22 January 2012

Momentum to drain from world economy in 2012: Poll (ET)

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The world economy will lose momentum in 2012 but it will keep moving in the right direction, according to Reuters polls of around 600 economists who said crisis-hit Europe would drag on global growth.

Asian economies will again power the expansion of the world economy this year, but with relatively subdued performances. The United States, meanwhile, should continue to contribute modest growth that will easily outpace its recession-hit European peers.

Brazil will be one of the few big economies that will pick up steam this year, outshining slower Latin American stablemates Mexico and Argentina.

A Reuters poll that covers all of the top 20 developed and emerging economies, as well as some others in Asia, suggests global economic growth will slow to around 3.3 per cent this year from an estimated 3.7 per cent in 2011.

That is more optimistic than the latest forecast from the World Bank, which predicted world GDP would rise only 2.5 per cent this year.

Although the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis represents a huge risk to the world's economic health, there have at least been promising signs of life from the United States.

"We're fairly optimistic on the US, and we're in the soft-landing rather than the hard-landing camp for China," said Investec economist Victoria Cadman, whose forecast for global growth in the high-three per cent range is slightly more optimistic than the consensus.

"(That's) notwithstanding the huge risks that the euro crisis poses if a more disorderly fallout results."

China will again top the economic growth charts this year with growth of 8.4 per cent, although that is only a little over the 8 per cent mark economists deem necessary to create enough jobs to satisfy the country's fast-growing population.

India's economy will not be far behind, expanding 7 per cent in the 2012 fiscal year, although that would still be its worst showing in two years thanks to tight monetary policy and political deadlock.

Brazil's fervent domestic demand and credit growth should propel the economy to growth of around 3.3 per cent in 2012, and 4.5 per cent in 2013.

DIFFICULT TIMES

This year looks certain to be difficult for the rich developed economies. The world's largest, the United States, should grow around 2.2 per cent in 2012.

While fairly modest by historical standards and compared to its emerging peers, that would be vastly better than the 0.3 per cent contraction expected for the euro zone economy.

The immediate risk to Europe's economy would be a disorderly sovereign debt default from Greece that would hammer the European financial system. Athens is bargaining with its private creditors on a bond swap deal needed before it can repay 14.5 billion euros of bonds falling due in March.

"The seeming inability of euro zone policymakers to get on top of the region's sovereign debt crisis is threatening to exact a toll on economic growth well beyond its peripheral economies," said Mark Cliffe, chief economist of ING Group.

Germany will probably be the only major economy in Europe to rise above stagnation this year, although not by much - economists expect its economy to expand by 0.5 per cent in 2012.

Even Japan, mired in deflation and struggling to overcome the economic shock of the earthquake and tsunami last March, will easily outstrip European economies with growth of around 1.8 per cent in its fiscal year 2012-13.

That is the lowest forecast since the aftermath of last year's natural disasters, however, underscoring how over-optimistic some commentators were in expecting reconstruction to fuel a rapid expansion.

Backed by a mining boom, Australia's resource rich economy should lead the developed world in terms of growth, with a hearty 3.4 per cent expansion this year.

"The mining investment boom is largely 'baked in' and is expected to contribute two-thirds of GDP growth in 2012," said Paul Bloxham, chief economist at HSBC Bank Australia.

QUERY CORNER: Sterlite Industries, UCO Bank, Mahindra Satyam, TVS Motor, Opto Circuits, GTL Infrastructure, Berger Paints, IOB ::Business Line

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Please advise me on the outlook for Sterlite Industries and UCO bank bought at Rs 130 and Rs 65 respectively.
K. Kunhiraman
Sterlite Industries (Rs 113.9): After peaking out in January 2010, Sterlite Industries has been on a long-term downtrend. In August 2011, the stock broke through a key support at Rs 150 and accelerated downwards. But, its long-term support at Rs 86 provided base in December 2011 and the stock changed its direction. Investors with long-term perspective can consider buying the stock on declines with stop-loss at Rs 86. A strong move above the immediate resistance at Rs 130 will take the stock northwards to Rs 150 and to Rs 165 in the long-term. Nevertheless, a tumble below Rs 86 will drag the stock down to the Rs 70 - 74 range.
Short-term trend has been up for the stock ever since bottoming out last month. But it is likely to face key resistance at Rs 120 in the days ahead. Failure to move above this resistance will pull the stock down to Rs 100. Significant supports below this level are at Rs 95 and Rs 86.

