All investors should ideally have a 10 to 15 per cent allocation to gold. Whether they invest in gold ETFs or SGBs should depend on their investment horizon.
Do not keep a large portion of your long-term portfolio in FDs.
Regardless of market levels, invest in stocks and equity mutual funds in a staggered manner.
Despite similar tax treatment, debt MFs enjoy certain advantages over FDs.
The cash pile within smallcap mutual fund (MF) schemes has grown over the past few months amid a relentless rally in stocks in this space. While fund managers usually don't make cash calls, incessant inflows and valuation discomfort have forced their hand. At the end of January, the top 10 schemes had over Rs 12,160 crore in cash, compared to Rs 8,700 crore in August 2023.
'Increasingly, they treat gold as a financial asset in their portfolio rather than just as jewellery.'
rediffGURU Jinal Mehta answers readers' financial planning and health insurance queries
'If rate cuts happen, bond yields will come down and investors will make mark-to-market capital gains on them.'
A portfolio can be rebalanced by either selling a portion of the outperforming asset class or by buying more of the underperforming asset class.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Do you have financial planning or income tax queries? Ask rediffGURU Anil Rego.
If investing in Bitcoin, adopt a three to five-year horizon and invest systematically to gain from its volatility.
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.
Post the change in debt fund taxation in March, a lesser-known hybrid fund has emerged as one of the alternatives for fixed-income investors. Equity savings schemes, the smallest hybrid fund category in terms of assets, have raked in around Rs 6,000 crore this financial year (FY24) so far compared to Rs 1,100-crore outflow in FY23. The inflows along with a strong performance led to a 50 per cent surge in assets under management (AUM) to Rs 24,100 crore during April-November, shows data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
'In phases when smaller stocks do well, an equal-weight index performs better than its market cap-weighted peer.'
These super-rich Indians intend to reside in their chosen host country permanently while retaining their Indian citizenship.
Equity mutual fund (MF) schemes were flush with cash at the start of this month, even as fresh investments shrank in February. As of February 28, equity schemes from the top 20 fund houses held 6.8 per cent of their portfolios in cash, up from 6.1 per cent in January and 5.9 per cent in December 2024, according to a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
When evaluating bonds, returns shouldn't be the sole factor. Pay close attention to the bond's credit rating. It should ideally be AA or higher.
Many affluent young people are first-generation wealthy. They have limited financial literacy, lack quality financial guidance or role models, and often fall prey to mis-selling. This makes them hesitant to invest in high-return assets like equities.
If you fail to make the lump sum deposit before April 5, do so at least before the 5th of the next month (May). That way you will only lose out on the interest for April.
Nikunj Saraf, Vice President Choice Wealth, answers your queries.
'Exposure to small and midcap stocks exceeded desired levels in many portfolios, prompting rebalancing.'
Education loan growth is set to halve this fiscal (FY26) because disbursements for the US decelerate following a raft of policy changes there.
rediffGURU Vivek Lala answers your income tax and personal finance queries.
Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL) has been the best-performing auto stock over the last three months, gaining over 17 per cent during this period. Multiple tailwinds, especially on the rural front, are expected to boost its volumes. In addition to the demand drivers, new launches too should help drive growth both in the commuter and premium motorcycle categories.
Stopping SIPs during a downturn undermines the benefit of rupee-cost averaging.
'Investors' decisions should reflect their financial goals, risk tolerance, and the amount of gold already present in their portfolio.'
The news of Bengaluru-based IMA cheating thousands once again underlines the need for investors to steer clear of unregulated deposit schemes. The most important sign of a Ponzi scheme is the promise of exorbitant returns and so investors must ask how the promoter expects to earn the kind of return he is promising, says Sanjay Kumar Singh.
rediffGURU Ramalingam Kalirajan answers your personal finance queries.
'Many do not have robust business models, and their prospects of survival and long-term growth are poor.'
Ulhas Joshi, Head -- Sales, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
rediffGURU Dev Ashish answers your personal finance and mutual fund queries.
Investors should avoid making drastic changes to their asset allocation during a market correction.
'The barbell strategy says that the best way to strike a balance between risk and reward is to invest at the extremes of the risk spectrum.'
French energy giant TotalEnergies SE on Monday said it will make no new financial contribution as part of its investments in Adani group companies till the Indian firm's founder is cleared of bribery charges. The energy giant said it was not aware of the investigation into the alleged corruption. TotalEnergies is one of the biggest foreign investors in billionaire Gautam Adani's business empire and had previously taken stakes in the group's renewable energy venture Adani Green Energy Ltd (AEGL) and city gas unit Adani Total Gas Ltd (ATGL).
'If gold's recent surge has increased its allocation beyond 15 per cent in your portfolio, now may be a good time to rebalance.'
rediffGURU Dev Ashish answers your personal finance and mutual fund queries.
After falling 17 per cent since the start of the year to its March lows, the stock of the country's largest pharmaceutical (pharma) company, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, has clawed back nearly half of those losses. Recent acquisitions, a favourable court ruling in the case of the hair loss drug Leqselvi, an edge over peers owing to its specialty portfolio, and a diversified global presence have supported the recovery.
'Understand your financial goals. Next, categorise them by size. Then evaluate your investment options.'
In a move to deepen manufacturing in electronics in India, the Centre is targeting 35-40 per cent value-addition through the yet-to-be launched production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for electronics components, sources in the government
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