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Archive for February, 2008

Over The Counter Exchange of India (OTC)

February 19, 08 by FinanceTurf

The OTCEI was established to address the specific needs of small business enterprises.

Small companies find difficulty in meeting the stringent requirements for listing shares at stock exchanges.

Thus, shares issued by small companies become untradeable n do not carry any liquidity.

As a result, when these companies issue shares there are very few buyers for them.

Thus the OTC has been set up as a second tier exchange for small companies.

“An electronic stock exchange based in India that is comprised of small- and medium-sized firms looking to gain access to the capital markets. Like electronic exchanges in the U.S. such as the NASDAQ, there is no central place of exchange and all trading is done through electronic networks.”

Basic features of Over The Counter Exchange of India are:-

a) Compulsory market maker to provide liquidity – mandatory sponsorship from banks/financial institutions for appraising the securities.

b) Settlement – payment and delivery within one week of transaction.



National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)

February 18, 08 by FinanceTurf

The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) is a Mumbai-based stock exchange.

National Stock Exchange
National Stock Exchange

The main objective of NSE is to provide a nation wide transparent market for equity, debt and other variation of securities.

It’s the largest stock exchange in India.

NSE is mutually-owned by a set of leading financial institutions, banks, insurance companies and other financial intermediaries but its ownership and management operate as separate entities.

National Stock Exchange
National Stock Exchange

Vibrant features of NSE are:-

2) Securities traded – The NSE has two segments for trading in securities

a) Capital market segment – equity, debentures and hybrids,

b) Money market segment – T-bills, Cps, CDs, PSU bonds etc.

2) Payment and delivery on the NSE are completed within 15 days of the transactions.

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Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

February 18, 08 by FinanceTurf

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was set up in 1988 to regulate the function of the securities markets with a view to promoting their orderly and healthy development, to provide adequate protection to investors and to thus create an environment to facilitate mobilization of adequate resources through the securities market.

Bombay Stock Exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange

Then it was subsequently upgraded as a fully autonomous body (a statutory Board) in the year 1992 with the passing of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act (SEBI Act) on 30th January 1992.

In place of Government Control, a statutory and autonomous regulatory board with defined responsibilities, to cover both development & regulation of the market, and independent powers has been set up.

Paradoxically this is a positive outcome of the Securities Scam of 1990-91.

National Stock Exchange
National Stock Exchange

The basic objectives of the Board were identified as:-

• To protect the interests of investors in securities;

• To promote the development of Securities Market;

• To regulate the securities market and

• For matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

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Stock Exchange

February 17, 08 by FinanceTurf

Mexico Stock Exchange
Mexico Stock Exchange

A stock exchange, share market or bourse is a corporation or mutual organization which provides facilities for stock brokers and traders, to trade company stocks and other securities.

The Securities Contract (Regulation) Act, 1956 defines a stock exchange as an association, organization or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not, established for the purpose of assisting, regulating and controlling of business in buying, selling and dealing in securities.

Every stock exchange has a specific location.

Stock Exchange
Stock Exchange

Only members who have applied and obtained membership are authorized to trade there.

Brokers serve as intermediaries between the buyers and sellers.
Securities that are traded on the stock exchange are known as listed securities.

Stock exchanges have multiple roles in the economy, this may include the following :-

• Raising capital for businesses

• Mobilizing savings for investment

• Facilitating company growth

• Redistribution of wealth

• Corporate governance

• Creating investment opportunities for small investors

• Government capital-raising for development projects

• Barometer of the economy

Wall Street Stock Exchange
Wall Street Stock Exchange

Twenty Major Stock Exchanges in the World are as follows:-

Region

Stock Exchange

Africa

Johannesburg Securities Exchange

Americas

NASDAQ

Americas

São Paulo Stock Exchange

Americas

Toronto Stock Exchange

Americas/Europe

NYSE Euro next

Asia-Pacific

Australian Securities Exchange

Asia-Pacific

Bombay Stock Exchange

Asia-Pacific

Hong Kong Stock Exchange

Asia-Pacific

Korea Exchange

Asia-Pacific

National Stock Exchange of India

Asia-Pacific

Shanghai Stock Exchange

Asia-Pacific

Shenzhen Stock Exchange

Asia-Pacific

Tokyo Stock Exchange

Europe

Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Deutsche Börse)

Europe

London Stock Exchange

Europe

Madrid Stock Exchange (Bolsas y Mercados Españoles)

Europe

Milan Stock Exchange (Borsa Italiana)

Europe

Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX)

Europe

Nordic Stock Exchange Group OMX

Europe

Swiss Exchange

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Preferential Issue, Right Issue (for existing companies)

February 17, 08 by FinanceTurf

This is the practice followed by a company to make preferential allotment of securities to selected persons, who are normally the promoters, etc.

At a price unrelated to the prevailing market price.

The advantage is that funds are obtained at a minimal cost as compared to the public issue or the private placements methods.

But preferential allotments have been sometimes misused by companies.

Currency
Currency

Each shareholder has the right to subscribe to the new shares in the portion of shares he already holds.
The shareholder may either accept the offer for himself or assign a part or all of his rights to another.

