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Monday, November 3, 2008

Rs v/s US $ - November 2008 - daily updates

Indian economy trends are very important for those who are into economic analysis in India, Indian National rupee popularly known as INR in international market is following a downward trend due to global financial turbulance. As volume of US dollars (USD) in international markets is on a decline so the value of US $ is growing up, well indian IT industrycan feel better to some extent and is the only industry which would be getting a plus from current market scenario.

The post would include (US$ v/$ rupee) daily trends the rate shown of Indian rupee would be as displayed at time of stock markets closure(mainly BSE and NSE) you can also see daily Stock market live rates and closing rates.

INR(Indian National rupee) v/s US$ November trends/updates are as follows:

format for display of rs v/s $ would be in following order:
(date RS v/s $ rate Daily trends updates Remarks with respect to US $)

(November 28,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.85 | Up^0.12 | grew stronger by 12 paise/US $

(November 25,2008) | RS v/s $ | 50.09 | Down(-0.06) | weaker by 6 paise/US$

(November 24,2008) | RS v/s $ | 50.03 | Up^0.49 | grew stronger by 0.49 paise

(November 21,2008) | RS v/s $ | 50.52 | Down(-0.78) | weaker by 78 paise/US$

(November 20,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.74 | Down(-0.06) | weaker by 06 paise/US$

(November 19,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.68 | Down(-0.69) | weaker by 69 paise/US$

(November 18,2008) | RS v/s $ | 48.99 | Up^0.47 | grew stronger by 0.47 paise

(November 17,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.46 | Up^0.67 | grew stronger by 0.67 paise

(November 14,2008) | RS v/s $ | 48.79 | - | No change wrto previous day

(November 13,2008) | RS v/s $ | 48.79 | Down(-1.20) | weaker by 120 paise/US$

(November 12,2008) | RS v/s $ | 47.59 | Down(-0.27) | weaker by 27 paise

(November 11,2008) | RS v/s $ | 47.32 | Up^0.44 | grew stronger by 0.44 paise

(November 7,2008) | RS v/s $ | 47.68 | Down(-0.50) | weaker by 50 paise

(November 6,2008) | RS v/s $ | 47.18 | Up^1.44 | grew stronger by 144 paise

(November 5,2008) | RS v/s $ | 48.62 | Up^0.34 | grew stronger by o.34 paise

(November 4,2008) |
RS v/s $ | 48.96 | Up^0.29 | Rupee became stronger by 2%

(November 3,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.25 |Up^0.00 | No change


Also see:
October 2008 Rs v/s US $ trends

Saturday, November 1, 2008

India Economy Updates-November 2008

Agriculture Updates, Infrastructure updates, updates on foreign trade, india economy updates, indian rupee updates all in one post.
India Economy Updates November 2008 are as follows:(just click on the link to read full story) Foreign trade updates, Infrastructure updates, India Agriculture updates, India Economy updates, India Economic Policy updates, Finance sector updates all in a single post now isn't that great post on India Economy updates!!


Latest India Economy, India business news updates:
US recession and effect on India - never told before
Live BSE, NSE, DJIA, NASDAQ rates
World's rchest and strongest economy list


25th-November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
New telecom operators can't sell stakes for three years: Government
Government imposes curbs on import of more steel items
Light Is Right: Reforms to rid corporates of bulky statements
Govt says RBI's bias towards growth may deepen
Russia bundles Imperial buy with SAIL orders
Breakthrough in WTO talks possible this year: US official
Canada and Colombia sign a free trade agreement
Transport sop hits dead end
C&C Constructions bags order worth Rs 635 cr
Agriculture growth likely to stay at 4%: Sharad Pawar


22nd,23rd,24th-November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
Govt readies Rs 50,000 crore for infrastructure projects
Govt may not opt for financial package
Investment firms may get FDI push
Govt says RBI's bias towards growth may deepen
Subbarao to meet bank CEOs
RBI to open Rs 20,000 cr special refinance window for SMEs
Breakthrough in WTO talks possible this year: US official
Canada and Colombia sign a free trade agreement
Logjam in global trade: Ports become parking lots
C&C Constructions bags order worth Rs 635 cr
IVRCL Infra bags orders worth Rs 530 cr
Akzo Nobel to invest Rs 90 cr in new plant in India
Agriculture growth likely to stay at 4%: Sharad Pawar
Agri sector may not create more jobs
Farmers turning entrepreneurs for greener pastures


