Upfront

Updated : Nov 17, 2009

Artistic revival

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

Updated : Jul 23, 2009

Gain or loss?

The recent Sebi diktat to do away with entry loads on mutual funds has resulted in mixed feelings among the three key stakeholders.

Updated : Jul 5, 2009

Spread smaller

It's hardly a surprise that debt-oriented products account for over 70% of the industry AUM, enabling big players to use them for treasury management.

Updated : Jun 1, 2009

Unfinished agenda

The new government may have come with a reforms mandate, but it has its work cut out as far as the financial sector changes are concerned.

Updated : May 21, 2009

Rights time

With stock markets on an upswing in the past month, there are signs of the effect rubbing on to the primary market as well.

Updated : May 1, 2009

False security

The inflation that makes its way to the headlines of newspapers and political campaigns is the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). But this is not the index that affects you.

Updated : Apr 17, 2009

Scanning insurance rights

In case of health insurance policies, much of the disgruntlement and many disputes have risen from lack of transparency.

Updated : Apr 4, 2009

Time for a realty check

When it comes to affordability - whether you are waiting for prices to come down or take a home loan, or even if you are repaying one - this year is turning out to be better than the previous one.

Updated : Mar 19, 2009

Tightening the screws

India’s insurance regulator now appears to be following the corporate sector’s credo—tough times are the right time to take difficult decisions.

Updated : Mar 6, 2009

Relying on rate cuts

The government recently announced a 2% cut in excise duty and service tax rate to put some money into individual wallets and to boost consumer demand.

Updated : Feb 18, 2009

Force multiplier

India's sheen may have dulled a bit, but when it comes to employment, Indians are optimistic about job security in 2009.

Updated : Jan 22, 2009

Hope still on hold

According to a survey, 52% of the Indian companies feel that the economic conditions will weaken further in the next six months.

Updated : Jan 10, 2009

Health check

If there is no insurance claim, many companies offer a bonus where the sum insured increases by 5% for each claim-free year.

Updated : Jan 7, 2009

When the Wall Street was breached, the Indian bourses had to battle a tsunami. Succumbing to panic, institutional and retail investors frantically pulled out money from the stock market and mutual fund schemes.

Updated : Dec 12, 2008

Crisis meter

Depression, recession, bear market... all have translated to job scares, a slowdown in demand and panic attacks. Here is a recap of the spillover effects of the ongoing economic imbroglio in the last fortnight, across the globe.

Updated : Dec 12, 2008

Persistence pays

Policyholders gain by staying with an insurance policy, and insurance companies benefit by offering better prices and making it possible for the policyholders to stay on.

Updated : Nov 30, 2008

Insure the fit

It is the age of customisation. Slowdown or not, you want everything tailored to your needs. Investment products have followed this lead for some time and to great investor response.

Updated : Nov 14, 2008

Raising the cap

The Indian Cabinet has finally given the nod to the proposal to hike the foreign direct investment cap in insurance from 26% to 49%.

Updated : Oct 31, 2008

Mayday! Mayday!

Apart from the M&A activity, which saw the birth of JetLite and Kingfisher Red, many carriers are signing agreements with regional players, like the GoAir-MDLR Airlines pact.

Updated : Oct 3, 2008

LIC: L&T, ITC, Cipla

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has decided that LIC and private insurance players must work on a level playing field. The move will reduce LIC’s equity exposure in a company from 30% to 10%.

Updated : Sep 19, 2008

The silver lining

Many investors are convinced that after the Sensex plunged 41% in six months, the key indices can fall no further. It looks like they could be right. Can things really improve?