Pivotals: Reliance Industries; Tata Steel; SBI, Infosys ::Business Line

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RIL announced its earnings and terms of buyback after trading hours on Friday. Market's reaction to these will determine the short-term trajectory for the stock. It formed an upward gap on Wednesday following the buzz on the share buyback. This surge has helped the stock close above both the 21 as well as the 50 day moving averages.
Short-term supports are at Rs 765 and Rs 745. Traders can hold their long positions as long as it trades above the first support. Upper targets for the week are Rs 827 and Rs 845. The 200-day moving average at Rs 845 will make this level an important hurdle.
The medium-term trend in the stock is down. But investors can take heart from the fact that it is holding above the key long-term support zone between Rs 700 and Rs 750. Long-term view will turn negative only on a weekly close below the recent trough at Rs 687.
Infosys (Rs 2,583.5)
Infosys closed almost unchanged for the week with a bullish gravestone doji in the weekly candlestick chart. This is a positive since the stock is attempting to stabilise around 50 per cent retracement of the up-move from August 2011 trough. The medium-term trend continues to be up and this view will reverse only if the stock goes on to close below Rs 2,467. This can act as the stop-loss for investors. The short-term trend is, however, down and the stock could attempt to move to the recent low at Rs 2,552. Rebound from here will provide the opportunity to go long for traders. Upper targets will then be at Rs 2,636 and Rs 2,673.
State Bank of India (Rs 1,931.8)
SBI too put up a strong show, closing higher in all the sessions last week. The stock has, however, neared an important short-term resistance at Rs 1,950. Traders should watch out for reversal early next week that can pull it lower to Rs 1,811 and Rs 1,724. Stop-loss for the short-term trading can be at Rs 1,800. If the stock holds above this level, it can move on to Rs 2,017 or Rs 2,062 in the days ahead. Conversely, a decline below Rs 1,724 will pull the stock down to its recent trough at Rs 1,571.
The medium-term outlook for the stock continues to be down. It has to first move above Rs 2,050 and Rs 2,330 to make the medium-term view positive.
Tata Steel (Rs 436.6)
Tata Steel surpassed the obstacle at Rs 420 to achieve our second target. But the stock faces strong short-term resistance around Rs 450. It is possible that the stock can give up some ground early next week to decline to Rs 400. Short-term traders can buy into such declines with stop at Rs 400. Decline below this level will result in the decline prolonging to Rs 390 or Rs 375. If the stock continues powering ahead next week, upper targets are Rs 478 and Rs 491.
Medium-term trend in the stock is down but the fact that it is moving up from the critical support zone between Rs 330 and Rs 370 is a positive from a long-term view point. Weekly close above Rs 476 will reverse the negative outlook for this time-period.

Stock strategy: Hindustan Unilever & United Phosphorus negative trends ::Business Line

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  Hindustan Unilever (Rs 388): After having a dream run last year, Hindustan Unilever appears to be heading towards some resistance. It now faces a strong resistance at Rs 413 and has a support at Rs 375. A close above the resistance zone could take it to new heights. In that case, the stock can go up to Rs 475-480 levels, according to Fibonacci projections.
However, if Hindustan Unilever closes below Rs 375, then the outlook will turn negative. In that event, the stock can touch Rs 329. We expect the stock to head towards its support level in the short-term.
F&O pointers: The counter witnessed a rollover of 37 per cent to the February series. It appears that most of the rollovers were on the short side. Options are not that active. Though only three days are left for expiry (of Jan series), February series in the option segment witnessed very low activity.
Strategy: Traders can go short on Hindustan Unilever February futures keeping the stop-loss at Rs 395.
This strategy is for traders with a high appetite for risk.
United Phosphorus (Rs 141): Despite a marginal pull back rally in the last few days, the outlook remains negative for United Phosphorus. The stock finds an immediate resistance at Rs 152 and a close above that will lift the stock towards Rs 175. On the other hand, United Phosphorus finds support at Rs 128 and a close below that will drag it towards Rs 100. Chances of the stock breaching support seem higher.
F&O pointers: It witnessed a rollover of 43 per cent to the February series. February series saw an accumulation of open interest on the long sides. Options are not active.
Strategy: Traders can go short on United Phosphorus February futures with a stop-loss at Rs 152 for an initial target of Rs 128. If the stock opens on a negative note, the stop-loss can be shifted to Rs 141.
Follow-up: Last week, we recommended traders to consider a long on JSW Ispat Steel and a short on Indraprastha Gas. Though JSW Ispat opened last week on expected lines, it could not sustain the gains. On the other hand, Indraprastha Gas is behaving on expected lines. Traders can hold the short position with a revised stop-loss of Rs 327.