20th,21st-November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
Eco adviser says reforms needed to sustain growth
Indira Gandhi's vision saved us from current financial crisis: Sonia Gandhi
Will employ all policy tools to fight crisis: PM
Foreign borrowings aplenty for India Inc despite turmoil
Adopt uniform definition for policy lapsation: IRDA
FDI in credit info cos likely to go up to 49%
India Tajikistan ink DTAA
WTO meet to begin next week
Malaysia, India to develop mutual capital market investment
Metro man Sreedharan putting India on fast track
Alternative network for defence to be completed by 2011: DoT


19th,November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
RBI asks banks to seek refinance credit to fund small units
Govt to raise spending on infrastructure
Government changes customs duty on steel, soyoil
Better deal soon for prospective miners
Grim outlook for FDI: OECD
NHB may help construct more roofs for aam aadmi
Malaysia, India to develop mutual capital market investment
UK companies look to India to help offset economic gloom
Shield jobs to get bigger export incentive shield


18th,November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
India sees growth accelerating to 9 pc next year
Govt won't shy away from taking more steps: Montek
Govt imposes 5% import duty on steel
New urea policy loses sheen with sharp fall in global prices
RBI watching economy, to act at right time: Subbarao
RBI may consider fresh liquidity steps to propel growth: Mohan
Cut excise duties, interest rates to drive demand: CII
Financial crisis: Calling for unity in adversity
PM panel reviews export incentive pack
Exporters to UK feel the heat of falling British currency
Cane crushing begins on sour price note
Crisis forces SEZ developers to review plans


17th,November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
PE inflows dip 72 pc amid global credit crisis
RBI allows housing finance cos to raise funds from overseas
RBI committed to maintaining liquidity flow
LIC may get to invest more in corporate debt
Crisis forces SEZ developers to review plans
Shanghai to invest $73 bn on development


15th,November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
Govt feels outsourcing won't be an issue in ties with US
Ahluwalia calls for coordinated fiscal stimulus
Hypothetical tax paid abroad not income: ITAT
Cement, steel included in focus market scheme
Treat Repo, Reverse Repo as borrowed & lent: RBI
Recession in West, Australia reaches out to India
Govt feels outsourcing won't be an issue in ties with US
Edible oil imports jump 19% on lower global price
'Delayed mega infra projects are sub-standard, not NPAs'
PM approves Rs 300 cr special grant for IGCC Vijaywada plant

14th,November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
Oil slips below $58 despite stock rally
D&B expects RBI to cut key rates by 50 bps
Long way for China, India to shield world from downturn
Centre puts brakes on edible oil import for PDS after prices crash in global mkts
GVKPIL to sell 49% in SPV to Macquarie for Rs 465 cr
Seed farming for jatropha may be banned

13th,November-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
Oil prices steady after fall to near 50 dollars
Emerging economies more vulnerable to credit crisis: Lamy
Govt likely to clarify stand on KG-D6 gas price tomorrow
Govt should re-impose import duty on steel: Roongta
India to strengthen rural tourism
Banks want to have a LAF as liquidity woes continue
India Inc warms up to Japanese cos
Traders hit as short-term credit rates stay high
GVKPIL to sell 49% in SPV to Macquarie for Rs 465 cr


November 12-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
Govt to consider fuel price cut if crude stabilises: Deora
Govt may cut fuel price if crude, currency stabilise
RBI may cut rates again by March: ICICI Securities
EPFO defers plans to withdraw SDS deposits
RBI offers Rs 50,650 crore at special repo
PSUs protest parking 60% fund in PSBs
Traders hit as short-term credit rates stay high
Right policy paradigm for natural assets abroad
Reliance SEZ to be built on Mumbai debris
Financial crisis to hit agricultural production: FAO


November 10,11-2008 India Economy Updates are as follows:
Oil prices tumble under 57 dollars
Government CPSEs to park 60% surplus funds with PSU banks
Govt watching cheap steel imports; decision on import duty soon
FIPB no to treaty shopping clamp on FDI
Govt may ask cos to set up grievance redressal panel
RBI sells state loans for 35.95 bn rupees
Govt asks firms to keep funds with govt-run banks
Pre-paid cards, meal vouchers under RBI lens
Right policy paradigm for natural assets abroad
Exports plunge to five-year low in October
Stainless steel importers oppose import duty; seek FM's help
Maha govt to build 10 lakh houses in two years: Deshmukh
Monmohan Singh seeks infra investments from Qatar
Rs 9521.27 crore paid to farmers for paddy in Punjab
Let wheat export ban stay for now as global prices’re low
Debt-relief package for coffee industry on the anvil



