Varsity

One of the initial lessons we learn about stock markets is their inherent uncertainty. When higher uncertainty creeps into the underlying companies or the broader economy, you see higher volatility in the stock market. Elections in a country are highly unpredictable and ambiguous. Investors usually get jittery about the stability of existing policies and what […]

My politically opinionated father asked me worriedly, “Why has the INR depreciated since the current government took over?” I first said, “Go back a little farther, and you will see that the INR has been depreciating, irrespective of who was running the government.” But is that a bad thing? The words “depreciating” or “falling” INR […]

You may have heard that setting up a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) could help save taxes. In this blog, we discuss this in detail. There are fairly low barriers to setting up an HUF—any Hindu (including Jain, Buddhist, and Sikhs) can do so. Only the state of Kerala has abolished the concept of the joint […]

Humour me. Do this exercise. List the names of five people who participated in the share market in the 1980s or 1990s. Then go to the iepf.gov.in website and click on this link Search those five names in the search box provided. (Note: Provide at least the first and last name. Do not get put […]

My 20-year-old cousin took a fancy to the stock market recently. I would like to take credit for his excitement, given my employment at Zerodha, but I am aware he is just joining the trading wagon with his friends and social media connections. I am glad that he is curious about concepts. He asks me […]

The RBI requires anyone trading in currency derivatives to have an underlying exposure to forex. It seems many market participants were not aware of this. So, the RBI recently reinforced this requirement through a recent circular. The deadline to ensure that users participating in currency derivatives have an underlying exposure was set at 05 April […]

SEBI’s recent regulations on small and medium REITs (SM REITs) have sparked interest among investors who are eager to explore new avenues for real estate investment. After all, real estate is one of the favourite asset classes for Indians. SM REIT (real estate investment trusts) is simply a younger version of the traditional REIT we […]

Through a recent circular, the RBI pulled the plug on speculative forex derivative trades in India. Until now, any speculator could trade currency derivatives on a stock exchange. This is because disclosing an underlying exposure was not required up to a certain limit. Therefore, currency derivative volumes on the NSE were booming. The prices and […]

GIFT City is short for Gujarat International Finance Tec-City. Situated close to Ahmedabad, GIFT City facilitates all financial transactions in India using foreign currency (not Indian rupees). Though it is located within India, it is considered a jurisdiction separate from the rest of India. You might wonder what the use of GIFT City is. Countries […]

SEBI has directed AMFI to instruct all asset management companies to restrict inflows into international exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This post explains why these restrictions are imposed and what they mean.

Momentum investing has been around for decades. It was first formalized by Jegadeesh and Titman in their ground-breaking work on momentum: Returns to Buying Winners and Selling Losers: Implications for Stock Market Efficiency (pdf) in 1993. Since then, there have been hundreds of variants of the same underlying strategy that strike a slightly different balance […]

When you hear about markets making new highs or the “nifty” went up 100 points, it typically refers to the NIFTY 50 index. An index is an aggregate measure – a shorthand to convey information. For example, the NIFTY 50 reflects the price returns of 50 of the largest stocks (+ their DVRs). So, instead […]

We spoke about DD a few times earlier in the previous blogs. But what does DD really mean in the context of venture capital? This is quite important to understand given that, in most cases, there isn’t much data on financials and other metrics available in early-stage companies compared to mature companies. So, what do […]

Yes. Indian taxpayers can avail of the tax exemption under section 54F of the Income-tax Act against gains earned from selling foreign shares or ETFs if the money is utilised to buy or build a new residential house, provided the house is located in India. This means they won’t have to pay capital gain tax […]

Unless you live under a rock, you would have probably heard the term – SIP (systematic investment plan) – in mutual funds. Using SIPs, one can conveniently invest a fixed amount in mutual funds periodically, usually monthly. Unlike lump-sum investments, where a large amount of money is invested at once, SIPs involve spreading the investment […]

In February 2024, Japan’s benchmark index reached an all-time high, marking a significant milestone after a prolonged interval of 34 years. The stock market in the Land of Rising Sun is in stark contrast to India’s in terms of reaching all-time highs (ATHs) – we witnessed multiple ATHs within a single year. Many investors worry […]

You have created an excellent option strategy, and backtesting shows that it can be profitable. However, the strategy didn’t hold when you applied it in the real market. What could have gone wrong? Did you use the Last Traded Prices (LTP) in your backtest? Most option backtesting tools design trading strategies using the last traded […]

Imagine finding yourself in a situation where you cannot manage your investments due to illness or accident. Suddenly, the need for cash arises, but you’re incapacitated, unable to initiate transactions. Even worse, your nominee, typically designated to handle such matters in your absence, finds themselves powerless. Thankfully, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) […]

As soon as you get your first credit card or open a bank account, you start hearing people preach about credit scores. And, if you have chosen to be blissfully unaware, here’s a simple explanation.  A credit score is a three-digit number between 300 and 900 that defines your creditworthiness; the lower levels reflect low, […]

Let’s say you want to put up a lemonade stand at a college fest. The rent for this stand is 10,000. The cost of making a lemonade with lemon, syrup, soda, and ice is 25. You plan to sell it for 50 per glass. How many lemonades should you sell to make profits or break […]

The query has been answered by Anjali Malhotra, Partner- Regulatory, Nangia Andersen India. Individuals residing outside India, such as Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), or Foreign Nationals, have to take into consideration the requirements & conditions laid down by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) […]

How well do you know the fund managers you invest with? Beyond the statistics and performance charts lies a deeper understanding that can help you make informed decisions: their core investment philosophies and personal beliefs. This is the heart of our Know Your Fund Manager series, where we delve into the minds of the individuals […]

You would have likely heard about it from someone or experienced it yourself: a medical emergency strikes, and you rush to the nearest hospital, only to discover your insurer’s network does not cover it. Dealing with upfront payments and waiting for reimbursements can be stressful. To ease the financial burden and speed up the claims […]

Can I stop paying insurance premiums if my savings match the coverage of my life and health policies? The purpose of life insurance is to make good the financial loss that a person would suffer if the earning member of the family passes away. We could bucket this financial loss into three major categories. Any […]

Wills and Nominations, both vital legal instruments, play distinct roles in shaping the allocation of an individual’s assets after their demise. These tools, though aligned in their ultimate goal of asset distribution, comprise unique characteristics within the realm of estate planning and so are often used interchangeably. But, the law identifies their purpose, object, and consequence, and hence, it is important to know the distinction.