Sizzling Stocks: Aban Offshore ,IRB Infrastructure Developers ::Business Line

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Sizzling Stocks: Aban Offshore (Rs 441.1)


Aban Offshore blasted its way higher right from the outset of the week. It gained 10 per cent on Monday and then went on to build on these gains to close the week more than 20 per cent higher. The stock has formed a solid medium-term base between Rs 320 and Rs 330. It has tested this level thrice since last August and is currently trying to move higher.
Short-term impediments will be at Rs 480, Rs 525 and Rs 570. Short-term investors can divest their holding if the stock reverses from any of these levels. Key medium-term hurdles are at Rs 720 and Rs 835. Investors should venture into the stock only if it gets past Rs 835. Inability to get past this level will result in the stock remaining volatile in the range between Rs 300 and Rs 850 over the ensuing months. Stop for investors can be at Rs 300.


IRB Infrastructure Developers (Rs 161.9)
IRB Infra also turned red hot this week, gaining 14 per cent. The prospects of the stock were looking quite bleak till the first week of January when it recorded a 31-month low at Rs 122. Its fortunes, however, revived since then and the stock is up 26 per cent from this trough. This trough can now act as the stop-loss for investors. Those with higher risk taking ability can also buy in declines with the same stop.
Near-term resistances for the stock would be at Rs 170 and Rs 195. Medium-term view will turn positive only on a close above Rs 200. Else the outlook for the stock will remain in doldrums. Long-term resistances are at Rs 240 and Rs 315.

Rupee on winning spree :: Business Line

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If well begun is half done, then the rupee may be on its way to recoup a lot of the ground it lost in the latter half of 2011. The Indian currency's fortunes seem to be rapidly turning for the better in 2012, with the past fortnight being the best for the currency in a long time now. Continuing the good start in the beginning of the calendar, the INR gained as much as 4.7 per cent against the US dollar in the last two weeks to close at 50.34 per USD. This is just a tad below the psychologically crucial level of 50, which was breached in early November. Against the euro too, the rupee gained strongly (3.7 per cent) to close at 64.99.
Improving economic indicators
The many steps taken by the RBI at the close of 2011 to support the beleaguered rupee seem to be showing results now. Also aiding the currency in recent weeks are positive tidings on the economic front. Food inflation has been negative for three consecutive weeks now, and headline inflation for December 2011 was at 7.47 per cent, a two-year low. The trend, if it continues, will give the Reserve Bank of India leeway to moderate rates in the months ahead. Also, latest industrial production data show a growth of 5.9 per cent in November 2011 compared with the fall of 5.1 per cent in October 2011. This, however, may be due to the ‘Diwali effect' and the numbers for subsequent months need to be watched.
Export growth in December (6.7 per cent) has also shown modest improvement after the poor show of 3.87 per cent growth in November. Imports, however, continue to grow faster than exports, causing the current account deficit to further widen. This could exert pressure on the rupee in the months ahead. The INR was also aided in the past fortnight by a buoyant stock market, which saw FII inflows of around $972 million. In the coming weeks, the movement in the rupee will be influenced by the RBI's stance in the credit policy coming Tuesday.
Euro gains
The euro, on a losing streak against the US dollar, lost some more in the previous fortnight before making a smart comeback. S&P's downgrade of the sovereign ratings of nine European nations, including France, and its follow-up downgrade of the Euro zone rescue fund saw the euro on slippery ground. There were also increased fears of a Greek debt default after talks with lenders reportedly hit a roadblock. However, news last week of the IMF considering a boost in its lending capacity and the Greece talks being back on track saw the euro rebound strongly. The euro currently yields 1.29 USD per unit, a gain of 1.7 per cent over the past fortnight. Consequently, the Dollex (an index of the US dollar against major currencies) shed 1.3 per cent over the last couple of weeks to close at 80.22.