November 8,9-2008 India Economy updates:
Population of employed Asians in US falls
PM confident India will grow between 7-7.5 pc next year
Relax ECB norms for infrastructure NBFCs: Srei
AIAI asks for slashing key rates
Foreign cos' services under brand names to be taxable: ITAT
Govt asks RIL to supply LNG to Dabhol power project
After lifting export ban,Govt extends sops on maize export
Slowdown to keep India's exports 20 pc below target: Study
Govt slashes duty on garment imports from Nepal upto 75%
Karnataka eyeing more IT destinations
Financial turmoil may hit farmers: FAO
Area under wheat cultivation up 5%
September infrastructure output up 5.1 pct year/year
Relax ECB norms for infrastructure NBFCs: Srei

November 7,2008 India Economy updates:
Govt levies 8% export tax on iron ore fines
RBI issues guidelines for pre-paid instruments
Social security agreements help remove dead-cost phenonenon
Govt constitutes experts panel to address financial crisis
RBI offers forex liquidity to Indian banks abroad
RBI cuts interest rates on floating housing loans
US financial crisis may hit India's exports in Q4: Deloitte
September infrastructure output up 5.1 pct year/year
Global reputation will help Indian firms grow: Gates
ArcelorMittal approaches West Bengal govt for land

November 5,2008 India Economy updates:
Oil prices slump before US stockpiles data
US economy has dragged down planet's markets: Medvedev
India cbank offers 507.8 bn rupees at special repo
Global crisis could badly hit textile industry
India Inc bargains hard for more on bulk deposits in crunch time
Global cotton exports may fall by over 6 pc in 2008-09
Govt turns major cotton buyer as polls draw near

November 4,2008 India Economy updates:
PM sets up panel on financial crisis impact
Overseas loans may get costlier next year
PSBs to thaw credit lifeline for NBFCs
Indian firms' profit, margin woes seen continuing
India to ease foreign direct investment rules: Kamal Nath
India to provide Rs 49.17 mn assistance to Nepal
PSU banks agree to cut rates; shares soar

November 3 India economy updates:
Chidambaram assures industry of cheaper bank loans
OPEC oil output falls in Oct: Reuters survey
ICICI Bank to review rates in a few days - CEO
Global crisis impacts India; do everything to push growth:PM
Bharti says no immediate foreign targets
ArcelorMittal approaches West Bengal govt for land
IT SEZs must wait for 100% tax exemption
Foreign firms may get to invest in fertiliser units revival
Bank deposits safe, says Prime Minister
Consumers have to wait for softer interest rates
Manmohan Singh to meet business and corporate leaders
RBI cuts rates to induce Rs 85,000 cr; signals interest cut
RBI cuts CRR, SLR and Repo; lending and deposit rates to fall
Loan waiver could have been handled better: Plan panel member
RBI allows NBFCs to raise up to USD 10 mn in foreign currency
Cabinet clears way for 49% FDI in insurance
WTO ruling on wine duty is a damp squib
Duty cuts to benefit miners, steel companies
IT SEZs must wait for 100% tax exemption
Maharashtra, UP to drag down sugar production
Few takers for FCI wheat tender
Pricey rice to feed on shortage-hit world

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Inflation down at 10.68%

Inflation fell below 11% to 10.68% during the week ended October 18 from 11.07% a week earlier.Earlier, a poll showed that the inflation rate was expected to have eased below 11% in mid-October for the first time in almost five months, thanks to falling commodity prices.

Eleven economists forecast a median 10.82% rise for wholesale price index based inflation rate in the 12 months to October 18, compared with 11.07% a week earlier, the slowest annual rise since late May.

also read:
DJIA, NASDAQ, BSE, NSE october closing rates
World's Strongest and largest economies list

"Everything has fallen," said Kaushik Das, an economist with Kotak Mahindra Bank. "Oil prices fell sharply, the manufacturing index has come down and even the food and commodity prices which were pushing up inflation have started coming down."

The wholesale price index rose 11.07% in the 12 months to October 11, below the earlier week's annual rise of 11.44%. Inflation for the week ended August 16 was revised up to 12.82% from 12.40%.

In early August, the inflation rate had hit 12.91%, the highest reading since annual numbers in the current data series became available in April 1995. It jumped into double digits after a hike in government-controlled retail fuel prices in June.

Also read:
DJIA, NASDAQ, BSE, NSE october closing rates
World's Strongest and largest economies list


Commenting on the current economic scenario, the finance minister recently said that although inflation was still high, the rate of price rise would moderate further as global commodities and fuel prices continue to soften.

The government will also continue to take steps to moderate inflation and cut wasteful expenditure as it expects its fiscal deficit to swell beyond the 2008/09 target, the finance ministry said.

-source economictimes.indiatimes.com

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

India to face 2.5 M tonne diesal shortage

India is likely to face a shortage of 2.5 million tonne of diesel during the November-March period, which would have to be met either through imports or from Reliance Industries' only-for-exports refinery.

