While looking at these stocks, you should bear in mind cyclical nature of fuel supply-demand matrix

Investors bet big on conventional energy

Business Standard

With a majority of stocks in the past decade quoting below their issue price after listing, the secondary market might be a better bet for investors

Choose listed companies over new offerings

Declare shares of foreign companies, money in foreign banks, paintings or jewellery purchased abroad as foreign assets and not under Income Tax, to avoid prosecution under the proposed 'black money' law

Declare foreign assets and income to avoid penalty

I'm in urgent need of money. Should I take a loan from my office, apply for a personal loan or take a loan against my life insurance policy?The decision points could be the amount of loan, urgency, interest rates and equated monthly instalments. You need to compare your loan options with these factors. Normally, office loans are preferable, being the cheapest, fastest, need least documentation, have the longest repayment period, and don't consume your other credit limits.I got a mail from my bank saying I'm eligible for a pre-approved personal loan. However, when I applied, it got rejected, saying the documents were not in order. How's that possible? What should I do? Pre-approved loans are given by banks for existing customers after checking creditworthiness. Income documents are not relevant. Either they don't take any documents or at best ask only KYC (Know Your Customer) documents for identity and records. Ask the bank about the discrepancy, which should be easy for you to resolve.

Debt Counselling:Sanjay Agarwal

A bank cannot escape its liability by claiming its security systems are foolproof. If there is a flaw or a loophole in the system, the bank would be liable to make good the loss caused to its customerBanks have security loopholes in their system, but they don't admit. In case of a malfunction, or cheating by a fraudster by exploiting a loophole, banks blame the customer. However, Vidyawanti, a State Bank of India (SBI) customer, sued the mighty SBI for an ATM fraud, and won the case (National Commission's judgment dated February 18, delivered by Justice Ajit Bharihoke for the Bench with Rekha Gupta in Revision Petition No. 4868 of 2012).Vidyawanti had a savings account, with ATM facility, at SBI. On March 20, 2009 she went to State Bank of Patiala (SBP)'s ATM at Karnal to withdraw Rs 8,000. The ATM failed to dispense the money owing to a technical fault. So, she went to the SBI ATM, where she discovered Rs 40,000 had been withdrawn from her account through two fraudulent transactions o

Consumer court grants relief to ATM fraud victim

Business Standard analyses one family's finances and suggests a way forward

Case study

Business Standard brings you a snapshot of average current rates and unit sizes in localities that offer property in a price range of Rs 3-3.5 crore. If you are looking at buying real estate and your budget falls within this range, an idea about prevailing rates would come in handy

Realty check

You need conviction in your bets and a stop-loss as a defence mechanism to curtail losses

Contra calls to the rescue?

However, the recovery is patchy, with 7 of the top 12 four-wheeler manufacturers seeing sales declineAutomobile sales data present interesting patterns. Overall, the four-wheeler segment (commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles, etc) has seen growth after a two-year slump. About 2.5 million four-wheelers were manufactured and sales rose eight-nine per cent compared to 2013-14.As both 2013-14 and 2012-13 saw declining sales, this indicates the sector might be pulling out of a long slump. In other segments, between April 2014 and February 2015, two- and three-wheeler sales were up nine per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, compared to April 2013-February 2014. But the recovery is patchy. Of the top 12 four-wheeler manufacturers, seven saw declines in unit sales. Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Maruti were the gainers; among these, Maruti is the only listed entity. Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ford, GM, Volkswagen, Renault and Skoda all saw volumes decline. Tata's subsidiary

Auto sector has turned the corner

Retirement

Bucketing is effective as investment is aligned with short- and long-term needs, with some portion kept in equities

How to grow your retirement corpus

It is a tough call for investors in a company that is getting into corporate debt restructuring. On the one hand, there is a sense of relief because the company will get more time and most likely, better terms to repay its debt. On the other, there is always a sense of fear that if the company closes down - like Kingfisher Airlines - there is everything to lose. However, if one looks at the recent past, the first reaction of investors is relief. For example, when Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering announced that the board had approved a debt restructuring package, the company's stock price started rising. The news came in after market hours on March 31. The next day, share price went up 5.59 per cent to ~60.45 during the intra-day trade. Similarly, positive movement in stock prices was seen in the case of Hanung Toys & Textiles, Shriram EPC and Gammon India."Such an approval means the company has got a breathing space. Consortium of lenders accept such proposals only after assess