Such rights are valuable to shareholders as they are at price below the current market price.
The right issue is an inexpensive and convenient way of raising additional capital as compared to the amount already issued.

A rights issue to the existing shareholders is a mandatory requirement.

The issue of additional shares to other parties without giving the existing shareholders the opportunity to subscribe would reduce the existing shareholders’ proportion of the total capital; i.e.it would ‘water’ their equity.

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Initial Public Offer (IPO) – Most heard about

February 17, 08 by FinanceTurf

Initial Public Offering
Initial Public Offering

Initial public offering, also referred to simply as a "public offering," is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public.

IPOs are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately-owned companies looking to become publicly traded.

In an IPO, the issuer may obtain the assistance of an underwriting firm, which helps it determine what type of security to issue (common or preferred), best offering price and time to bring it to market.

IPOs
IPOs

IPOs can be a risky investment.

For the individual investor, it is tough to predict what the stock will do on its initial day of trading and in the near future since there is often little historical data with which to analyze the company.

The IPO can be made by 3 methods which are:-

a) Public Issue through Prospectus – raising the capital by issuing a prospectus to inform and attract the investing public.

b) Offer for Sale – offering the new securities to the investing public by the intermediary like underwriters, merchant banking etc.

c) Private Placement – selling of new securities by an intermediary to selected clients at higher price.

When a company lists its shares on a public exchange, it will almost invariably look to issue additional new shares in order to raise extra capital at the same time.
The money paid by investors for the newly-issued shares goes directly to the company (in contrast to a later trade of shares on the exchange, where the money passes between investors).

IPOs
IPOs

An IPO, therefore, allows a company to tap a wide pool of stock market investors to provide it with large volumes of capital for future growth.
The company is never required to repay the capital, but instead the new shareholders have a right to future profits distributed by the company.

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More about Dividends..

February 17, 08 by FinanceTurf

Dividends are payments made by a company to its shareholders.

Dividends
Dividends

When a company earns a profit, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business (called retained earnings), or it can be paid to the shareholders of the company as a dividend.

Paying dividends is not an expense; rather, it is the division of an asset among shareholders.

Dividends Policy
Dividends Policy

There are various forms in which the dividends can be paid, some of which are :-

• Cash

Cash dividends (most common) are those paid out in form of cheques. This is the most common method of sharing corporate profits with the shareholders of the company.

Stock

Stock dividends are those paid out in form of additional stock shares of the issuing corporation, or other corporation. They are usually issued in proportion to shares owned.

• Property

Property dividends or dividends in ‘in kind’ are those paid out in form of assets from the issuing corporation or another corporation. They are relatively rare and most frequently are securities of other companies owned by the issuer.

• Other

Dividends can be used in structured finance. Financial assets with a known market value can be distributed as dividends.

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Bonds..

February 17, 08 by FinanceTurf

Bond is a debt security, similar to a debenture.
When we purchase a bond, we are lending money to a government, municipality, corporation or other entity known as the issuer.

In return for the loan, the issuer promises to pays a specified rate of interest during the life of the bond and to repay the face value of the bond (the principal) when it “matures,” or comes due.

Bond, like debenture, is an acknowledgement of debt issued under the seal of a company and signed by an authorized signatory.

The expression ‘Bond’ has become synonymous with the debt instruments where the rate of interest is not pre-determined. Examples of bonds are Deep Discount Bond, Zero Coupon Bond etc.

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Debentures

February 17, 08 by FinanceTurf

A company can raise funds through issue of debentures too, but it bears a fixed rate of interest on it.

Debenture Investments
Debenture Investments

The debenture issued by a company is an acknowledgement that a company has borrowed a certain amount of money, which it promises to repay at a future date. Therefore debentures are creditors for the company.

Debentures are fixed-interest securities or debt securities on which the issuer pays interest at a fixed rate and for a specific term.

Generally, the level of income paid on debentures is higher than the rate paid on cash investments because of the longer term of the investment.

Debentures can be classified as follows:-

a) Mortgage or Secured Debentures

b) Unsecured Debentures

c) Redeemable Debentures

d) Irredeemable Debentures

e) Registered Debentures

f) Bearer Debentures

g) First Debentures

h) Second Debentures

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What are Shares??

February 16, 08 by FinanceTurf

Shares represent ownership of a company. When an individual buys shares of a company, they become one of the owners of the company.

Shareholders choose who runs a company and are involved in making decisions, such as whether a business should be sold.

Shares
Shares

There are two types of shares which are normally issued:-

a. Equity shares and,

b. Preference shares

Equity shares are the most important source of raising long term capital by a company.

Equity shares represent the ownership of a company and capital raised by it is known as owner’s fund.

Equity shareholders do not get a fixed dividend but are paid on the basis of earnings by the company.

The preference shareholders enjoy a preferential position over equity shareholders.

As compared to the equity shareholders, the preferential shareholders have a preferential claim over dividend and repayment of capital.

Sensex
Sensex

Preference shares are broadly classified as:-

a) Cumulative Preference Shares

b) Non-cumulative Preference shares

c) Participating Preference Shares

d) Non-participating Preference Shares

e) Convertible Preference Shares

f) Non-convertible Preference Shares

g) Redeemable Preference Shares

h) Irredeemable Preference Shares

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