"The companies have told us that they will have a deficit of 2.5 million tonne from now till March," Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Additional Secretary S Sundareshan said here.

State-run Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have projected a cumulative diesel requirement of 1.05 million tonne for December to March, comprising 2,40,000 tonne of Euro-III diesel and 8,10,000 tonne of Euro-II grade fuel.

If these quantities are not tied up with Reliance, the oil companies would have to turn to imports in order to meet the demand in the country.

However, diesel from Reliance's Jamnagar refinery can be bought only if government does away with double taxation, he said.

Since Jamnagar has turned into an Export-Oriented Unit, any supplies to domestic tariff area was levied with dual basic customs duty and a double levy of special additional excise duty. These duties are over-and-above the normal excise duty payable by any other refinery in the country.

For diesel these work out to Rs 6 a litre more in duties, which the oil companies say they cannot absorb given the fact that they already are losing over Rs 7 a litre on the sale of the fuel.

"The matter is under examination and we hope a decision will be taken (in time)," Sundareshan said.

- source economictimes.indiatimes.com

Monday, October 27, 2008

Rs v/s US $ - Daily updates

Indian National rupee popularly known as INR in international market is following a downward trend due to global financial turbulance. As volume of US dollars (USD) in international markets is on a decline so the value of US $ is growing up, well indian IT industrycan feel better to some extent and is the only industry which would be getting a plus from current market scenario.

The post would include (US$ v/$ rupee) daily trends the rate shown of Indian rupee would be as displayed at time of stock markets closure(mainly BSE and NSE) you can also see daily Stock market live rates and closing rates.

INR(Indian National rupee) v/s US$ October trends/updates are as follows:

format for display of rs v/s $ would be in following order:
(date | RS v/s $ | rate | Daily trends updates)


(October 31,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.77 | Down(-49.77)


(October 30,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.67 | Up^0.21


(October 29,2008) | RS v/s $ | 50.09 | Down(-0.14)


(October 27,2008) | RS v/s $ | 49.95 | Down(-0.16)

Friday, October 24, 2008

India chasing 49 countries in Global Competitivenesss

The United States, tops the overall ranking in The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009 again, released recently by the World Economic Forum. However Our India is still chasing 49 countries in the race of global competitiveness. We have improved a lot on various aspects like we enjoy advantages not only from its market size (ranked 4th for its domestic market size and 5th for its foreign market size), but also from its strong business sophistication (ranked 27th) and innovation (ranked 32nd), however our overall competitive position is weakened by its macroeconomic instability (109th), with the government running one of the highest deficits in the world (ranked 127th), unsustainable levels of government debt (ranked 113th), and fairly high inflation.

Also read:
How to earn profit from Share Markets amid crashes
Largest and strongest Economies of world list


The list goes as shown below:


Country: US

Rank: 1

Score: 5.74



Country: Switzerland

Rank: 2

Score: 5.61



Country: Denmark

Rank: 3

Score: 5.58



Country: Sweden

Rank: 4

Score: 5.53



Country: Singapore

Rank: 5

Score: 5.53



Country: Finland

Rank: 6

Score: 5.50



Country: Germany

Rank: 7

Score: 5.46



Country: Netherlands

Rank: 8

Score: 5.41



Country: Japan

Rank: 9

Score: 5.38



Country: Canada

Rank: 10

Score: 5.37

.
..
...
....
.....
......
.......
Country: India

Rank: 50

Score: 4.33

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

World Prosperity Index - India 70th

Quality of secondary education, cost of starting a business and the lack of government effectiveness have led India to rally ahead of many South Asian nations ranking at 70 positon among 104 nations on the World Prosperity Index (WPI) 2008.

"India has a relatively entrepreneurial culture. It requires government effectiveness and tackling corruption," Legatum Institute Managing Director Alan McCormick said.

Also Read:
Indian Forex reserves introuble
Agricultural Growth pegged at 3%
Why World economy is slowing
How to make profits from share markets despite crashes


Increase in capital and education contribute directly to the value of physical and human capital and thus directly increase economic output. Poor governance and excessive bureaucracy impose costs on business and thus restrain growth, the report released last week said.

The Institute also ranks India 10th on its 'Who's Going Places' list, with China on number six.

"These countries have the best context right now within which to create wealth," McCormick said.

Both the economies have recently grown faster than almost any country in the rich world. Being the home of more than two billion people, these improvements in competitiveness have brought about a dramatic lessening of the global wealth gap, a good news for global prosperity, the report said.

"India outstrips many South Asian nations in various aspects of wealth creation. It ranks stronger with reference to other Asian countries in terms of avoiding dependence on commodity exports and foreign aid," McCormick said.

