After a stellar 2023, the mutual fund industry sustained its growth momentum in 2024 with an impressive Rs 17 lakh crore surge in assets, driven by buoyant equity markets, robust economic growth, and increasing investor participation. Experts are predicting the positive trend will extend into 2025.
Given the prevailing uncertainties, investors must maintain a 10-15 per cent allocation to gold in 2023.
Standard gold and ornaments dropped by Rs 500 each at Rs 11,950 and Rs 11,700 per 10 gram respectively. Sovereign fell by Rs 50 at Rs 10,450 per piece of eight gram.
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Despite its recent underperformance, gold must be a part of your portfolio.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Those interested in investing in gold have shifted to instruments, such as sovereign gold bonds and gold ETFs. Many others are, in fact, selling gold or using it as collateral to generate short-term liquidity.
Invest with a 5 to 7 year horizon so that you are able to ride out price volatility and benefit from the long-term trends of demand and macroeconomic shifts.
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While players like Paytm, MobiKwik, and PhonePe allow you to buy gold for Rs 1, Amazon Pay has kept the minimum amount at Rs 5. Digital gold is essentially an avenue for investing in physical gold.
India's foreign exchange reserves fell for the fourth consecutive week after reaching an all-time high last month. In the week ending October 25, the forex reserves declined by $3.46 billion to $684.80 billion, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday. In the three preceding weeks, reserves dropped by $3.7 billion, $10.7 billion, and $2.16 billion, respectively, the data showed.
Gold demand in India -- one of most avid purchasers -- is interwoven with culture, tradition, the desire for beauty and the desire for financial protection.
'When the gold price rises rapidly, India's physical gold market remains on standby.'
The sharp jump in shares of Kalyan Jewellers (Kalyan) has surprised many on the Street; however, analysts believe more steam could be left in the stock as the Thrissur-based gold retailer pivots to a new asset-light network expansion model. Kalyan's stock has surged 62 per cent in the past month, even as the S&P BSE SmallCap Index has gained just 5 per cent. In its latest business update, the company said its consolidated sales grew more than consensus expectations at 31 per cent year-on-year, led by strong domestic sales regardless of the volatility in gold prices.
From the outcome of the general elections and then Union Budget to tepid corporate earnings in the September 2024 quarter (Q2-FY25), sticky inflation and Reserve Bank of India's stance on interest rates, extreme weather conditions, Indian stock markets have braved it all in calendar year 2024.
The RBI has changed the way it approached supervision in the past. Having seen a couple of collapses in the NBFC sector and the near-collapse of a few banks, it is focusing on regular drills to prevent a fire from breaking out, explains Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Invest in MFs for liquidity and choice of funds. Invest in NPS for the tax benefits, tax-free rebalancing, and for earmarked savings for retirement.
'Avoid going overweight on gold. But maintain a 10 per cent allocation via sovereign gold bonds,' Bajaj Capital MD Sanjiv Bajaj tells Sarbajeet K Sen.
rediffGURU Samkit Maniar answers readers' personal income tax queries.
Investment consulting firm Millwood Kane International said on Tuesday that investments in gold gave gains of nearly 28 per cent in rupee terms during 2020 and will remain in focus for investors in the coming year. "The yellow metal has had a phenomenal year with gains of nearly 28 per cent in rupee terms. "After a double-digit gain in 2019, this will be the second year in a row that gold will be posting a stellar rise," said founder and CEO Nish Bhatt.
Banks and friendly neighbourhood jewellers can serve as good channels to provide liquidity for gold deposits with built-in incentives for them, suggests Harsh Roongta.
'You should always maintain an allocation to gold as it has the ability to counterbalance any correction in the equity market.'
'...you evaluate three key factors before committing your money.'
Given the economic trends, it might make sense to allocate some savings to gold.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'In the case of corporate credit, especially to AAA borrowers, lenders will have to take a fresh look at pricing.'
Thomas Bach on Friday said he has a "certain understanding" for Vinesh Phogat but also wondered where would one draw the line after allowing small concessions in certain situations.
It plans to use it as collateral, along with forex reserves, to print currency.
'Investors with as little as Rs 1 can start investing in digital gold.'
'Gold could benefit from the resulting risk aversion, as happened last year.'
Concerned over household savings moving towards alternative investment avenues, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday asked banks to mobilise deposits through innovative products and services by leveraging their vast branch network. "Banks are taking greater recourse to short-term non-retail deposits and other instruments of liability to meet the incremental credit demand. "This, as I emphasised elsewhere, may potentially expose the banking system to structural liquidity issues," he said.
Equity debt, gold - these all are terms you may have heard of when reading on funds but not quite sure where to start with or which one most suits your needs.
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Gold companies have started reducing production. This implies that gold prices will not go on a free fall anytime soon
'There is a misconception that gold is a dead asset in India.' 'Around 30 per cent of agriculture loans are collateralised by gold, Soumya Kanti Ghosh and Saket Hishikar, economists at the SBI, point out.
rediffGURU Jinal Mehta answers readers' financial planning and health insurance queries
Investors may take a 5 to 10 per cent exposure to silver. 'Have a long-term investment horizon when investing in silver ETFs to ride out short-term market fluctuations.'
India's foreign exchange reserves declined in the week that ended on April 12, after having risen for the seventh straight week to hit an all-time high of $648.56 billion. As per the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country's foreign exchange kitty declined by $5.40 billion to $643.16 billion in the April 12 week. India's foreign currency assets (FCA), the biggest component of the forex reserves, declined by $6.51 billion to $564.65 billion, the central bank's weekly statistical data showed.
'Returns can be very variable in equity markets.' 'That is why I tell small investors don't put 100 per cent of your money in equities, even if you are young.'
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