Joydeep Ghosh &Amp; Shivani Shinde In Mumbai

Stories by Joydeep Ghosh &Amp; Shivani Shinde In Mumbai

Gold equity funds lag behind

Gold equity funds lag behind

Rediff.com   4 Aug 2008

While gold index funds have returned almost 10 per cent over the last three months, gold equity funds (investing in mining companies) have not given good returns in the last few months. At present, there are two gold funds, DSPML World Gold Fund and AIG World Gold Fund

IT firms shift focus to smaller clients

IT firms shift focus to smaller clients

Rediff.com   4 Aug 2008

Indian IT firms have started mining smaller clients with more fervour given that the revenue accruring from their top clients has been declining due to the US slowdown and the sub-prime crisis. Consider this. Revenue accruing from the top clients of the five leading IT firms by revenue - Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Technologies, Wipro Technologies, Satyam Computer Services and HCL Technologies - dropped by anywhere between 0.2 per cent and 4 per cent

Retail loan rates come a full circle

Retail loan rates come a full circle

Rediff.com   30 Jul 2008

Stock market investors and potential home buyers may not remember the years 1998 and 2008 too fondly.

Car loan? Have you signed a 'surrender letter'?

Car loan? Have you signed a 'surrender letter'?

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2008

Among the many documents that you sign when you take a car loan could also be a 'surrender letter' -- a document that declared you a defaulter even before the loan is sanctioned.

Global funds shine amid market chaos

Global funds shine amid market chaos

Rediff.com   25 Jul 2008

In January this year, the stock market started falling. In the following six months, it has lost over 30 per cent. The data on open-ended equity funds show that only a small cluster has managed to wriggle out with very little loss (See table). From a thematic point of view, only global funds have given returns.

Equity-linked FMPs too complex for retailers

Equity-linked FMPs too complex for retailers

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2008

This product was first introduced by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund (ICICI Prudential FMP Series 33) and Deutsche Mutual Fund in February. Recently, Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund has also floated a similar fund. The Nifty return, multiplied by the participation ratio (that is pre-decided by the fund) is the final returns. In Aviator, the participation ratio is 140-145 per cent, leading to returns of 43.14-44.5 per cent in our given example.

Virtual data centres save power, realty costs

Virtual data centres save power, realty costs

Rediff.com   17 Jul 2008

Research firm IDC India estimates the share of virtualised servers in the industry to double from the current 22 per cent to 45 per cent by the year-end.

Paid mobile entertainment losing steam

Paid mobile entertainment losing steam

Rediff.com   10 Jul 2008

Consider this. Leading broadcaster Star India's mobile interactive division, Star Mobile Entertainment -- which made some serious headway in the space by launching a service whereby mobile users could opt to view soaps from across Star India's network -- recently reviewed its operational strategy.

Rupee fall may not help IT companies in Q1

Rupee fall may not help IT companies in Q1

Rediff.com   8 Jul 2008

Mark-to-market losses due to the unexpected fall of the rupee against the US dollar, euro and pound; the impact of wage increases in the first quarter; a stagnant global economy; and margin pressure owing to inflation are expected to impact the rupee-term fortunes of Indian IT firms that will declare their quarterly results for the April-June 30 quarter beginning this week.

Here's some relief for home loan customers

Here's some relief for home loan customers

Rediff.com   4 Jul 2008

With rising interest rates and inflation taking a toll on home loan customers, banks are beginning to encourage them to partly prepay their loans. Many of them are doing so without charging them prepayment penalty.

Mobile users may be 'vishing' for trouble

Mobile users may be 'vishing' for trouble

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2008

Welcome to the world of Vishing or voice phishing, wherein hackers are using a combination of voice over internet protocol, SMSs and the internet to fool and redirect users into dialling a phone number and collect critical information for financial gain. In Kolaskar's case, both mobile spam and vishing were used.

How are SIPs taxed? Here's help

How are SIPs taxed? Here's help

Rediff.com   23 Jun 2008

Investors in SIPs should be especially careful because the taxation is done according to the first-in-first-out basis

TCS sees synergy in Gen X tools

TCS sees synergy in Gen X tools

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2008

A team of engineers at India's largest IT services provider firm. Tata Consultancy Services, was working on a project for an important client. While it was co-ordinating work from three geographical units - Europe, South America and India - it was finding it difficult to collaborate through telephone or other voice means as there were language and pronunciation hurdles.

VMIL stake: Merrill, Lehman among 4 firms in race

VMIL stake: Merrill, Lehman among 4 firms in race

Rediff.com   13 Jun 2008

VMIL officials declined to comment on the development. According to sources close to the development, VMIL will sell stake to raise money for expanding Hungama, the content and mobile services arm. The Mumbai-based company has already held two to three rounds of meetings with these private equity investors. The company's valuation has been pegged at Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion). The funds raised would be used for Hungama's expansion.

Don't exit SIPs in a falling market

Don't exit SIPs in a falling market

Rediff.com   11 Jun 2008

When the NAV falls, you are going to get more units of the fund. That means when the market turns around, you will get much more returns

Aegis eyes Philippine BPO

Aegis eyes Philippine BPO

Rediff.com   3 Jun 2008

Aegis BPO Services, an Essar Group business process outsourcing (BPO) company, is close to acquiring an 8,000-seater BPO firm in the Philippines. The exact size of the deal is not clear.Aegis has been bullish on inorganic growth as its races to reach a turnover of $500 million (around Rs 2,000 crore) by 2010.

Firstsource suitors eye Temasek's holding

Firstsource suitors eye Temasek's holding

Rediff.com   28 May 2008

US-based buyout fund Carlyle, Providence Equity Partners, Warburg Pincus and Blackstone are understood to be exploring a buyout of Temasek's holding in Mumbai-based pure-play business process outsourcing firm Firstsource. The news triggered the company's share price to rise 6.76 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to close at Rs 43.45 on Tuesday. Warburg Pincus has a stake in WNS, a BPO company, while Blackstone has a majority stake in Intelenet.

BPOs design in-house curricula to train staff

BPOs design in-house curricula to train staff

Rediff.com   24 May 2008

The broad idea is to help freshers and high-potential employees develop soft skills not generally taught at universities, and simultaneously increase retention rates in an industry that has attrition rates between 30 and 50 per cent. The industry, according to Nasscom estimates, accounts for almost $11 billion and employs slightly over 700,000 professionals (in terms of direct employment).

Valuation, low payout hit reverse mortgage

Valuation, low payout hit reverse mortgage

Rediff.com   22 May 2008

In the last couple of years, reverse mortgage (RM) has been touted aggressively as a product that will allow the elderly to unlock the value of their house. In fact, in the last two Union Budgets, the finance minister has made a special mention about it.

Reduced EMIs mean higher payouts

Reduced EMIs mean higher payouts

Rediff.com   16 May 2008

With ICICI Bank recently offering to reduce the equated monthly instalments of existing customers for high tenure loans, many may like to exercise this option because it would reduce their burden for the time being. Also, with the rise in the interest rates in the last couple of years, many have found their monthly EMIs rising by over 15 per cent.