IT Returns for Income less than 5 Lakhs-Part II

Continuning further from our previous part No IT Returns if Income less than 5 Lakhs, here we continue with the Scenario 2:

Your Net Salary mentioned on Offer Letter: 6.5 Lakhs. (however, this is NOT the basis of your net taxable income)
What you need to check is your FORM-16 issued by the employer. The first field in that will be something like "Gross Salary". Ignore that as well and see further down. There should be a field called "Income chargeable under the head 'Salaries'". Suppose this figure is 5.8 Lakhs

Continue further down on your FORM-16, till you see a field called "Total Income". This will usually be after a field called "Aggregate of deductible amount under Chapter VIA" and just above a field called "Tax on total income".
It is this TOTAL INCOME value which will determine whether you need to file your tax returns or not.
If this "Total Income" field value is less than 5 Lakhs, then you need NOT file Income Tax returns for this assessment year.
But if this figure is above 5 Lakhs, then you need to file IT Returns.

But, hang on. There is more to it even for individuals who have this "Total Income less than 5 lakhs". See the following scenario 3 as well regarding your additional income.

Scenario 3: Along with Salary Income, I also have additional income from stock trading, other business, interest earned on Fixed deposits, savings accounts etc. :
Now this is where things get a bit complicated. Many of the individuals dont know that every single penny you earn is taxable. Whether it is the income as interest earned on your savings account or Fixed deposit accounts, any other income from other source, everything is taxable.
You are responsible to declare that income. Hence, there are 2 cases here.
1) You have declared this additional income to your Employer and it has been mentioned in Form-16 by the employer in the section "Add: Any other income reported by the employee".
If this is the case, then you again look at the "Total Income" field value as mentioned in scenario 2. If that is less than 5 lakhs, you need not file IT returns. But if that is higher than 5 Lakhs, you need to file your IT returns

2) You have additional income, but you've not mentioned it to your employer and hence it is not mentioned in your Form-16:
This is the most common case. Remember, you are required to pay taxes on every single paisa you earn.
Now, what you can do in this case is, take the "Total Income" value from your form-16. Then, add to it the Income you have from additional sources to arrive at the ""Net Total Income". If this is less than 5 lakhs, you need not file IT returns. But if that is higher than 5 Lakhs, you need to file your IT returns.

However, you MUST pay tax on this additional income also. Since it is not mentioned in your form-16, that means it has not been taxed. Hence, it is your liability to pay taxes on this on your own.

Related: File Tax Returns: Step By Step Guide

Read first part: No IT Returns if Income less than 5 Lakhs

Scenario 4: I have a refund to claim from the IT department as additional taxes has been deducted/paid
In case you have a refund to claim, then you MUST file IT Returns, irrespective of the fact that your income is less than or higher than 5 Lakh.

Is this the concrete and full information?
No, we need to disclaim this at the moment as this is based upon the news which has come out yesterday, 31st May 2011.
The government will issue a notification very soon in the month of June 2011 exempting 'classes of persons' from the requirement of furnishing income tax returns.
The purpose of publishing this information is to provide some insights into the new IT returns requirement system, and ask the individuals to hold onto their tax returns filing till the official notification from government comes in in June. Otherwise, people end up spending a lot of money in paying the agents and TRP's for filing their returns.
We'll advise individual tax payers (who are around that 5 Lakh mark), that last date for filing returns is 31st July, so hold on till you see more clarity on this from government.

What will be the benefit of this initiative by the government?
It will help reduce a lot of paper work, and individuals will file returns for only genuine refund cases. Basically, it was becoming a case of duplicating the information from form-16 to IT Returns form. So by exempting individuals in the lower income bracket, the Income Tx department will be able to work in a timely manner only on the genuine IT returns.
It will be benficial to the individuals also, as majority of them end up paying a lot of money to TRP's and agents.

