This weekend was memorable for a number of events. While at a personal level, it was memorable for my son getting his Karate Black Belt, for many it was memorable probably due to another famous Indian victory over Pakistan at the World Cup, and for some it was memorable due to Valentine Day. But the … Read more
So 2014 saw a total of 75 NFOs (New Fund Offers by Mutual Funds) compared to 18 in 2013. In 2012, there were 8 and in 2011 there were 11 NFOs. Last we saw anywhere close to so many NFOs was 41 in 2008 and 48 in 2007. And incidentally many of these 75 NFOs … Read more
It is difficult to make predictions, specially about the future said somebody famous. And now that I got the attention due to the headline, let me clarify that this post is not about predictions for the Sensex. I just thought it may be interesting to present a set of figures on long term returns from … Read more
“Expect a Surprise” said my broker friend Jigneshbhai as we ordered a fresh new flavored cold coffee this time, when we met over the last weekend. “Is it a surprise or should I expect it?” asked a confused Swami. “If I expect it, it is no longer a surprise, and if it is a surprise, … Read more
“Thank God for the Supreme Court – now the government has to catch all the black money holders with Swiss Bank accounts” exclaimed my friend Swami while we were having our coffee this week. My broker friend Jigneshbhai was unmoved and kept sipping his coffee waiting for Swami to continue. As usual, nothing irritates Swami … Read more
“Yeh PSPO nahi jaanta!” Remember that old ad for – I think – Orient fans? In which a customer gets mocked for not knowing what is PSPO? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsDZdsizxrI] That was the kind of look my broker friend Jigneshbhai got from Swami when he said ‘No Idea!’ in response to Swami’s question on ‘where are the … Read more
And for a Friday (because this is a long weekend), a few stray thoughts and a few general observations and a few points of view (all my own work): Like the two great minds that influenced the 20th century the most were Gandhi and Einstein. Einstein changed the way we think about what the world … Read more
“So someone sent me a joke yesterday of an HR Manager who is asked to choose between Heaven and Hell at the Pearly Gates by St Peter”, said Jigneshbhai, as we sipped our coffee last weekend. Swami and I were busy reading up on the stock markets, as they were getting interesting by the day. … Read more
Till the morning of May 16th, nobody was sure, but India finally has a government, and how! The people have delivered a verdict that leaves no excuses for performance, and have put a man who promised that at the helm. No more whining about coalition compulsions and dual power centers with no will or abilities for … Read more