If TVK MLAs and ministers are perceived as clean, or demonstrably cleaner than their predecessors, the credibility dividend will be enormous. The voter will feel rewarded, points out Ramesh Menon.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'Every year we import approximately $70 billion worth of gold -- closer to $72 billion in 2025-2026, an all-time record.' 'There is no parallel for this anywhere in the world. And this love for gold will not disappear overnight.'
'As re-industrialisation gathers pace across regions like Asia, Europe and the US, a wide range of products and inputs will see demand.'
With duties at 15%, GST at 3%, and making charges running as high as 20% -- the gap between a smart purchase and a careless one can easily be Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 on every Rs 1 lakh invested. And most of that gap is entirely avoidable. Ramalingam Kalirajan explains the math.
'People become guided by emotions, fear of missing out, and greed. They tend to invest in booming sectors that may prove exceptionally expensive.' 'Typically, that represents the peak, and subsequently, they lose substantially.'
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
MFs offer scale, simplicity, liquidity, and tax efficiency, and are an excellent vehicle for disciplined SIP investing. PMS is better suited for larger portfolios with equity allocation of Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore.
'Trading without strict position sizing, stop-loss discipline, or a clear exit plan almost guarantees losses.' 'Chasing tips, reacting to intraday noise, or assuming frequent trading improves outcomes are equally damaging habits.'
Do not exit in panic or buy falling stocks without reassessing fundamentals; instead, build a watchlist and invest gradually with a disciplined, long-term approach.
Investors with a 6 to 12 month horizon may consider them. They should align their holding period with the fund's maturity profile and prefer schemes with a lower expense ratio.
Indian hotel companies are experiencing a sharp correction in share prices due to the Iran war and broader geopolitical tensions, leading analysts to cut operating profit expectations and valuations, despite structurally positive medium-term prospects.
Companies in the lower mcap deciles have recorded the fastest growth in median mcap.
'New investors should enter gradually and stay cautious.' 'Silver is a structural multi-year story, but timing matters in a high-volatility metal.'
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Investors encountering underperformance must be patient.
'They are a poor fit for anyone with near-term goals, low volatility tolerance, or a need for steady income or liquidity.' 'First-time investors should typically avoid them.'
'Except for extremely conservative investors, others can consider allocating 10 to 20 per cent of their portfolio to small caps.'
Largecap equity funds remain suitable for conservative and moderate risk-taking investors seeking relatively stable returns.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
With domestic markets turning choppy, investors are increasingly scouting for opportunities overseas to diversify portfolios and hedge against a weakening rupee.
'We operate in an economy that is structurally positioned for long-term growth. As market levels rise over time, our AUM grows in line.'
Deep-tech now forms over half of VC portfolios in India as firms like Cornerstone, Unicorn India Ventures and All in Capital back startups combining research with scalable models
From a modest salary to Rs 1 crore, here's Ramalingam Kalirajan's smart compounding blueprint for young earners
Retiring at 50 is not unrealistic. It simply requires: Discipline + Long-Term Vision + Compounding
A retired school teacher in Kanpur was allegedly defrauded of Rs 1.57 crore (approximately 150,000) in a sophisticated cyber scam involving impersonations of Mark Zuckerberg and associates of Elon Musk.
New investors or those with lower-than-planned exposure should add US-oriented funds through SIPs.
Flexicap fund performance depends heavily on the fund manager's decisions.
This marks a rebound after more than two years of underperformance during a strong rally in smallcap stocks.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
The highlight in January, with no surprise, has been flows into gold and silver ETFs.
'They are positioned as defensive products and can potentially give marginally higher returns than liquid funds.'
Sebi Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey announced intensified surveillance and technology-driven enforcement to combat pre-investment scams targeting retail investors, who are increasingly being lured by fake trading apps and promises of high returns.
The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the automobile sector has created market distortions, excluded innovation-led electric two-wheeler (e2w) makers, and failed to convert cost advantages into export competitiveness, with 77 per cent of export volumes driven by non-PLI models, said a report released by the Centre for Domestic Economy Policy Research (C-DEP) on Friday.
Here's what Indian investors diversifying into equities, ETFs, and real estate abroad to manage risk, returns, and currency exposure must watch out for.
Among its 27 recommendations for the Union Budget is this: It has suggested that equity investments held for more than one year and up to three years should be taxed at 12.5 per cent on gains exceeding 2 lakh in a financial year.
'Investing in these funds makes sense if their net yield over better-quality funds -- corporate bond funds or banking and PSU funds -- is meaningful.'
10 stocks from the Nifty 200 index that offer good growth potential and scope to deliver decent returns from current levels, based on brokerage estimates.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will let Category-I and-II alternative investment funds (AIFs) run a dedicated "co-investment" (CIV) scheme for accredited investors, doing away with an earlier requirement of a separate portfolio-manager licence. The rules notified on Monday are aimed at reducing compliance burden for the AIF managers.
'Multi-asset funds have cornered 30 per cent of hybrid fund inflows in 2025, reflecting a growing preference for diversified portfolios that combine equity, debt and commodities.'
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