Cover Story

Travelling in a new tier
There’s nothing like chugging through the countryside. And the Railways has a host of packages to suit almost every tourist and every pocket, says Sushmita Choudhury.

Take travel out of spa
You can pamper the body without killing the wallet. Priya Kapoor takes a look at various leading spas and their treatment costs to show you how.
The modern jungle book
Sushmita Choudhury discovers deluxe campsites across India that are great value for money.

2008-05-01

Digital

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Stocks

Stocks watch as on April 8, 2008

The small-cap universe is a treasure trove of bargains — provided you can spot them. We tie up with Trisys Research to identify stocks that aren't in the limelight, but have the potential to give high returns.

Revisiting the originals

Our fund manager takes a look at how the model portfolios would have fared had they been left untouched.

REI Agro performs well

IFCI’s stock is down 64% from its 52-week high of Rs 121, and is at a PE of just 2.1.

Your Wallet

Bargain buy: MP3 player

Price is not the same as value. The most expensive product isn't always the best value for your money. This section highlights the least expensive model in a product category. If price is of no consequence, check out the most expensive model.

Technology

Gizmo h@ppy

Hollywood might be guilty of several sins, but it’s given us the entire genre of  ‘one-man-saves-the-world’ films, for which we are deeply thankful. How else will we even have known about GPS? Or that a mobile phone can be used to detonate bombs or start riots?

Real Estate

The township advantage

Townships promise convenience, improved quality of life and greater affordability. Are these good enough reasons to move out of the city?

Patna's vision 2021

Unlike other cities of its size, Patna has not seen people from outside the state looking to invest in properties in the city. It’s the demand from the people living in the city.

Mutual Fund

Betting on big stocks

Money Today ties up with Plexus Management to bring to you new fund evaluations. This time it's the ICICI Prudential Focused Equity Fund.

Your fund's annual cost

Expense ratio keeps nibbling into the NAV of mutual funds, reducing the investor’s overall returns. Here’s why you need to keep an eye on it.

Magnum Tax Gain fund does it again

The best performing tax plan, Magnum Tax Gain has an AUM much higher than what the best performing equity diversified funds manage. As a category both fund types have performed almost alike in the past one year.

'Invest in all asset classes'

Ramanathan K, Head - Fixed Income, ING Investment Management, shares his investment quotient with you and advises against taking the "get rich quick" approach.

Now and Then

The rise of rice

Last fortnight we told you how wheat prices had risen in the past. The situation is no different when it comes to the other major foodgrain in India.

New Business

A bagful of determination

Nina Lekhi’s inability to pass a design test did not deter her from launching her own line of designer bags, which are now retailed across the country.

Travel

The intelligent traveller

Why subject yourself to the tortures of vacationing in tired tourist traps with hordes of others? There’s plenty for you off the beaten track—at prices you can well afford. Take a trip inside.

The view from the river

Cheaper than sea cruises but just as exciting, river cruises allow you to see India as you never have before, finds out Sushmita Choudhury.

Around the world...

...on a budget this summer. Here are some deals that caught our eye, split into three price slabs.

For a few dollars more

We’ve lost it. There’s no other way to describe India’s pathetic efforts to become a global tourism destination. With under five million international tourists visiting Incredible India in 2006, we attract less than one eighth of fifth-ranked Italy’s tourist traffic.

BASICS

Simple and complex investments

Equity-linked debentures. Capital protection-oriented mutual funds. They sound like complicated instruments, don’t they? So Crisil’s complexity rating of 77 financial instruments should be a huge help to investors.

Investment

Run this test...before your next investment

Crisil has rated the complexity level of financial products. Money Today explains the methodology and how it will be useful to you.

Portfolio Doctor

Good intent bad choices

Pune-based Chaitrali Deshmukh has a good investing approach. But she should be careful while choosing financial instruments for the best returns.

Expert View

Eyeing paper for profits

Sirpur Paper will produce a higher quantity of pulp and paper at almost identical overheads, enabling it to cover its fixed costs more effectively. Besides, it will now be in a position to export its products to countries hitherto closed to it on account of chlorine use.

Sector Scenario

Transmitting gains

Bulging order books, low competition and robust global demand make transmission tower stocks attractive, says R Sree Ram.

Upfront

Financial health counselling

It’s a sad fact that when it comes to money and investments, most investors learn from mistakes— their own or someone else’s. Taking the old adage that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, RBI has released a concept paper in which it stresses on the need for financial literacy.

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