWO-WHEELER maker Kinetic Motor Company, which has seen its market share plummet, could receive a boost to its scooters portfolio after the new tie-up with Sanyang Industry Co. (SYM) of Taiwan. The alliance, finalised ... More

ECONOMICS

Economics of desire
THERE are three ways to get things done. You can do it yourself or hire somebody to do it for you. Or of course, you can forbid your kids from doing it! Adults also display this childlike tendency to do something when ... More

DERIVATIVES MARKETS

Options guide
Call option: A call option gives the buyer `the right but not the obligation' to buy the stock at a specified price on a future date. Put option: A put option gives the buyer `the right but not the obligation' to sell a stock ... More

INTERVIEW

`I see a big shift to online transactions' — Mr Prasanth Prabhakaran, Sr. Vice-President, kotaksecurities.com
It is our reach that has contributed to the growth numbers. We decided that rather than look at client addition numbers we would specifically target serious investors for our online trading initiative. This has made us quite profitable in this busine ss. More

INCOME TAX

Headed for new pastures
I AM a senior citizen. If I purchase agricultural land will it be possible for me to claim the stamp duty and registration charges as a deduction under Section 80C? If the agricultural land is gifted to my grand ... More

Relief for relief
IN TAMIL Nadu after the recent floods the State Government allowed flood relief ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. This has been received in some cases even by professionals, Government servants etc. Will this sum be taxable in the hands of ... More

IPOS

Pratibha Industries: Invest at cut-off
A different profile in the infrastructure space, strong order-book, attractive operating margins and a steady growth in revenues provide scope for earnings growth. More

Indo Tech Transformers: Invest
STEADY growth in revenues, imminent benefits from key reforms in the power sector and sound customer base lend optimism to the growth prospects of Indo Tech Transformers. On line are expansion plans that should ramp ... More

PUBLIC OFFER

South Indian Bank: Invest at cut-off
INVESTMENTS in the seasoned offer of South Indian Bank can be considered. The stock is being offered to the public, and also trades in the secondary market, at a considerable discount to its book value. Among the ... More

Union Bank of India: Invest at cut-off
AN INVESTMENT can be considered in the public issue of Union Bank of India. Robust growth in business, strong financials, a well-diversified loan portfolio with headroom in retail lending, and a well-hedged investment ... More

BOOKS

On how to become richer and happier
BORN `with cerebral palsy and hemiplegia, acute paralysis of left arm and leg', as son of `a labourer and a domestic cleaner', and offered at the age of six `a place for life in a residential home for the seriously mentally or physically ... More

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Sensex at 10K: Strength beyond numbers

Temper optimism with caution

Outlook for Nifty is positive

Shocks and surprises: A take on Q3 earnings

`S' is for Merc standard

In Focus

Infrastructure woes stare IT sector