Joydeep Ghosh &Amp; Abhijit Lele

Stories by Joydeep Ghosh &Amp; Abhijit Lele

Equity funds still the best

Equity funds still the best

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2008

The category average returns from equity-diversified funds has been 14.5 per cent a year over this period. Banking funds, which invest in banking and other financial sector companies, have given returns of 23.66 per cent. Other categories that have done well are fast moving consumer goods, tax planning and hybrid (equity-oriented) funds.

New finance catchphrase: Back to basics

New finance catchphrase: Back to basics

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2008

Gone are the days when banks would treat payment delays as part of life. Instead, they are taking measures to minimise chances of any kind of payment default by doing rigorous background checks.

RBI cautions banks over realty loans

RBI cautions banks over realty loans

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2008

Asks lenders to make sure that end use of advances to commercial real estate.

Bad loan sales hit rough patch

Bad loan sales hit rough patch

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2008

The slowdown coincides with rising loan defaults by retail customers and small enterprises, which have been hit by a steep rise in lending rates. The resource scarcity has changed the priority of investors. They want to remain liquid and not commit their funds to the long term.

Debt fund norms to be overhauled

Debt fund norms to be overhauled

Rediff.com   24 Nov 2008

The proposal to scrap 'indicative portfolios' has arisen because investors have sometimes found deviations of as much as 80 per cent between the indicative and actual portfolios. In some cases, the entire corpus has been invested in a single instrument. Sebi will also consider Amfi's suggestion of a 3 to 6 per cent exit load for FMPs, a minimum tenure of three months and a faster processing of redemption payouts,

Red tape may be cut for FIIs

Red tape may be cut for FIIs

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2008

Sebi likely to come out with a policy paper soon.

Jobs bloom at govt banks

Jobs bloom at govt banks

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2008

At this time of fear and apprehension over jobs, public sector banks are swimming against the tide to go on a hiring spree.

Dhanalakshmi Bank to raise staff strength

Dhanalakshmi Bank to raise staff strength

Rediff.com   15 Nov 2008

Kerala-based private sector lender Dhanalakshmi Bank plans to recruit close to 400 employees, almost one-third of its present strength, to build up the existing team to tap more business

Getting foreign study loan is not easy now

Getting foreign study loan is not easy now

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2008

Most banks are going slow on clearing such loan applications as the employment scenario has turned adverse due to the financial crisis faced by most companies.

FMPs: Upset with mutual funds, investors shy away

FMPs: Upset with mutual funds, investors shy away

Rediff.com   4 Nov 2008

Though the fund houses have garnered over Rs 1,500 billion from investors, only 8-10 would declare their monthly FMP portfolios till a few months ago. Instead, they gave 'indicative portfolios' and 'indicative returns' to the potential investor. This month, all fund houses declared the portfolios of their schemes because of the half-yearly results. And, to the horror of many investors, the real portfolios were 80-90 per cent different from the 'indicative portfolios.'

Realtors double broker commission

Realtors double broker commission

Rediff.com   29 Oct 2008

In upmarket areas like Bandra and Khar, the going brokerage is as high as 4 per cent

Liquid-plus funds see negative NAVs

Liquid-plus funds see negative NAVs

Rediff.com   15 Oct 2008

Last week was unprecedented in the history of the Indian mutual fund industry-- the net asset values (NAVs) of nearly a dozen liquid-plus funds fell.

ICICI Bank seeks to soothe nerves at today's meet

ICICI Bank seeks to soothe nerves at today's meet

Rediff.com   13 Oct 2008

It is mission damage control and ICICI Bank is pulling out all the stops. Weighed down by persistent rumours over its health, the bank's top management will meet senior employees on Monday to reassure them about their future.

Defaults threaten fixed maturity plans

Defaults threaten fixed maturity plans

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2008

Fixed maturity plans, which have garnered Rs 102,133 crore (Rs 1021.33 billion) of average assets under management, are facing the prospect of rising defaults on their investments in the real estate and non-banking financial companies. This implies that if there are redemption pressures from their corporate and retail clients, these FMPs would have to raise cash from other resources to meet the demand.

Banks unlikely to offer festival discounts

Banks unlikely to offer festival discounts

Rediff.com   1 Oct 2008

Prospective home buyers, who are looking forward to discounts this festival season, may be in for a rude shock. According to banking sources, most banks are unlikely to offer any discount.

Axe falls on short-term loans

Axe falls on short-term loans

Rediff.com   29 Sep 2008

Some banks decide not to roll over short-term loans; others will do it only at higher interest.

Finance firms bank on emails to calm fears

Finance firms bank on emails to calm fears

Rediff.com   24 Sep 2008

In times like these, when the financial industry is reeling under the pressure of scepticism, communication has become the most important tool for financial services providers. Hence the flood of emails to associates, employees and investors.

Cash-strapped banks knock RBI's doors

Cash-strapped banks knock RBI's doors

Rediff.com   23 Sep 2008

Bankers have suggested that the Reserve Bank of India lower the statutory liquidity ratio and the cash reserve ratio as the present liquidity crunch is affecting their business. During the mid-term resource management discussion with the RBI team led by Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan, the country's top bankers said the tight liquidity condition was pushing up the cost of funds and putting further pressure on margins.

RBI keeps close watch on LAF funds

RBI keeps close watch on LAF funds

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2008

The regulator wants to know if banks deploy the money to meet lending needs. Sources close to the development said that the central bank was checking if banks used the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) for raising resources to meet short-term lending needs or pay off high-cost bulk deposits. Bankers said the central bank might be worried that the steps taken by it so far had not eased the liquidity situation and that call rates remained high.

Four banks to bail out Lehman's India businesses

Four banks to bail out Lehman's India businesses

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2008

In a move to soften the blow of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy in the Indian stock and asset markets, four banks are set to take over its structured products businesses in India.