Cover Story

Betting on sectors
Sector equity funds allow investors to take a calculated gamble. But while the returns are higher than in a diversified fund, so are the risks.

Building wealth in EMIs
Systematic withdrawal plans and systematic transfer plans help reduce your risk and improve your returns. And they are also less taxing.
Seven blunders of the MF world
Which of the following common investment blunders have you committed? Avoid them and see your returns improve.
What funds were rated, and how
The older a fund scheme, the better it is to know how it has done over the years and in different market conditions.
Myth busters
There are a lot of myths about mutual funds in the mind of the common investor. We dispel five common misconceptions.

2007-08-23

Digital

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In this MT Issue

Look at percentage, not points

Absolute returns, when it comes to investments, are misleading. So why go into a tizzy when the BSE Sensex tanks 615 points, as it did on 1 August?

How can cost inflation indexation reduce tax liability?

Long-term capital gains from shares and equity funds (where over 60% of the corpus is invested in equities) are tax free. But the gains from the sale of other assets are taxable.

What type of investor are you?

Find out by taking this short quiz that tests your risk appetite, investment tenure and objectives.

How to get most out of the tables

Planning to buy, sell, or review your funds holdings? These tables will tell you just about everything you need to know and more.

Why invest in funds

Mutual funds bring you the best in the investment world. Here are six reasons why you can't afford to give them a miss.

Mutual Fund

The perfect portfolio

We present a portfolio of features on funds to help you get started and get ahead.

Debt funds (retail)

The 280 funds evaluated on 12 parameters below show an average one-year return of 7.05 per cent, much lower than equity and balanced funds. The best performer rose 12.4 per cent, the worst lost 8.1 per cent. Separate wheat from chaff.

Balanced funds

The 149 funds analysed in this issue  yielded an average 19.7 per cent return in the past one year. Find the winners — and the losers.

Gold stock options

Prasunjit Mukherjee, CEO, Plexus Management evaluates the DSP Merrill Lynch World Gold Fund.

Your own mutual fund

Portfolio management schemes are now within the reach of the well-paid salary earners too.

Small Fortune

Coffee kum

Are you spending way too much time…and money at coffee shops? Cut down the number of times you go to a coffee shop and see your savings grow.

Real Estate

Jaipur: Real estate in the pink of health

Good road links and proximity to Delhi have been the key drivers of property prices in the Pink City.

BASICS

Fundamentals

We are all fund managers — we manage whatever funds we have. But it's the efficiency of management that sets us apart from professional fund managers who handle thousands of crores of rupees in mutual funds.

Stocks

Constructions stocks on the up

Engineering and construction stocks delivered strong first quarter results.

Book losses, pick bargains

As we gain experience in managing our portfolios we modify some rules and make a few changes to streamline them.

DLF, L&T going strong

We scan through dozens of research reports from investment houses every fortnight to present you the six most relevant stock recommendations.

Crumbling structure

Emkay Research has turned bearish on the cement sector after the MRTPC probe into price cartelisation.

Travel

Cheque mate

Striking the right balance isn’t easy when choosing options for paying in foreign currency. Here’s a look at pros and cons.

Talk Back

Talk back

We are launching a blog which will have daily updates of our portfolios. Readers can submit their opinions and exchange comments with other readers, investors and experts.

Portfolio Doctor

In search of a strategy

Bangalore-based Ankur Varshney is an aggressive investor. But he must increase exposure to equities to build the Rs 5-crore retirement corpus he desires.

My Story

Money on the tracks

Mukund Ketkar, 28, is all set to turn a childhood hobby, his fascination for trains, into a business.

Editor's Note

From the Managing Editor

Actually it was always a question of when — not if — we do our mutual fund special, and what not to include in it. Mutual fund is the most versatile investment instrument.

New Business

Brick by brick

SK Garg used his knowledge, experience and contacts to build a Rs 300-crore group from scratch at a time when venture capital was a mere concept.

Tax

The tax angle

The income from your investments depends not only on the returns but also on the tax you pay on them.

Expert View

Focused changes

If a professional stays focused he gains a level of stability which may not have been envisaged at the beginning of his career.

Manager not gatherer

Investors, if not careful, potentially sign away one car for every Rs 1 lakh that they invest.

World wide wealth

Mutual funds are a well-regulated and convenient route to take on starting investing internationally.

Funds as planners

Over the next 10-12 years the MF industry in India will mushroom to an assets under management level of $1 trillion. This will propel India to the global top five rankings.

Waiting for innovations

Structured products, following the basic investment principle of buying low and selling high, could serve as a useful transition to turn savers into investors.

Invest in your common sense

If the problem of choosing companies is to be replaced by that of figuring out whether one should invest in this exotic idea or that one, then nothing much has been achieved.

When the tide ceases to rise

The combo of severely low levels of cash in equity funds and (over) confident bullishness on the economic prospects of this country is a little too unrealistic.

Risks ahead, rewards too

There's no doubt that Indian markets are becoming increasingly aligned with global markets.

The magic of linking

Ulips can be used for family protection, mortgage, loan repayment, inheritence, lumpsum investment, saving for retirement or school and college fee.

Simple, safe, successful

Should retail investors invest in index funds or ETFs? Yes. What are your chances of finding managers who can keep beating the index? Slim to none.

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