- Source -PTI

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Indian Agriculture Growth pegged at 3 percent

Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen today sounded more optimistic than the PM's Economic Advisory Council with his projection that the agriculture growth would not be less than three per cent this year.

The Prime Minister Economy Advisory Council (PMEAC) has projected a mere two per cent growth in the sector for the current year.

"Considering the first advance agriculture estimates of the current year along with the final estimates of last year, agriculture growth this year should not be less than three per cent," Sen said after releasing a report on food prices compiled by an international agency Oxfam India.

Earlier in August, PMEAC had projected the agriculture production to grow at a lower pace of two per cent in the current year as against 4.5 per cent in 2007-08. The reasons for the slackening projections were higher base and uneven spread of the South-West Monsoon in July.

Noting food production, Sen said as per the first estimates, rice and soybean output is expected to be more, while other cereals lower than last year.

"Overall, agriculture growth during the 11th Plan period would be fairly good at around four per cent," Sen, who is also an agriculture economist, said.

In the last three years, the average agriculture growth has stood at 4.2 per cent and "we will achieve more than the set target of four per cent by the end of the 11th Plan," he noted.

On huge hike in minimum support price (MSP) under UPA government, Sen said MSP was increased at a lower rate by Rs 10 to 20 per quintal by the last government because stocks were high. Whereas now, MSP is increased as stocks are very low.

Source - Agencies

Other Related Posts -
- Effect of US recession on India
- India is 12th largest Economy

Monday, October 13, 2008

Govt may relax foreign investment norms in banking, telecom

Government is considering relaxing norms for foreign investment in sectors like banking and telecom by treating portfolio FII investment outside the sectoral cap.

At present, foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign institutional investments (FII) are added to determine sectoral foreign investment cap in banking, credit information companies, broadcasting, commodity exchanges and telecom.

also read - How US economic recession occured

But, with RBI allowing FIIs to acquire shares in companies under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS), the government is now likely to mandate that sectoral caps would henceforth be for FDI investment only, official sources said.

In sectors with caps, the balance equity would specifically be beneficially owned by/held with/in the hands of resident Indian citizens and Indian companies, owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens.

FIIs investing under PIS shall not seek a representation on the board of directors and they will have to give a self- declaration whenever they act in concert with any of the companies that they have invested in.

also read - Why Global economy is fluctuating

Sources said investments by registered FIIs under PIS are made under Schedule 2 of the Foreign Exchange Management Regulations and are distinct from FDIs which are made under Schedule 1. FIIs are also permitted to make investments under FDI Scheme under Schedule-1.

PIS cannot cross 24 per cent in any company. At present, banking and telecom have 74 per cent foreign investment cap (FDI plus FII), which would, after the policy is accepted by the Cabinet, be changed to 74 per cent FDI.

also read - Fall of US fnancial Institutions

Similarly, 20 per cent FDI plus FII limit in FM radio would now be 20 per cent FDI cap, while 49 per cent FDI plus FII in cable network, direct-to-home commodity exchange and CIC would be changed accordingly.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Indian Government to inject more money into market

Finance minister P Chitambaram said that government of india is ready to inject more money into tumbling share markets as indian stock markets took a blood bath during intraday trading. sensex closed 3.9% down after falling a whopping 9% in intraday trading.

Also read : The hidden story behind US recession

Panic gripped the stock and foreign exchange markets on Wednesday as a global financial turmoil intensified worries of a recession and sent stocks reeling worldwide. India's main BSE share index fell more than 8 percent at one stage to its lowest in two years, but recouped partly to be down 3.8 per cent by 0911 GMT.

know more about Biggest Indian Festival - Diwali

Foreign funds have pulled out a net $9.9 billion from Indian shares this year, after ploughing in a record $17.4 billion in 2007.

"I am hopeful investors will start coming to the market," Chidambaram said. On Monday, the Reserve Bank of India announced a surprise half a percentage point cut in the proportion of deposits that banks must keep with the central bank.

Also read : The hidden story behind US recession

The reduction, which is expected to release Rs 20000 crores ($4.1 billion) into the banking system, was intended to alleviate pressures on local markets due to the global financial crisis, RBI said. The government eased norms for foreign borrowings by companies, while the capital market regulator relaxed rules for indirect investments by foreign institutions in stocks.

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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Indian and Gulf real estate market is best

According to a survey conducted all over world on real estate market the following results were taken:

The real estate markets in the Middle East will outperform all other regions in the world while India and China will be the key drivers of the sector in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new survey.

The 'Investor Survey Sentiment', conducted by global real estate consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle in association Cityscape 2008, the real estate exhibition currently under way here, found that while the UAE will offer the best performing real estate market in the next couple of years, Saudi Arabia will be the next best performer.

