Expectations of a stimulus are running high. The wishlist is long. People are adding their own tail to the already extended list. A drop in GST for automobiles, cheaper loans, more aggressive scrappage policy (for automobiles), waiver of super-rich tax, relief for FPIs, the abolition of LTCG, and many more.…
Life Insurance (Life Cover) Do you have a life insurance policy? Is there a right time to insure your life? More importantly, when should you revisit how much you need? You need a life insurance policy as soon as you start working. Your contribution to the family kitty warrants a…
Every bull market leaves its imprint behind. Stocks that rose sharply in a bull run tend to fall doubly quick afterwards. But, what about those stocks that hardly participated in the bull run? They make an even stronger impression. There will always be parts of the bull market which are…
What is Insurance? Insurance is a way of protecting your financial interests. Anything of value can be insured. So, your life, health, and assets can be insured. Assets could range from property, to vehicles, to art, etc. This is what happens when you enter into an insurance contract: Premiums are more affordable than paying…
The week closed on an expectant note. The market expects the government to do effective damage control. The expectations are centered around clear action points. FPI concerns need to be addressed credibly. The NBFC crisis needs a resolution of liquidity issues. The reserve bank must decisively lower interest rates. Banks…
The phenomenon of economic growth engines slowing down is not new. 2012 was the last time we saw something comparable. Growth really worried the government then. So, what makes this time different? Slowdowns at the beginning of a government’s term can truly shake up their finances. It can disrupt revenues,…
The market is showing a palpable despondency. The cause is being overtly attributed to the sentiment related to tax law changes and treatment of the FPIs and the super-rich. This premise is more of an excuse. Investing is a function of attractiveness of valuations and lure of growth. The fact…
You could also choose to listen to this blog – https://soundcloud.com/ithought-advisory/filing-income-tax-returns-simplified Podcast Transcript Let me get straight to the most important thing in the month of July – income tax return filings. Every one of us must be running around getting documents in place, figuring out how to file income tax…
Some battles are fought with such intensity that distinguishing the superiority of the winner becomes difficult to justify. It is challenging to decisively say that one is better than the other. Two recent battles tell us that even better players have their odd days. One was the cricket game where the…
The budget speech had long ceased to be a game changer in markets. Budgets mostly tell the story in numbers. The speech always provides optics and can at times be excruciatingly number heavy. And, the numbers are rarely complied with by the time the year ends. The story of every…
The DHFL story has been unraveling for some time in the public domain. At every stage, investor concerns have been assuaged. One begins to wonder whether this is just smoke and mirrors or if there is a way for investors to exercise prevention rather than cure in their investment decisions.…
Weeks after the election results, we saw oil prices spike and the trade wars worsen. Yet, FII flows into Indian markets held steady and India’s forex reserves hit an all-time high. Elsewhere, gold prices hit a six-year high. Clearly, something very interesting seems to be happening in currency, gold and…
