Last week, we made a quiet note about SEBI’s consultation paper on mutual funds in the PrimeInvestor Community. A consultation paper solicits opinion from the public on proposals mooted by the regulator, along with rationale for such proposals. Do note that these are proposals and have not been implemented.
We at PrimeInvestor, recommend reinforcing your insurance arsenal with a critical illness cover in addition to a hospitalization plan in order to secure your finances against medical emergencies. We have covered what you should look for when shopping for a critical illness cover in our earlier article titled ‘What to look for in a critical illness health plan’. We have also shortlisted a few critical illness covers in the market based on these criteria and reviewed them in detail.
The plans we have reviewed so far are:
Activ Secure Critical Illness Plan by Aditya Birla Health Insurance,
Criti Care policy by Bajaj Alianz General Insurance,
IFFCO Tokio’s Critical Illness Benefit Policy and
Star Critical Illness Multipay Insurance Policy.
Here, we add to this list with our review of Tata AIG’s Criti-MediCare Insurance.
If there’s one NFO that’s trying to be a hop out of the regular, it is the HDFC Defence Fund. And with good reason – the defence space has been garnering increasing attention in stock markets with defence plays rallying. This open-ended thematic fund opens for subscription today.
HDFC Defence will be the only fund on the defence theme, making it differentiated from other sector offerings. There’s also no denying the scope in the defence sector, especially after key changes in defence capex spending which focuses on indigenous procurement. So, can this NFO make a good portfolio addition?
Around this time last year, we had analysed the FMCG sector’s March 2022 quarter earnings. At the time, the sector was grappling with twin headwinds of a demand slump and rising input costs. Valuations were still expensive. Most FMCG players have declared their results for the March 2023 quarter.
A lot has happened since our previous market update, when we discussed if the worst was over for the Nifty 50. In that update, we had mentioned that the level of 17,850 on the upside and 16,900 on the lower end are the key markers to focus on. It was also highlighted that a breakout past 17,850 could pave the way for a rally to the 18,350-18,400 zone.
The Nifty 50 index has managed the latter, breaking above 17,850 and reaching the target zone of 18,350-18,400. The question now is what is in store for the Nifty 50 index. We will look at the short-term perspective here, to address this question.
SEBI (Securities Exchange Board of India) has levelled charges of front-running against two big institutions that may Indians are invested with – LIC and Axis Mutual Fund. Front running and its close cousin – insider trading – were quite widely prevalent in the days of yore, before SEBI drafted elaborate regulations to keep such practices at bay. But what do today’s investors need to know about these malpractices? Here’s an explainer.
Getting into a sector when the going is rough can pay off as kinks get ironed out and prospects look up. The complexity of this sector, along with other factors, has led to steep underperformance against the Nifty 50. But with more clarity now emerging on sustainable growth from here as well as a shift in the contours of the sector, this may be an opportune time to build up exposure to this beaten-down sector.
It has been a rough ride for the Indian API industry in the past 2 years. A combination of factors including price erosion in US generics, destocking, demand fluctuation, elevated raw material costs and freight costs have hit the margins of many API plays including market favourites such as Divi’s, Laurus and Aarti Drugs. Their growth has also remained at low single digits in this period.
Still, if a company has managed to remain resilient in this period and yet corrected to valuations that make it attractive, it deserves to be noticed.
“Which equity fund should I buy?” When asked an open-end question like this, most financial experts recommend an index fund. Choosing an index fund is supposed to be far easier than choosing an active fund from the hundreds of schemes. But the number and variety of index funds in India has mushroomed too. There are about 94 open-end equity index funds, while over 120 equity Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are listed on the exchanges. So, if you’re thinking of buying an index fund, how do you choose the right one? Here are four metrics to choose the best index funds and ETFs.
Often, researching for your health insurance doesn’t stop at finding a good insurer and policy. The sub plans, options, and addons under a policy warrant more research to find out the best combination for you and to help you squeeze out the most benefit from your policy. Today, we take up Bajaj Allianz Health Guard, with a wide range of sub-options that can make it better.
For Indian investors looking for regular income with the possibility of capital appreciation, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) are good vehicles. These entities own a bunch of real estate or infrastructure assets that throw up regular cash flows and distribute over 90% of their cash flows to their investors. As both their income and the value of the real estate or infrastructure portfolio they own can rise over time, REITs and InvITs offer the prospect of rising income with capital gains.
With capital gains on debt fund investments now subject to short-term capital gains tax irrespective of holding period, other debt instruments have become quite competitive with debt mutual funds.
Legal Disclaimer : PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd (with brand name PrimeInvestor) is an independent research entity offering research services on personal finance products to customers. We are a SEBI registered Research Analyst (Registration: INH200008653). The content and reports generated by the entity does not constitute or is not intended to constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation to an offer to buy or sell financial products, units or securities. All content and information are provided on an ‘as is’ basis by PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd. Information herein is believed to be reliable but PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd does not warrant its completeness or accuracy and expressly disclaims all warranties and conditions of any kind, whether express or implied. The services rendered by PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd are on a best-effort basis. PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd does not assure or guarantee the user any minimum or fixed returns. PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd or any of its officers, directors, partners, employees, agents, subsidiaries, affiliates or business associates will not liable for any losses, cost of damage incurred consequent upon relying on investment information, research opinions or advice or any other material/information whatsoever on the web site, reports, mails or notifications issued by PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd or any other agency appointed/authorised by PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd. Use of the above-said information is at the user’s own risk. The user must make his own investment decisions based on his specific investment objective and financial position and using such independent advisors as he believes necessary. All intellectual property rights emerging from this website, blog, and investment solutions are and shall remain with PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd. All material made available is meant for the user’s personal use and such user shall not resell, copy, or redistribute the newsletter or any part of it, or use it for any commercial purpose. PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd, or any of its officers, directors, employees, or subsidiaries have not received any compensation/ benefits whether monetary or in kind, from the AMC, company, government, bank or any other product manufacturer or third party, whose products are the subject of its research or investment information. The performance data quoted represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. Investing in financial products involves risk. Investments are subject to market risk. Please read all related documents carefully. As a condition to accessing the content and website of PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd, you agree to our Terms and Conditions of Use, available here. This service is not directed for access or use by anyone in a country, especially the USA, Canada or the European Union countries, where such use or access is unlawful or which may subject PrimeInvestor Financial Research Pvt Ltd or its affiliates to any registration or licensing requirement.
Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.
Compliance Officer Details: Name: Srikanth Meenakshi; Email: contact@primeinvestor.
Grievance Officer Details: Name: Srikanth Meenakshi; Email: contact@primeinvestor.