52-WEEK FLOP: FIRSTSOURCE SOLUTIONS :: Business Line

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Firstsource Solutions, a BPO player, has been facing a turbulent 12-18 months as it grapples with anaemic growth in key financials.
In FY11, both revenues and profits had low single digit growth over the previous fiscal.
In the first half of FY12, revenues rose just 6.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, while net profits more than halved to Rs 32.1 crore.
The company derives its revenue from three segments — BFSI, telecom and media and healthcare, with each of these verticals contributing 30-35 per cent to the overall pie.
Firstsource has been facing a decline in revenues from telecom and media as well as healthcare.
The company also has large amounts of debt to be serviced. As of September 2011, Firstsource has secured and unsecured loans to the tune of Rs 2,086.6 crore in its books.
Employee costs too have been increasing steadily for the company, with the first half of this fiscal seeing a 14.5 per cent rise in personnel expenses over the same period in the previous year. This may be attributed to the fact that it has a high-cost structure as 24.5 per cent of its workforce is based outside India. This adds to the pressure on margins.
Attrition too is extremely high at over 40 per cent across geographies, posing execution challenges.

Rating Watch -DLF :: Business Line

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Excerpts of credit rating actions of companies over the last couple of months.
CRISIL downgrades DLF
“CRISIL has downgraded its ratings on the debt programmes and bank facilities of DLF Ltd (DLF) to ‘CRISIL A/Negative/CRISIL A2+' from ‘CRISIL A+/Stable/CRISIL A1' w.e.f Dec 27, 2011.”
“The downgrade has been driven by CRISIL's belief that DLF's debt levels will remain high and that the weak business environment will result in moderate operating cash flows, leading to weak debt protection metrics. DLF's debt levels will remain higher than CRISIL's earlier expectations because of delay in divestment of non-core assets.”
“Furthermore, the weak business environment will continue to dampen the outlook for the real estate sector in the near term. This, coupled with the high debt levels, is expected to lead to the company's weak debt protection metrics. The ratings reflect DLF's healthy business risk profile and financial flexibility. These rating strengths are partially offset by the company's high debt levels resulting in weak debt protection metrics, and susceptibility to risks and cyclicality inherent in the real estate sector.”
“DLF has very high debt levels, which increased to around Rs 255 billion as on September 30, 2011, from Rs 240 billion as on March 31, 2011. The increase in borrowings is a result of slower new project launches, investment in strategic land acquisition, and delay in recovery from non-core asset divestments.”
“DLF has unlocked Rs 35 billion from divestment of non-core assets over the past two and a half years and has identified a portfolio of non-core assets aggregating to Rs 60-70 billion, for divestment over the medium term.”

WHAT THIS MEANS

“Instruments with ‘Crisil A' rating (for long-term instruments) are considered to have adequate degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such instruments carry low credit risk.” Nevertheless, the comparative standing of DLF among all ‘CRISIL A' rated instruments has come down, post-downgrade. Secondly, if a rating agency changes outlook to ‘negative' from ‘stable', the possibility of future downgrades rise. Rating downgrade increases the cost of borrowing for a company from the debt market. DLF's short-term rating was also downgraded.
ICRA revises Karnataka Bank's long-term ratings downwards
“ICRA has revised the ratings to the Rs 350 crore Lower Tier II bonds of Karnataka Bank Limited to [ICRA]A from [ICRA]A+ with a stable outlook w.e.f. Jan 16, 2012.”
“The rating revision on the long term scale factors in the continued deviation in Karnataka Bank's key financial indicators as compared with peer banks rated at similar levels following the sharp deteriorating asset quality indicators (marked by slippages in a few large accounts) and continued pressures on interest margins due to large investments into the RIDF bonds (for shortfall in meeting priority sector norms).”
“KBL suffers from high NPA levels in its top industry exposures – infrastructure, textiles & gems & jewellery as well as Microfinance and agriculture”
“The provisioning cover (provisions + technical write offs) for the bank stands at 60 per cent which is lower than the systemic average. KBL's restructured assets stand at Rs 954 crore or approximately 5 per cent of the overall gross advances. Bulk of these restructured assets belongs to the textile sector. According to the bank, these advances are performing according to the restructuring terms and conditions and are classified as standard assets.”

WHAT THIS MEANS

“Instruments with [ICRA] A rating are considered to have adequate degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such instruments carry low credit risk.” The revision from A+ to A would again mean comparative standing of Karnataka Bank among all ICRA A rated companies has come down.

