Four easy steps to buy MF's...

Equity is one of the best investments but it requires fairly large corpus, deep market knowledge and fairly regular monitoring. Mutual funds provide the right opportunity to the millions of investors - who lack money, expertise and/or time - to profit from the equity markets.

Mutual funds are supposed to make life simple! However, the story on the ground is somewhat different.

The number of Asset Management Companies has already crossed 30 and the number is growing. HDFC, Birla, Reliance, Franklin, Principal, Sundaram, LIC, Tata, SBI, UTI, ICICI Pru, Kotak, DSPML, etc. have been around for quite some time now.

But the tribe is growing with new entrants like HSBC, ABN Amro, Fidelity, Quantum, JM Morgan, AIG, etc. joining the party. While this competition is good as it allows better products & services to be offered, it becomes difficult for an ordinary investor to decide where to go.

Then comes the bewildering mix of funds - short term debt funds, long term debt funds, short term floating rate funds, long term floating rate funds, gilt funds, index funds, tax-saving funds, diversified equity funds, growth funds, dividend yield funds, mid-cap funds, sector-specific funds, close-ended/open-ended funds, etc. not to mention specialty funds like derivative funds, gold funds etc.

Many funds have similar names, which makes it difficult to distinguish between them. Many funds have exotic names. Again, all this variety is good, but it leaves a lay-investor totally foxed.

That's not the end of the story. Having chosen an AMC and a particular fund, you are again caught in a quandary, when you sit down to fill-up the form. Should you opt for growth or dividend? If dividend, then whether payout or reinvestment.

Well, here is a simple 4-point formula to help invest at least a large part of your corpus without many hassles.

Step 1:? Analyse yourself
The most basic rule of any investing is that you must invest keeping in mind your financial profile.

Each one of us has a unique financial profile. Accordingly our investment pattern will also be unique. Hence, we must never invest based on where others are investing.

Therefore, as the 1st step you need to design your investment plan taking into account your financial objectives/needs; the time period you can remain invested; and how much risk you can take with your money.

Step 2: Choose the type of fund
Having defined your investment needs, risk appetite and time horizon, decide how much money will go to which type of fund. As mentioned earlier, there are a wide variety of funds. But broadly speaking you can use the following simple strategy :

Short-term money: The money which you may need within 6 months should go to liquid or short-term floating rate funds.

Medium term money: The money which you need within 1-3 years should go to MIPs (which invest about 10-20 per cent?in equity) and balanced funds (which invest about 65-70 per cent?in equity). Or you can buy a suitable mix of 100 per cent?equity funds and fixed maturity plans/debt funds.

Long term money: The money which you don't need for at least 3-5 years should be put in large-cap/diversified/index funds (about 50-60 per cent), mid/small-caps (about 25-35 per cent) and sector funds (10-15 per cent). You can skip sector funds if your risk appetite is not high.

Step 3: Choose the specific funds
Top performers keep changing from year to year. It is impossible for anyone to predict which will be the top performer next year. Having said that, there are funds, which?have consistently delivered above average returns. This is the set of funds, which should be your target.

You have, in step 2, already shortlisted the 'type' of funds you should invest in. Now choose the top 5-7 funds amongst each particular type.

Just make sure that you are suitably diversified across fund houses too, by ensuring that you don't choose too many funds from the same AMC.

Step 4:? Which option is better
The basic returns from the fund will be same irrespective of the option you choose. However, the post-tax returns can be different. To keep things simple, just remember three things

Whatever be the fund, just opt for Growth Option if your holding period is more than one year.

If you plan to invest for less than 1-year in an equity fund (though this is not recommended), opt for Dividend Reinvestment.

If you plan to invest for less than 1-year in a debt fund, opt for Dividend Reinvestment if you are in the higher tax brackets.?

I am not talking about Dividend Payout here because in most cases you don't depend on dividends to take care of your daily needs. Money coming in through the dividend is just a psychological comfort.

Follow this 4-step process and you will be able to suitably deploy your money in the 'right' funds and avoid getting into any 'wrong' ones. Note that here 'right or wrong' doesn't necessarily mean that the funds are 'good or bad', but only whether they match your profile or not. This will help you to achieve your financial objectives safely and surely

rgds.,
Japan Shah
japan.shah@gmail.com

Sundaram BNP Paribas Select Midcap....