The results of the survey were arrived at after taking the views of 350 developers, sovereign wealth funds and high net worth investors, Jones Lang LaSalle said in a statement.

Over 50 percent of the respondents believe the real estate markets in the Middle East will see the strongest performance of any region worldwide over the next two years.

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India and China, too, have a strong outlook with 20 percent of the respondents believing these two markets will make the Asia Pacific the best performing market.

"Sentiment is a critical component when considering the health of any market," Blair Hagkull, Jones Lang LaSalle's managing director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said in the statement.

"It is an important barometer, a key assessment criteria for any investor and the ideal gauge for considering future prosperity," he added.

The survey, according to the consultancy, is the most up-to-date as it was conducted after in the aftermath of US investment bank Lehman Brothers' collapse.

know more about Biggest Indian Festival - DIWALI

According to the survey, investors in the region are least positive towards west European real estate markets, with only 3 percent expecting this to be the strongest performing region.

Most Middle Eastern investors do not believe the US and European markets will witness a major improvement in performance in the short term.

The Middle East is expected to be one of the regions least affected by current global economic turmoil.

The survey found that though North America would be most affected by the crisis, it could also provide the most opportunities for value purchases over the next two years.

"There is a clear inverse relationship between strongest performing real estate markets and those economies expected to be most impacted by current global economic environment," the Jones Lang LaSalle statement said.

Investors also believe that, apart from MENA, emerging markets like Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe will also be least affected by economic crisis.

With UAE expected to be the best performing market, investors remain particularly confident of growth in Abu Dhabi.

know more about Biggest Indian Festival - DIWALI

Almost a quarter of the respondents said Saudi Arabia would offer the strongest performing real estate markets, driven by a large and rapidly urbanising population and new legislation, which is opening up of real estate market.

Apart from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Qatar emerges as the best performing market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with less investors expecting Bahrain, Kuwait or Oman markets to perform the most strongly.

"The Gulf region offers strong relative international value with active buyers in the region generally looking to transact at 8-8.5 percent yields for prime commercial operating assets and slightly higher for hospitality products," Ian Ohan, head of investment transactions in MENA at Jones Lang LaSalle said in the statement.

"Investors are looking for strong capital growth in Abu Dhabi, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, reflecting their robust economic potential and more nascent stages in the real estate cycle."

He, however, added that though this was consistent with recent market evidence, it was likely to bow to upward pressure as the cost of debt rose.

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According to Ohan, asset pricing in the region is increasingly being underpinned by cash flow valuation, reflecting a shift from development-led to capital-based real estate markets.

"We are anticipating greater transaction activity as sellers' value expectations begin to more closely resemble income valuations as debt markets tighten and speculative exit opportunities decline," he said.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

India's Forex reserves in trouble - Goldman Sachs

Decline in capital inflows as a result of ongoing global financial turmoil may see India's foreign exchange reserves depleting by $ 39 billion during 2008-09, says a report by global banker Goldman Sachs.

also read : US recession - Why it happened

India's foreign exchange reserves, which were around $ 310 billion in March 2008, have been declining steadily and may go down to $ 271 by the close of current financial years, the report said.

The decline would mainly be on account of rising current account deficit, it said, adding "capital inflows fell to $ 13.2 billion (in Q1 2008-09) from $ 17.3 billion in Q1 of 2007-08 and $ 25.4 billion in the previous quarter (Jan-March)."

As per the latest RBI data, the country's foreign exchange reserves declined to $ 292 billion as on September 19, 2008, which can be attributed to higher trade deficit and declining portfolio investment.

Pointing out that the current account deficit will remain high during the year, the Goldman Sachs report said, "it would be a bigger concern with oil at $ 150 a barrel than at current prices."


also read : US recession - Why it happened

It further added, "with oil prices coming off substantially, one of the biggest threats to the current account deficit has been alleviated."

Even in the event of a sudden stop in capital flows, the report said, country's buffer of forex reserves would be sufficient to fund the current account and external debt payments.

At $ 271 billion in March 2009, the report said, the country would have sufficient reserves to meet 10.3 months of import bill, down from 15 months of imports in March 2008.


also read : US recession - Why it happened


.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

US Recession and effect on India

American international Group popularly known as AIG is world's biggest Insurance provider but it ran into crises in mid september 2008 when it showed signs of cashlessness (having no cash reserve at all). Everyone was surprised when the news of AIG going for sell off came open and it spread like fire in a forest. soon the news reached fed reserve(Federal Bank) and it had no other option then investing in AIG by giving it loan of US$ 85 billion and purchase 80 % stake in world's largest insurance provider.

also read : Biggest US Bank failure ever


The Fall of AIG(American international Group) :

So what was the reason behind cashlessness of world's largest insurance company?? The decline of AIG started after the attack on World trade center's on 9/11 by terrorist groups. AIG used to provide insurance cover to world's biggest organizations and was running soundly until the credit crunch and mortagage crises began to start in US economy, various US investment banks like Lehman Brothers(158 years old institution), Merill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Bear Sterns etc . provides loans in real estate. US public wanted expensive houses which were beyond their budget. US banks gave them loans thinking of gaining more profits from the interest rates which they will get on loan amount however they overlooked the most important condition which was "whether the customer is eligible for purchasing house which was out of the budget for him/her" still they gave the loan which eventually was never returned back to the lender bank.

