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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has opened a new window of opportunities for the Indian mutual fund industry by allowing online trading of MF units through stock exchanges. This move is intended to offer both investors and mutual fund houses a cost-effective and convenient way to trade in mutual funds. But this [...]

Bonanza year 2009 ended on a happy note and would be remembered for many reasons. Indian stock markets recovered remarkably from their March 2009 lows and went on to register the best year-to-date (YTD) performance in the history of Indian stock market since 1991, with more than 80 per cent return in 2009 and above [...]

India’s domestic economy has started showing some signs of revival which is evident from the encouraging numbers that are received from different quarters. On the other hand, the global economic outlook is still not very clear. In this situation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is forced to initiate some precautionary steps on account of abundant liquidity, inflationary pressures and weak credit off-take. As a result, the RBI has announced exit from its expansionary policy and has taken out some of the liquidity windows offered to the ailing sectors during the global crisis.

Retail banking in India has undergone a sea change in the last two decades. The change is visible everywhere, right from operations to products. However, the real benefits of a new thing are realised only when it is utilised completely. For example, in retail banking, savings accounts hold a special place as customers use them for their day-to-day transactions like salary transfer, loan repayment, electronic clearing services (ECS) payments. But these accounts offer a very little interest on savings, i.e., 3.5 per cent! On the other hand, a traditional fixed deposit carries an interest rate of 7 to 8 per cent.

The vote on account or interim budget presented by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has remained faithful to convention and not made any major changes in the tax rates. While this might seem to be a disappointment for individuals with respect to their personal finances, there are several indications that should help them in [...]