Month: February 2019

Choosing mid and small-cap mutual funds

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The mid-cap and small-cap market has gone through a lot of churns in the last one year. Stocks have fallen across the board, which means that many funds in this category are still nursing losses.

Now, mid-caps and small-caps are the gems that can also become big wealth creators, therefore, they deserve a place in your portfolio. But, how do you make sure that you are in the right funds? Do you need to churn your portfolio? And is this the time to allocate more money to such funds?

To talk on these issues, financial planning experts Harshvardhan Roongta and Manoj Nagpal join the show.

Listen to the full story in our latest podcast

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

OnePlus plans up to 5-fold increase in headcount at India R&D centre

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Premium smartphone maker OnePlus plans to increase headcount at its R&D centre in India by up to five-folds as it looks to make the facility its largest globally in the next three years.

The research and development centre has an employee strength of 100 at present.

“We have recently opened up OnePlus R&D centre in Hyderabad. This will become OnePlus largest centre globally in the next three years. Looking forward to India R&D centre, you can expect 300-500 people to be part of the team, OnePlus Founder and CEO Pete Lau told PTI here.

India is among one of India’s largest markets for OnePlus accounting for around 33 per cent of its global revenue, Lau said.

According to Counterpoint Market Research, OnePlus emerged as the best-selling premium smartphone brand of 2018 and also led the premium smartphone segment (priced over Rs 30,000 a unit) for three consecutive quarters capturing 36 per cent of the market in October-December 2018.

Lau said that the company will be among the first to launch 5G smartphones globally in the second quarter and look for availability of the next generation networks in India at the earliest.

The company would also be part of 5G trials in India in partnership with chipset maker Qualcomm.

He said that OnePlus is looking to scale up manufacturing in India as per business requirement and at the same time encouraging component makers and other supply chain vendors of its premium smartphones to set up base in India.

As the largest OEM (original equipment maker) in the premium segment, we very much want to and see ourselves as having influence to help bring supply chain for build out of premium flagship devices to make that supply chain more complete. That’s good for OnePlus and India and the entire industry. As our supply chain is further developed, we will then be interested in exploring the opportunity for export,” Lau said.

OnePlus currently uses Oppo Mobiles factory to manufacture its devices in India and claims to be manufacturing all devices locally that are sold in India.

When asked about expected growth in India and the company’s plan around encashing growth projections with the advent of 5G, Lau said Growth is not something which we don’t forecast but it is a result of performance and action. We haven’t planned for the set amount of growth in India but we have been a success in India.

A Counterpoint report said that OnePlus was also the fastest growing premium smartphone brands annually, growing at 85. Per cent year-on-year driving the growth of the entire premium smartphone segment

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Day after PAF retaliation, Kashmir limps back towards normalcy

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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After a number of events jolted Kashmir for 24 hours as the border tension between India and Pakistan escalated, it finally saw some semblance of normalcy being restored although the overall environment remained uncertain.

The Pakistan Air Force on Wednesday violated the Indian air space in retaliation to the air strike carried out by the Indian Air Force on Tuesday on terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad’s camps in Pakistan’s Balakot and subsequently arrested an Indian pilot after his plane crashed across the Line of Control.

While social media users reported long, serpentine queues for petrol at different pumps across Srinagar, the tourist population that had been stranded following the cancellation of flights out of the state began exiting as flight services resumed today.

Mohammed Mir of the Kashmir Hotel & Restaurant Association (KHARA), which had offered free accommodation to the tourists, said that most tourists had exited the Valley and yesterday’s situation had eased. He added, however, that it would take another 2-3 days of continuous supplies to the state before things normalised and that the suspension of the Samjhauta Express had led to further uncertainty.

Key roads like the Srinagar-Kargil road and the Jammu-Srinagar highway remained closed due to the accumulation of snow and resulting landslides. The J&K Traffic Police tweeted that subject to fair weather, stranded vehicles would be allowed to proceed towards Jammu tomorrow.