Now small mortage banks which felt the pinch of credit crises earlier took loans from bigger banks in order to sail their bank to shore in these tough times when their was almost zero income for small mortage banks, now big investment banks like Lehman Brothers, Merill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Bear Sterns gave loan to these much smaller banks which were facing credit crunch at that time thinking that they will get batter rewards for the investments made in mortagage banks.

To insure their loan to smaller banks they insured their investment with insurance company AIG in particular. Since AIG was dealing with much bigger banks the risks were even higher for insurance companies like American international Group(AIG). Now bigger investment banks never got their money back from smaller mortagage banks and their amount was dead. so the bigger banks could not pay the premiums to insurance companies and this was the time when insurance companies started helping them according to the terms and conditions of the insurance type done with the banks, during this time there was no source of income for insurance companies like AIG.



also read : Biggest US Bank failure ever


This was the time when the cash reserve of Insurance companies reached almost nil. Investment banks which had invested in Credit crunch facing mortage banks were already on verge of bankruptcy. US citizens lost their faith on Financial Institutions and began to sell their shares, the environment of investment bank stocks was discouraging. Share Markets all over the globe felt the heat and all the major indices including DJIA, Standard and Poor index, NASDAQ, BSE, NSE felt drastically.

Hence Federal Reserve bank had to act fast to control the situation and offered loan of US$85 billion to the AIG for improving it's financial conditions, due to this act Fed reserve acted as last hope for many other banks.

Looking at present uncertainity the US government has made an announcement for providing a US$700 billion package to the financial market so that the US $ remains the strongest US economy in future too. but their has been resentment in citizens of USA when they heard about the news that US government is pumping money earned from taxes into the Financial Market to control global uncertainities .



also read : Biggest US Bank failure ever


my fingers are crossed when it comes to question "will supremacy of US $ continue after worst economic depression after the depression of 1929". lets wait and see how things unfold in coming couple of months.

Recently markets tumbled most due to biggest US bank failure in history(Washington Mutual).
Read about Washington Mutual Failure now!
Other top stories

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

How cos like Lehman Brothers become bankrupt:-

How can a bank like Lehman go down so fast?

ans- Financial markets can be punishing and reversal of fortunes can be dramatic. More so, if an institution is overleveraged — when loan and investment books are much, much bigger than its capital.

What compounds problems are strange accounting practice and high-risk nature of the loans and investments.

There are also disclosure issues: Lehman, in its last conference call with investors, gave no clue that it was actually on the brink.

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How did the crisis build up?

ans- An investment bank uses its proprietary book (own money) to lend others and invest. It started with the subprime crisis. Banks like Lehman, buy mortgage loans from other banks, and then package them to sell bonds against the loan pool. Often they add cash to make the loan pool more attractive, so that the bonds can be sold at a higher price.

Suppose mortgage was earning 6%, these bonds are sold at 4%. The difference is the spread which the investment bank earns. By selling these structured bonds, it raises money and frees capital. But when homebuyers started defaulting, these bonds lost their value. It all began like this, and then the virus spreads across markets.

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But don’t investment banks play advisory role?

ans- They do, but slowly over the years, their prop books have multiplied.

Investment banks also organise big loans for their clients for funding acquisitions.

At times, investment banks take positions, only to palm off the securities to other clients and banks.

In a crisis, they may not get the opportunity to down-sell such positions. This adds to the panic.

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Can’t central banks step in to stem the crisis?

ans- Well, they can and they have, to an extent. It’s precisely to discourage banks and bond houses from selling securities to generate liquidity, Fed has relaxed the rules under which it lends to institutions against securities.

Moreover, if there’s a financial chaos of this magnitude, banks refrain from lending each other, fearing that the money would get stuck.

A liquidity window from the central bank thus comes handy.

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How does the domino effect play out?

ans- Suppose Lehman faces a redemption and has to repay another bank it has borrowed from.

If it sells the mortgage-backed bonds, whose prices have fallen, it will not raise as much as was earlier expected.

So, it sells some of the other good assets or bonds which may have nothing to do with mortgages.

But since the bank starts dumping these assets, prices of these bonds also dip.

This is when the crisis spreads from subprime to prime.

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How does it impact the balance-sheet?

ans- Herein lies the strange accounting of bonds and derivatives like mortgage-backed securities. All banks are required to mark-to-market (MTM) their investments.

So, if the price of an instrument falls, the difference between the price at which it was bought and the current market price has to be provided — meaning, it has to be deducted from the earnings.

So, a drop in price leads to the MTM loss. But there’s a bigger problem which really has deepened the crisis.

An MTM loss can be provided only if there’s a ‘market’. How do you provide when there is no market?

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But aren’t these instruments traded? How can the market suddenly vanish?

ans- Remember, it’s very different from checking the price of a stock from a stock exchange website. Many of the instruments are over-the-counter derivatives, which are struck on a one-to-one basis between two parties.

Suppose, a derivative is linked to variables like the yen-dollar rate, and may be prices of other actively-traded assets, say gold price and US Treasury bill.

What the bank does is construct a model, feeds the available market price of these variables in the computer, to arrive at what the market price of the derivatives could or should be.

This is an artificial model-generated price. This is called the mark-to-model against mark-to-market.

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So, what’s wrong in that?

ans- The trouble is when the bank actually goes out to sell the derivatives, it discovers that there are no takers. And, even if there are buyers, they are willing to pay just a fraction.

In other words, there is a sea of difference between the price that is being offered in the market and the high artificially-generated price thrown up by the model.

So, when the bank ends up selling the instrument or unwinding derivatives, the loss suffered is far in excess of the mark-to-model loss.

Such extra losses on thousands of securities and multiple portfolios can wipe out the capital of the bank.

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What is the nature of the instruments?

ans- There are collateralised debt obligation (CDOs), credit default swaps (CDSs) and all kinds of derivatives. CDOs are asset (or loan)-backed securities, while CDSs are like a guarantee.

Say Bank A lends to a corporate but is unwilling to take the full credit risk. So, Bank A enters into a CDS deal with Bank B; under this, Bank B promises to pay Bank A if the corporate defaults. The money that Bank B earns for this is the CDS premium, which is similar to an insurance premium.

Now, if markets turn choppy, risks go up and so does the CDS premium. So, Bank B, which is earning a lower premium has to promote a mark-to-market loss against the CDS position.
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How does one minimise such turmoil?

ans- No easy answer to that.

Maybe, some of the accounting norms need to be changed, so that the definition of MTM gets narrowed down.

Besides, to stop banks from going overboard, capital requirement may have to be raised for derivatives position.

But all this may be easier said than done.

- economictimes.com

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Rupee posts biggest fall in a decade v/s US $

The rupee posted its biggest fall in a decade on Tuesday, hit by risk aversion and banks arbitraging a weaker offshore rate, although suspected central bank intervention stopped the slide just short of 47 per dollar.

The partially convertible rupee ended at 46.89/90 per dollar, off a trough of 46.99 which was its lowest since July 24, 2006.

The rupee fell 1.8 percent from its close of 46.05/06 on Monday, its biggest fall since May 14, 1998, according to Reuters daya, when the currency fell 2 percent after sanctions were imposed on India for its nuclear testing. One-month offshore non-deliverable forward contracts were quoting at 47.15/25, weaker than the onshore rate, indicating a bearish near-term outlook for the rupee.

That also created an arbitrage opportunity, where the dollar is bought against the rupee in the onshore market and sold in the offshore NDF market to exploit the price differential. "There are no (dollar) sellers in the market apart from the central bank. There is lot of oil, equity and NDF-related dollar demand, and even importers are covering near-term imports," said Madhusudan Somani, associate director of financial markets at Yes Bank.

"The rupee may test 47.20-25 levels in the near term," he added. Dealers said the central bank was seen selling dollars to halt the rupee's sharp decline, but sales were offset by demand for the US currency. At its low on Tuesday, the rupee was down 6.5 percent in September and more than 16 percent in 2008. Dealers estimated the central bank had sold $1.5-$2 billion to put a floor under the rupee on Tuesday.

Indian shares pulled out from a nosedive to end almost level on Tuesday after they had opened down 3.5 percent. Capital outflows from the local shares so far in 2008 total a net $8.4 billion, including $1 billion in September, a sharp turnaround from a record net inflows of $17.4 billion in 2007.

Traders said broad strength in the dollar versus other currencies overseas was also hurting sentiment on the rupee. The dollar steadied near 4-month lows versus the yen on Tuesday, but held gains against high yielders as investors took refuge in safe-haven assets following the collapse of Lehman Brothers.