The State Bank of India said on Monday it would launch a gold exchange traded fund in 2008. "We are examining this product in our mutual fund company and we are hopeful we should be able to come out with an ETF next year," O P Bhatt, SBI chairman said at a conference in Mumbai.
According to the report, benchmark gold ETFs have increased to 2.03 tonnes in May from 1.5 tonnes in the corresponding period last year. Whereas gold ETFs at UTI, Reliance Capital and Kotak remained at 1.32 tonnes, 1.23 tonnes and 0.34 tonnes respectively during May period, it said.
Sources said many individual investors were interested in applying for the NFO, due to additional benefits being offered such as upfront discounts and loyalty bonuses.
Experts say the worst is over for the global economic markets but the markets don't seem to fully agree as they still fluctuate and remain unpredictable.
'It is the best avenue for investors who would like to take long-term exposure to gold.'
According to a report by mutual fund tracker Morningstar, India-focused offshore funds and ETFs had witnessed a cumulative net outflow of $1.8 billion during 2012 as against a net withdrawal of $5.4 billion in 2011.
Demand for investment instruments is expected to be more than jewellery.
To help mobilise idle gold in households.
This was the second consecutive yearly outflow from such funds.
The total traded value of gold ETF on the NSE stood at a record value of Rs 1,337 crore, while the BSE recorded a turnover of Rs 894.55 crore.
Provision to invest in gold deposit schemes introduces credit risk to such funds
India's gold demand rose 8 per cent annually to 136.6 tonne in the March quarter helped by a strong economic environment despite prices touching historic highs, according to the World Gold Council. The aggressive gold buying by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also contributed to the rise in demand. India's gold demand in value terms rose 20 per cent on an annual basis to Rs 75,470 crore during the January-March period of this year on volume growth as well as a rise in quarterly average prices by 11 per cent.
They help diversify portfolio and are less risky.
'Investing abroad helps mitigate currency risk for foreign-currency denominated goals, such as children's higher education and international travel.'
In 2013-14, the funds witnessed outflow of Rs 2,293 crore
In May, MFs were the net sellers in several PSUs, as they deployed Rs 47,600 crore in equities during the month.
India has over 19 million cryptocurrency investors out of which nearly nine per cent are women, data from a report by cryptocurrency exchange platform CoinSwitch showed. Nearly 75 per cent of cryptocurrency investors belong to a young demographic, with ages spanning from 18 to 35 years, the report noted. This represents a significant interest in crypto among young users.
The government has also built in mechanism to protect investors from price fluctuation.
Last week, gold achieved a new peak at Rs 16,100 per 10 grams, after the precious metal in the overseas markets surged to $1,003 an ounce to a six-month high as a weaker dollar boost its appeal as an alternative investment. With most of the asset classes giving positive returns, investment demand for gold is rising, she said, adding, there has been a net inflow of about Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million) in the last three months (June-August).
The trend is expected to continue for a couple of months. But that hardly moves investors. Confusion, lack of knowledge and unpredictability are some reasons for gold ETF not pickling up as an investment option in India, market pundits say. The idea of gold ETF was first officially conceptualized by Benchmark Asset Management Company in India when it filed a proposal with the SEBI in May 2002.
A portfolio can be rebalanced by either selling a portion of the outperforming asset class or by buying more of the underperforming asset class.
'Gold prices thrive on volatility and more so when the stock markets trend downward.'
'It makes sense to have gold in one's portfolio keeping the political and economic risks of 2024 in mind.'
A strong appetite for gold on Friday's Dhanteras is expected this year due to auspicious reasons and geopolitical concerns, continuing the 2022 trend driven by pent-up COVID demand. Compared to last year's Dhanteras, gold prices have jumped 22 per cent and silver prices by 21 per cent, respectively. "Gold and silver are good for portfolio diversification, especially in times of geopolitical turbulence.
Now that the gold exchange traded funds (GETFs) are being sold in the market, let's look at a few things to understand them better.
The Indian equity markets have significantly increased in importance within the emerging market (EM) basket of stocks in recent years. Since 2018, India's weighting in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) EM Index - tracked by passive funds with assets of nearly $500 billion - has doubled, while the number of domestic stocks has grown by almost 70 per cent.
Investors globally have found solace in gold in the last one year when major world economies slipped into recession. Sample this: According to World Gold Council data, investment by exchange traded funds in gold was 150 tonnes in the third quarter
The newest entrant to the Rs 46-trillion mutual fund (MF) space - Zerodha - plans to focus strictly on the low-cost passive segment and offer its products solely through the commission-free digital route, as it aims to replicate its broking success in the MF space. "We will offer an array of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds that would help investors take varied exposures and build portfolios based on their financial needs and risk tolerance. "Zerodha Fund House (FH) products will be exclusively distributed online and available as direct plans to engage directly with individual investors and consumers, taking advantage of the pronounced shift from physical to digital interactions," said Vishal Jain, chief executive officer, Zerodha FH.
Gold prices have been on an uptrend in the last few months, rising nearly 28 per cent to $2387 per ounce now. This rise in gold price, according to Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, is attributed to the demand from China amid lack of investor euphoria as regards the yellow metal. "Recent developments show a distinct lack of investor euphoria as regards gold, the question remains what is driving the current rally.
After Bandhan MF's US Treasury Bond 0-1 year Fund of Fund (FoF), Aditya Birla Sun Life (ABSL) MF has come out with US Treasury 1-3 Year Bond ETFs FoF and 3-10 Year Bond ETFs FoF. US bonds, which generally offer low yields, have turned attractive post the 525-basis point hike in US interest rates. According to Bloomberg data, the 1-year and 2-year US treasury yields now stand at 5.4 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively. Although the yields remain lower than what Indian government bonds offer, the differential has come down steeply.
'Like every Budget, this time, too, there is chatter around tinkering with the long-term capital gains tax.' 'Investors may not want to jump into the markets until there is clarity on this front.'
Rediff.com spoke to registered investment advisors to figure out how best the extra Rs 17,500 saved ever year can be invested to create a decent corpus in the years ahead. This is what they said.
rediffGURU and financial planning expert Colonel Sanjeev Govila (retd) answers your personal finance-related questions.
Earlier, the RBI had imposed similar restrictions on commercial banks and NBFCs.
The net inflow in equity mutual funds plunged 76 per cent to Rs 2,258 crore in November over the preceding month amid a sharp up move in the stock market that made investors wary of higher valuation. This also marks the 21st straight month of inflows into equity schemes. Overall, the mutual fund industry registered net inflows of Rs 13,263 crore in November, slightly lower from Rs 14,045 crore seen in the previous month, data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) showed on Friday.
FMPs remain an option for investors who believe interest rates could head downward over time and wish to lock in the current rates. TMFs have very low expense ratios, which makes them cost-efficient.
rediffGURU Dev Ashish answers your personal finance and mutual fund queries.
In 2022, gold emerged as the top performer among all conventional asset classes with over 14 per cent returns mainly owing to the depreciation of the rupee.
The rally in silver may continue if the global economic recovery remains on course.
An allocation to ESG theme funds can bring down the overall risk of an equity portfolio. Investors with long-term financial goals, such as retirement, should not ignore sustainable investing.
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