Sticking to an indebted companys stock isnt easy

Low liquidity and lack of publicly available information make this segment a risky bet for even wealthy investors

Resist the siren call of SME stocks

While the Budget gives more opportunity to invest in instruments here, don't go overboard. Maintain a balance between debt and equity, depending on your age group

Don't overdo debt

My insurance policy lapsed last year due to non-payment of premiums. When I tried to renew, my agent asked me to undergo the medical tests. Is this required? Your agent is correct in suggesting medical tests because, typically, a lapsed policy has to be medically underwritten if it has to be revived. The premium will not change unless your policy is rated up due to adverse medical reports/conditions. However, to revive the policy, you still will have to pay the dues (last year's unpaid premium) with interest and sometimes a revival fee, too.I had taken a term life insurance policy while I was working. Later, I quit my job to take care of my child. I am thinking of discontinuing my policy, since  I am not earning any more. Is it advisable to do so?You might not feel the need to continue but we strongly suggest you to do so. If you begin working in future, the insurance coverage will be costlier with the increase in your age and the possibility of medical conditions. In case you change y

Life Insurance: Amitabh Chaudhry

Bengaluru has seen stupendous growth over the years. It has been expanding radially, transforming several localities, once considered outskirts, to self-sustaining micro-markets within the city limits.Hennur Road is one such area with tremendous real estate potential. This area is currently undergoing rapid transformation, with a mix of residential and commercial development. This precinct also has large ongoing and proposed five-star hotels and retail malls expected to start operation soon.The locality is about seven km from MG Road in the central business district. Several information technology companies are eyeing this area to expand their offices. The residential segment has also seen a huge spurt in demand, with several reputed builders acquiring large tracts.What favours the real estate sector on Hennur Road is its proximity to the prominent office complex of  Manyata Tech Park and the Karle Town Centre. Upcoming commercial and retail developments and well-established social inf

Mix of residential, commercial development gives an edge

About a decade ago, the retail lending boom that had taken off in the first few years of this century was reeling under bad debts. Anyone who has been associated with the retail lending sector knows the losses suffered by many new entrants which led to a decline in number of issued credit cards and disbursement of unsecured personal loans.Even the home loan sector saw a spike in bad debts. Yet, when the 2008 crisis hit, it did not lead to any significant increase in the amount of bad retail loans. Primarily, it was because old sins had already been accounted for and new unsecured loans and credit cards had dropped to a trickle much before the crisis hit. But a much more important reason was the emergence of credit bureaus (called CIBIL in common parlance after the largest and the oldest of these), under a legislative mandate that made sure lenders knew the complete background of prospective borrowers including, his total borrowings, and repayment record before taking credit decision. S

High time for India to have a fair credit reporting law

A legal agreement of sale prevents buyer and seller from going back on their word

Legally bind your property transaction

Develop a special familiarity with an investment play you are comfortable with

Pragmatic rules of investment

Start by creating a power of attorney and prepare a proper will to ensure a smooth financial transition

Managing your ailing parents' portfolio

Claim the money before it is shifted to the senior citizen fund. The process takes almost a month

Page 41 - Investment

Investors bet big on conventional energy

Choose listed companies over new offerings

Declare foreign assets and income to avoid penalty

Debt Counselling: Sanjay Agarwal

Consumer court grants relief to ATM fraud victim

Case study

Realty check

Contra calls to the rescue?

Auto sector has turned the corner

How to grow your retirement corpus

Sticking to an indebted company's stock isn't easy

Case study

Resist the siren call of SME stocks

Don't overdo debt

Life Insurance: Amitabh Chaudhry

Mix of residential, commercial development gives an edge

High time for India to have a fair credit reporting law

Legally bind your property transaction

Pragmatic rules of investment

Managing your ailing parents' portfolio