A ceasefire was reported across at least four sectors along the LoC this afternoon and schools within a 5 km radius had been evacuated, reports from CNN-News18 suggested. However, with Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s announcement to release captured IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Vartaman, hopes of a de-escalation are high.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ready to deal with any Pakistan maritime misadventure, says Navy

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Indian Navy on Thursday said it is in a high state of readiness to deal with any Pak maritime misadventure amid rising tensions between the two neighbours.

Pakistani Air Force on Wednesday carried out a retaliatory strike across the Line of Control(LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and attempted to target military installations, a day after India’s strike on the JeM facility in Balakot.

“The Navy is deployed in a high state of readiness and remains poised on surface, under sea and in air to deter, prevent and defeat any misadventure by Pakistan in maritime domain,” a Defence spokesperson said in a statement.

“The Navy assures of a resolute, swift and strong response when needed. We stand as one with the Army and Air Force to ensure the safety and security of the nation and our citizens,” he said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Very happy Abhindandan will return tomorrow, expected it under Geneva Conventions, says IAF

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The Indian Air Force on Thursday said it is very happy that captured pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is returning home but dismissed suggestions that it was a goodwill gesture, insisting it was in line with the Geneva Conventions.

“We are very happy Abhinandan will be freed tomorrow and look forward to his return,” Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor, assistant chief of Air Staff, told a news conference.

Varthaman’s MiG 21 was shot and he bailed out after bringing down two Pakistani F-16 fighters during a dogfight to repel a Pakistani attack on Wednesday morning, he said. He has been in Pakistan since then.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament on Thursday that Varthaman would be released on Friday as a “peace gesture”.

Asked if the IAF sees it as a goodwill move, he said, “We see it as a gesture in consonance with the Geneva Conventions.”

He was addressing the media along with the representatives of the Army and the Navy, who both said the armed forces are on high alert and ready to meet any security challenge on land and sea.

Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. It came 12 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.

Kapoor said it was up to the political leadership to decide when and how to release evidence of the Balakot strike’s success.

He was responding to a question that there was some scepticism about whether IAF fighters had hit the intended targets.

Kapoor said there is credible information and evidence that “we hit the intended targets” and it was premature to assess the casualties and damage.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal agrees to step down as chairman

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Jet Airways’ founder Naresh Goyal has agreed to step down as chairman of the airline’s board, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday, as the cash-strapped Indian carrier inches closer to securing a rescue deal.

CNBC-TV18 was the first to report this development on January 15, 2019.

Eithad, which owns a 24 percent stake in Jet Airways, is, however, reticent to provide interim funding of $99 million to Jet Airways, the source said. Jet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Saddled with a billion dollars in debt, Jet has defaulted on loans and has not paid pilots, leasing firms and suppliers for months. Lessors have grounded more than a dozen of its planes pending payment of dues.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

RBI constitutes task force under Usha Thorat on offshore rupee markets

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The RBI on Thursday announced a task force headed by its former deputy governor Usha Thorat to examine issues related to offshore rupee markets and recommend policy measures to ensure stability of the external value of the domestic currency.

The eight-member task force will assess the causes behind the development of the offshore rupee market and study the effects of the offshore markets on the rupee exchange rate and market liquidity in the domestic market.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it would also recommend measures to address concerns, if any, arising out of offshore rupee trading besides proposing measures to generate incentives for non-residents to access the domestic market.

Another point of reference for the task force is to examine the role international financial services centres can play in addressing the concerns.

The central bank further said the panel would be submitting its report by the end of June 2019.

The RBI said it has been guided by the objective of developing deep and liquid on-shore financial markets that act as a price setter of the Rupee globally.

The focus of policy efforts has been to align incentives for non-residents to gradually move to the domestic market while at the same time improving market liquidity to promote hedging activity on-shore while announcing setting up of the task force.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow