In its monetary policy meeting held on December 12th and 13th, the US Federal Reserve indicated that it will not hike interest rates further. That Fed has also signalled interest rate cuts in 2024. The Fed meeting brought cheer to both debt and equity bond markets globally, including India. The 10 year Government Bond yield...Read More

With the Diwali approaching, buying gold jewellery is part of festivities of many Indian households. The wedding season will begin a few weeks after Diwali and gold will be on the shopping list of many families. Gold is considered to be an auspicious metal according to our ancient cultural traditions, at the same time...Read More

Equity and fixed income are the traditional asset classes for retail investors. However, commodity investments can help you diversify your portfolio in asset classes other than equity and debt. Commodities are natural resources which can be used as raw material to create different products. Examples of commodities are precious metals...Read More

With the stock market at record high, many investors are focusing on asset allocation. Asset allocation means diversifying your investments across different asset classes like equity, debt etc, with the objective of balancing risks and returns. Traditional asset allocation is focused on equity, debt and cash. However...Read More

Passive investing has taken off in a big way in India since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As per AMFI data, in the last four years ending 31st July, 2023, passive assets under management (AUM) grew by nearly five times (5X) at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 49% (source: AMFI July 2023...Read More

Index funds are passive mutual fund schemes that track an equity or debt market index. Unlike actively managed mutual fund schemes, index funds do not aim to beat the market benchmark index. Index funds simply aim to replicate the returns of the index subject to tracking errors. Index funds are very popular in developed...Read More

Asset allocation is spreading your investments over different asset classes, e.g. equity, fixed income, gold, real estate etc. The primary purpose of asset allocation is to balance risk and returns. If you are over-invested in one particular asset class, you may take too much risk or get sub-optimal portfolio returns. Through asset...Read More

When we think of investments, most investors mainly think about equity and fixed income. Gold and silver have huge cultural significance in India. However, gold and silver jewellery or articles are thought of as family heirlooms to be gifted to children or grand children at the time of the wedding or other auspicious occasions or as a...Read More

The recent tax change for non-equity funds may have come as a rude surprise for many mutual fund investors. As per the amendment to the Finance Bill, which came into effect from 1^st April 2023, all capital gains in non-equity funds, whether long term or short term will be taxed as per income tax rate of the...Read More

After retirement the main source of income for most people is from their investments. In India, a relatively small percentage of retired people have other sources of income e.g. pension, rental income etc. You need to have sufficient savings and investments, which generates enough income to meet your regular expenses after retirement...Read More