Cover Story

Arm yourself with options
The final aim of any investor is rather simple — buy low and sell high. However, in a sector as cyclical as real estate, investment decisions may become rather complex.

Invest in real estate, now
Investing here can yield good returns as property is affordable and interest rates may stay stable. Interview with M. Ramachandran Opinion by Renu Sud Karnad

2009-10-01

Digital

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Insight

How much should you allocate to stocks?

Subtract your age from 80. The difference is the percentage of your corpus that should be invested in stocks.

Query Corner

Can I forward losses in I-T returns?

According to the Income Tax Act, losses under ‘house property’ can be carried forward even if the return is not filed on time. The loss can be carried forward for the next eight years and can be set off against income under the head ‘Income from house property’.

Smart Spending

Costly cruise

You may have the money to buy a car, but what does it cost to own it over five years? We tell you how to calculate the expenses you are likely to incur.

To buy or not to buy

In this section we review new products to help you sort the best buys from the worst. This time we look at mobile phones and their tariff plans.

For The Record

Can you afford to buy a house?

Whether you plan to buy a modest studio apartment or a four-bedroom penthouse, affordability depends on two things: the amount you pay as down payment and the size of the loan you can service.

Mutual Fund

Back on track

The second fund in this new series on mutual funds is the HDFC Top 200, one of the oldest diversified equity funds.

Best funds to save tax

Here are eight winners that can help you reduce your tax outgo under Section 80C. Start SIPs in the ones that match your risk appetite.

Should you buy sectoral funds?

The sharp focus and concentrated portfolios of sectoral funds have the potential to give high returns. But they also carry a higher risk.

Real Estate

The time is now

The real estate market is definitely set to rise, making this a good time to consider investing in it.

The business in pleasure

Hills, beach resorts and temple towns are not just vacation spots of choice, they can also provide healthy returns to savvy real estate investors.

Buy in suburbia

Investing in property within city limits could prove prohibitively expensive. Here are some suburbs where real estate is still affordable and the returns are promising, so you can bank on both long-term price appreciation and steady rental returns.

'There is a focused effort to handle realty grievances'

M. Ramachandran, Secretary, Urban Development Ministry, tells why the government has a vital role in making investment in property hassle-free.

Upfront

Artistic revival

Not even the blue-chip painters have been spared by the art market crunch.

Travel

The new hot spots

If the countries listed here are on your travel itinerary, swap the popular tourist lures for the new entrants that share a rare commonality — affordable lodging.

All's fair in fests

Break the cardinal rule and travel during peak season—only during festivals. You can savour the best of local culture at discounted rates.

Technology

Packing a punch

They have been around for years, but ultralight Notebooks have suddenly taken the Indian market by storm.

Tax

Dear Finance Minister...

Here are a few changes that we would like to see in the new Direct Taxes Code 2009.

Stocks

Earn more than the Sensex

Size doesn’t matter. While blue-chip companies have performed dismally, small- and mid-caps are showing how profitable they are.

Calculating the next high

For the market to move up further, the oil and gas sector has to contribute significantly.

Account for risk

Continuing the series on financial concepts, we explain why beta could be a useful tool to measure the market risk of a stock.

'Base investing on long-term fundamentals and it will pay rich dividends'

Lalit Thakkar, Director, Research, Angel Broking tells how investors can profit by sticking to market basics and the reasons for his confidence in India’s growth story.

Take a call

Buying a call option, a simple trading strategy, can offer vast gains if the market is expected to be bullish in a short period.

Investment

Bottom-up strategy pays

In the infrastructure sector, it appears that public-private partnerships are here to stay.

Profit from pretending

Before you rush into a big-ticket purchase, here’s a simple investment strategy to help you find out whether you can really afford it.

Sterling returns

Investors may not be drawn to silver as they are to gold, but the former has proved more profitable in the past few months. The trend is likely to continue.

Portfolio Doctor

Hitting sixes in slog overs

By taking risk in their pre-retirement years, our three patients have turned conventional financial wisdom on its head. Surprisingly, it works for them.

Talk Back

'Retiring early is the latest mindset'

These days, the mindset of young professionals is changing drastically. They want to lead a semi-retired life in their late forties or fifties by pursuing a hobby instead of a regular job.

Editor's Note

Optimism in the air

The stock market indices are climbing up steadily, precious metals are seeing an increased demand and companies are beginning to hire once more.

Markets

'Preservation of capital is fundamental to investing'

Parag Parikh, Chairman, Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services, talks about his investment style and ways to identify value stocks.

Expert View

'Realty prices, not interest rates, impact the decision to invest in property'

There has been a pick-up in retail credit, says Renu Sud Karnad, Joint Managing Director, HDFC.

Realty: Past the worst

With an obvious rise in demand, I’m sure the realty market has bottomed out and the depression is over.

The insane pricing of IPOs

Any management that has a long-term view of its business and wants to raise further capital should prefer to err on the ‘cheaper’ side while pricing its IPO.

Value investing for growth

Invest in mid-caps when they are in the early stages of growth after recovering from a downturn.

Insurance