52-WEEK BLOCKBUSTER: PAGE INDUSTRIES:: Business Line

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In a budding branded innerwear market, Page Industries has a firm grounding with its Jockey range for men and women. This, together with the non-discretionary nature of products and a diversification into new segments, has put Page Industries on a high-growth path. The company's stock has been on a steady uptick in response to the consistently strong revenue and earnings growth.
Page Industries extended its brand strength into categories such as sportswear and leisure wear. Helping propel sales was its vast retail reach. It has 70 exclusive brand outlets and over 20,000 other lingerie shops which sell its products.
Cotton (the primary raw material) prices surging rapidly in late 2010 through early 2011, and excise duty on branded apparel, added to the cost. But the consequent price hikes Page Industries undertook didn't appear to dent demand in the longer term with consumers adjusting to the higher prices.
Revenues grew 45 per cent in the first half of this fiscal while net profits expanded 76 per cent. Operating margins shot up to 24 per cent for this period from the 21 per cent in the comparable year-ago period.
Net margins improved to 15 per cent from the 12 per cent in the year-ago period. There is also strong potential to ramp up revenues from Page Industries' becoming the exclusive licensee of international swimwear brand Speedo.

Get more returns from your ULIPs:: Business Line

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If you foresee a dip in the stock market, you should switch a large portion of your investment to debt/liquid funds, and switch them back into equity once the market picks up.
“My market-linked plan hasn't delivered what I expected. Is there a way I can manage the returns on my ULIP?” This is a common question amongst Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP) customers.

A WAY OUT?

ULIPs do provide a variety of options to manage your returns due to market fluctuations. Fund switch option, the option to move your money from a pure equity plan to a debt or even hybrid plan, is one such facility by which you can manage your returns.
Fund switching can be carried out based on your risk appetite. Market savvy investors can also use the fund switching option to improve ULIP returns.
For those who may not have the understanding or time to track the markets, plans such as the Asset Allocation or Wheel of Life allow the fund manager to take the call.

USING SWITCHES

The fund switch option is a convenient way to protect their investments from market fluctuations and maximise returns by balancing the portfolio between debt and equity.
The switching of funds should be done considering your risk appetite, volatility of the stock market and your financial goals.
If you foresee a dip in the stock market, for instance, you should switch a large portion of your investment to debt/liquid funds, and switch them back into equity once the market picks up again. Such switches, however, can be difficult for lay investors.
As your policy moves towards maturity or you are approaching a milestone in life where you require money, such as child's education or daughter's marriage, you should move a maximum portion of your investment into safer debt/liquid funds.
This will ensure that a large corpus of the investment is secure and guarantees good returns at the time of maturity or a withdrawal.
Depending on the product, ULIPs may offer a certain number of free switches or unlimited switches in a year. ULIPs from Bajaj Allianz for instance, offer unlimited free switches throughout the policy term.

WHEN TO SWITCH

Mr Singh, a 30 year-old earning individual has invested in a ULIP with a policy term of 30 years. He has opted for an all-equity fund. How should he manage his asset allocation?
Initially, Mr Singh can maintain 100 per cent of his investment in equities.
Say, after 5 years, as Mr Singh's financial responsibilities increase after marriage and children, it is recommended that he reduces his investment in equity by 20 per cent every 5 years by moving it into debt funds. By reviewing the investment every year and continuing to maintain this asset allocation, in the last five years, Mr Singh may have only 20 per cent of his investment in equity funds.
The accompanying table explains his equity-debt apportionment.
Policyholders can manage their fund switches through the self-service facilities offered by life insurers on their customer Web sites. Check with your insurer if they have secure translation process for changing the asset allocation on your ULIPs.
This is basically to protect the customer's interest and minimise misuse of the system.

AUTOMATIC SWITCHING

If you are not market-savvy or do not have the time to keep watch on the market, some ULIPs also offer an Asset Allocation fund or “Wheel of Life” portfolio strategy. In an Asset Allocation fund, the insurer's fund manager switches between equity and debt funds considering the view of the market. In the ‘Wheel of Life' strategy, the investment is managed in a pre-defined manner with automatic switches.
By opting for the “Wheel of Life Portfolio strategy”, the investor puts his asset allocation on an auto-pilot mode wherein the investment is gradually shifted to debt from equity keeping the investor's age and outstanding term in mind.
This optimises risk and returns based on the time horizon of the plan.
Studies have shown that if the asset mix is changed depending on market conditions, one can insulate oneself from market volatility to a certain extent.