Fund Objective:

The scheme aims to achieve capital appreciation by investing in mid-cap stocks. The fund defines 'midcap' as a stock whose market capitalization shall not exceed the market capitalization of the 50th stock (after sorting the securities in the descending order of market capitalization) listed with the NSE.

Fund Manager: N Prasad

• Since: Mar - 2007
• Mr. Prasad holds a M.Com degree.Prasad has 15 years of work experience including 8 years experience as fund manager in various mutual funds

About the fund:

• The phenomenal returns generated by the fund have brought in huge investor interest in this mid-cap-oriented fund. Its assets have grown exponentially from Rs 500 crore in Jan 2006 to Rs 2,203 crore
  This fund has clearly been one of stars of the recent bull run in the mid-cap world. Launched in July 2002, the timing was perfect for Sundaram BNP Paribas Select Midcap.
• As the mid-caps started gaining momentum on the bourses in 2003, this fund brought home handsome gains for investors.
• The fund ended 2003 as the third-best equity fund with returns of 157.73 per cent.
• As the mid-caps slowed in 2004, Sundaram Midcap's returns too slowed a bit. The fund again hogged the limelight in 2006 with a return of 60.77 per cent, the second-best in the category of diversified equity funds.
• The phenomenal returns have brought in huge investor interest in the fund and assets have grown exponentially from Rs 500 crore in January 2006 to Rs 2,203 crore at present.
• However, the year to date return of Sundaram BNP Paribas Select Midcap may not be appealing as the mid-cap stocks faced heat on the bourses.
• The fund likes to keep substantial portion of its portfolio in cash (almost 20-30 per cent), though in May it reduced its cash holdings to 5 per cent.
• Although the assets in cash remain unutilised, the fund uses the cash for value buying during market falls. Holdings like Lakshmi Machine Works, Thermax, IVRCL Infrastructures have done wonders.
• The fund has highest exposure to metals and metal products sector. Of late, the fund has gone overboard on diversification. With the growth in AUM, it has been increasing the number of stocks in its portfolio too.
• What used to be a 60-stock portfolio in late 2004 has swelled into a 112-stock pack by April 2007.
• The problem is that such a huge portfolio can dilute the returns. Although there is the inherent volatility of the mid-cap universe, the fund is capable of rewarding the investors handsomely.
  

What is EPS, its uses and limitations...

What is EPS?

• 
  EPS is a measure to track the profitability and success of a company on a per share basis. It is a significant determinant of the price of a share.
• Mathematically EPS is the net profit or loss, less preference share dividends, divided by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during a period. The number of outstanding shares could vary owing to the company buying back shares, issuing fresh equity, conversion of debt to equity, etc.At the same time a company often has other financial instruments floating in the market that could be converted into equity.
• This potentially convertible equity could dilute your holdings.
• In order to take these into account, the concept of diluted EPS emerged. The two quoted figures can be quite different and you need to know what your share in the earnings will stand at if all the options of dilution come into effect.
• Companies report trailing EPS which is the based on earnings of the past year. You will often come across terms such as current and forward EPS, these figures are based on estimated earnings of a company.

How do you use it?

• Just the way an investment decision made solely on the price of a stock or NAV of a mutual fund, is deficient, stand alone EPS bears no meaning.
• It is used, primarily as a tool for comparison.
• At the same time you can't compare the EPS of companies functioning in different industries.
• In making an investment decision, one can analyse the rate of change in EPS in the last two quarters and compare this change to the EPS growth rates in the past three to five years. This would indicate if the company is on track in the current fiscal.
• As a tool for inter firm comparison, EPS gives you an indication of the return on investment made.

Limitation?

• EPS does not take into account the market price of a stock and its use is limited to gauging the earning consistency of the company.
• When analysing EPS you must also look at the price earning ratio as well.
  
  

rgds.,

Japan Shah

japan.shah@gmail.com

Kotak MF Gold ETF..

Kotak Mutual Fund has emerged as the third fund house, after Benchmark and UTI, to launch a Gold Exchange Traded Fund .