Gold is getting riskier:: Business Line

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When investors make a beeline for an asset, its risks automatically escalate.
One big misconception about gold is that it is a ‘safe' investment that protects your portfolio. If protection is defined as the ability to deliver less volatile returns, gold fails the test. Measures such as standard deviation suggest that gold prices have been suffering higher intra-day swings in recent times than in the past. In fact, in 2011, the daily price variation in gold was much the same as that in the Sensex.

INVESTMENT DEMAND

The higher price volatility in gold is a function of the shifting demand patterns for the metal worldwide. Gold has already made the transition from being a pure commodity to an investment avidly pursued by global investors. A few years ago, global demand for gold originated mainly from jewellery buyers, with industrial users and investors also chipping in with purchases.
Not so now. Latest statistics from the World Gold Council show that investment demand for gold — from gold funds, exchange traded funds, bars and coins — overtook jewellery demand in the third quarter of 2011. In fact, as much as 40 per cent of the annual gold demand now comes from investors.
Now, when investors make a beeline for an asset, its risks automatically escalate. Consumers buy an asset when its prices fall, but investors pour in money when the returns look good. It is not surprising that investors are seeking out gold after it has completed a nine-year run of positive returns.
The question though is — will their interest sustain if returns taper off, or worse still, if gold prices retreat?

NEW RISKS

Investment flows that flood into a fancied asset in a bull market can be pulled out with equal alacrity when a correction begins.
Therefore, if gold prices do correct from these levels, they can suffer steeper falls than in the past.
The newfound investment appetite for gold has also added half a dozen new variables to the factors that impact gold prices. Today, a recovery in US equities, the downgrade of yet another European nation, China's decision to curb lending or a blip in the Rupee can all affect returns for Indian gold investors.
In fact, it is gold's ascent as an investment that has broken down its traditional relationships with other assets. Gold has traditionally been recommended as a diversifier for any investor's portfolio because it shares a negative correlation (tendency to move in the opposite direction) with equities. In India, at least, this negative correlation no longer exists.
The marginal negative correlation that gold (in rupees) displayed with Sensex returns two years ago has transformed to a small positive correlation now. The correlation is still small enough to ensure that gold doesn't move in step with the Sensex. But gold may not offer the certainty of gains if the Sensex goes into a tailspin.

How Indian households save and invest:: Business Line

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Though investor population over the past decade has grown significantly, it hasn't quite enticed Indian households to follow suit. According to the report — How Households Save and Invest: Evidence from National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) Household Survey — released recently by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the participation by Indian households in the securities market continues to remain low.
Only 11 per cent (that is, 24.5 million investors) of the households surveyed made investments in the securities market. It was also found that a chunk of the investors were urban Indians, what with 20 per cent of the urban households invested in markets as against 6 per cent in rural India.
For the purpose of the survey, a sample of 38,000 households in 44 cities and 40 villages across the states was considered.
Here are some of the interesting findings from the report:

INVESTMENT PIE

Mutual funds are the most preferred route for market investments, what with about 43 per cent of the respondents taking to it. Exposure to secondary market investments came in second, preferred by 22 per cent of the households. Nearly 15 per cent preferred bonds — probably owing to the instrument's steady returns promise vis-à-vis a volatile stock market. Initial public offerings garnered the interest of only 8.5 per cent households. (See table)
The attraction for mutual funds was higher among rural households, what with 46 per cent of them choosing MFs as against 41 per cent of urban investors.
Here again, villages close to urban centres significantly participated in financial markets, particularly in the mutual funds, pointed the report.
An interesting sidelight here is that households with higher level of education tended to invest more. For instance, as against the 22 per cent national average, about 26 per cent of households with more than 15 years of education preferred to invest in secondary markets. It was also found that households with a higher level of education opted for a longer time horizon for their investments.
As for IPO investing, preference was driven more by gender bias, as male investors were seen taking to it more than their female counterparts.

SAVINGS PIE

But where do majority of the Indian households stash their savings? In commercial banks and insurance schemes, pointed the report. More than half the Indian households (about 54 per cent) treat commercial banks and insurance schemes as their primary choice of savings, reflecting the need to provide for intra-household financial security.
That said, there is also a significant magnitude of small savers among all households (urban as well as rural). About 11-25 per cent of all households save in post-office savings schemes. Here again, the level of education played a crucial role. It was found that post-office savings schemes were most preferred by white- collar workers whose level of education was between 10 and 15 years.
Education played a significant role in influencing risk preferences also. For instance, the degree of risk was the highest among investors with more than 15 years of schooling.

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