• Name of fund: Kotak Gold Exchange Traded Fund
• Scheme: Open-ended, gold exchange traded fund
• Objective: Generate returns that should be in line with the returns on investment in physical gold.
• Asset allocation: Physical Gold: 90% - 100% / Debt and money market securities: 0%-10% Fund opened: June 20, 2007
• Fund closes: July 4, 2007
• Face Value: Rs 100Minimum investment amount: Rs 5,000
• Fund Manager: Ritesh Jain
  

The fund is good for getting the advantage of the fluctions in gold in the short term and also to benefit the appreciation in the value of gold in long term..

rgds.,

japan shah

japan.shah@gmail.com

Significance of PE Ratio...

• The PE ratio is the current price of the stock divided by the reported earning per share of the stock.
• As a result the PE of a stock is subject to daily change.
• Since, the future earnings of a company are often built into the price of a stock, the PE ratio signifies to what extent the price is valued at the earning of the share of the past year.
• It is essentially the price you are willing to pay for Re 1 of a company's earnings.
• Given that future earnings of a company are uncertain, robust companies are able to extract a premium for their earnings. It has little to do with the returns that a stock could deliver. As a result you cannot use it as a means to forecast future performance, to elucidate further; PE of 18.50 times does not mean that the stock price will essentially grow to 18.50 times. It only means that investors are valuing the stock at 18.50 times of its earnings.
• Price to book value ratio (PB) compares a stock's market value to its book value (book value is assets minus liabilities). A lower PB could either mean that the stock is undervalued or that there is something fundamentally wrong with the company. PE and PB are used more as tool for comparison between stocks belonging to a certain peer group as stand alone PE does not signify anything.
• As far as mutual fund units are concerned the PE and PB are arrived through a weighted average of the inherent stocks. As a result, you shouldn't assign as much importance to a mutual fund's PE and PB as you would give to a stock's PE.
• High PE and PB relative to a category would indicate that the mutual fund holds stocks that are currently quoting at a premium and points towards a growth oriented strategy. If you are investing in a value fund, then expect the fund to have a PE lower than that of growth funds.While short-listing funds going through each funds PE and PB can be quite cumbersome and misleading.

rgds.,

japan shah

japan.shah@gmail.com

Birla Sun Life Frontline Equity Fund declares 40% divident...

Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund has announced a dividend of 40% (i.e. Rs.4.00 per unit on the face value of Rs. 10) under the dividend option of Birla Sun Life Frontline Equity Fund. The record date for the same has been fixed as June 29, 2007.

This is the sixth dividend being declared by the fund since its inception. Earlier in August 2006, the fund paid 60% dividend.

The returns of the fund are also very impressive...
1 year : 43%
3 years: 46%
since inception: 48%

The returns are very consistent and the NAV in the divident option post divident is 22(approx.). The fund is good for the one who have good risk appetite and the returns are also very consistent. it is a promissing fund to invest..

rgds.,
japan shah
japan.shah@gmail.com

Good news for MF investors....

Its a good news for investors in mutual funds.. the SEBI has decided to incerease the deadline of PAN card as the sole document for investing in the Mutual Funds from 2nd July to December. It has also mentioned that the investors will have to give the copy of application form for the PAN card for the time being.. But the news is good for the investors and the Mutual Fund companies...

The move from SEBI seems to be have come from the lobbying of the Mutual Fund companies, as the compulsion of PAN card would have reduced the flows of funds in the mutual funds...

Anyways its good for investors.. so happy investing...

rgds.,
japan shah
japan.shah@gmail.com

DLF Close to winning 3000 crs project... Biggest in the country

DLF appears close to bagging a Rs 30 billion convention centre project in Delhi, possibly the biggest in the country, as the company is the only bidder for developing the facility.The 35-acre project that includes land cost and lease was offered for bidding by the Delhi Administrative Authority. DLF is the sole bidder virtually bagging the project at Dwarka.DDA spokesperson said it has received only one bid for the convention centre project from DLF. The authority was yet to decide on the outcome of the bidding price, she said.The DDA spokesperson said the bid was yet to be opened. If DLF wins this project, it would be the company's first major deal after the public offer, which was the country's largest IPO of Rs 9,187 crore (Rs 91.87 billion).The convention centre project would comprise a conference hall spread over 72,000 sq ft with a seating capacity of 6,000. It would also have one or two hotels with 800 rooms. Besides, it would have the largest retail mall in Dwarka and one million sq ft of commercial space.

If this deal kicks off then the investors interest in the stock would incerease and the price moment of the stock to be positive after the listing...

rgds.,
japan shah
japan.shah@gmail.com