No IT Returns if Income less than 5 Lakhs

Details about whether IT Returns required in case of individuals earning less than 5 lakh rupees as annual income
The good news for laks of individual tax payers in India has come out yesterday, when major business news channels reported this news that Individuals Earning less than 5 lakh Rupees of Income will not be required to file Income tax returns for the assessment year 2011-12 (or financial year 2010-11)

IT Returns Not Required if Income is less than 5 Lakh Rupees

Obviously this is a good move by the government that will help reduce lots of paperwork and avoid payment of so called "service-charges" to Tax Return Preparer (TRP) and their agents. It will also be helpful for so many people, especially salaried employeesm since now they only need to maintain the Form-16 (which is usually in digital PDF form), rather than the paper based returns.
Somehow, I still feel that this good initiative could have come a bit earlier, that would have helped a lot of people to declare their additional incomes to their employers (like income from interest on FD, savings, stock trading, etc.). Anyways, better late than never.

Now, let's look at some of the scenarios which will enable you to understand whether you are exempt from Income Tax return filing process or not. Please note that the common notion among lots of tax payers is that if their salary (mention on offer letter) or the CTC (Cost to the Company) is above 5 lakhs, then they will need to file the returns as they dont come above 5 lakh limit. However, this notion is NOT correct. Even if your CTC or offer salary on paper is above 5 lakhs, you can still be exempt from filing IT returns. Here are the various scenarios discussed.

Scenario 1: Income or Salary or CTC less than 5 Lakhs:
This is the straightforward case. Your on paper salary, or your CTC mentioned on your job offer letter is less than 5 Lakhs, then there is no need for you to file your tax returns.
All you need to do is maintain a copy of Form-16 which you must have received from the employer - that will serve the purpose of IT records.

Related: File Tax Returns: Step By Step Guide

Scenario 2: Offer Salary/ CTC mentioned on offer letter greater than 5 Lakhs
This will be the scenario for majority of the working class which will be in the 2-7 years work experience range.
Interesting thing is that even if your Offer Salary/ CTC mentioned on offer letter greater than 5 Lakhs, then also depending upon your "NET TAXABLE INCOME", you may NOT be required to file the Tax Returns. How? Let's take an example.

Your Net Salary mentioned on Offer Letter: 6.5 Lakhs. (however, this is NOT the basis of your net taxable income)
What you need to check is your FORM-16 issued by the employer. The first field in that will be something like "Gross Salary". Ignore that as well and see further down. There should be a field called "Income chargeable under the head 'Salaries'". Suppose this figure is 5.8 Lakhs

Continue further down on your FORM-16, till you see a field called "Total Income". This will usually be after a field called "Aggregate of deductible amount under Chapter VIA" and just above a field called "Tax on total income".

Continue to Part II: IT Returns for Income less than 5 Lakhs-Part II

Bihar Retired Teachers: Sixth Pay Commission increase in Pension: Pension, Pay Arrears & Salary Hike Details

Details about Bihar Retired Teachers Sixth Pay Commission Salary Pay Hike
We had earlier published the news on Retired Teachers Sixth Pay Commission- Info on Salary, Pension & Details. Recently, Bihar state government has come out with the latest news on Sixth Pay Commission for the Retired Teachers of Bihar State colleges and advised that the teachers who have retired will get their pension (or pension for family) at the new revised rate which will be effective March, 2011.

Finally the good news has arrived for the Retired teachers of Bihar who will be getting the Sixth Pay Commission Salary, Pension as well as the Pay Arrears as per the recent recommendations.

Retired Teachers of Bihar to get Sixth Pay Commission Revised Pension Pay Hike

How many staff of Bihar Retired Teachers will get the revised pay?
The exact no. of beneficiaries is not known, but it is learnt that all university staff members who retired will be eligible for this revised pension.

General Sixth Pay Commission Salary Hike & Arrears Calculator (Indicative)

Salary Calculator for Pension calculations for Sixth Pay Commission Salary Hike (Indicative)

By which date is this decision effective?
It is reported that the salary hike is effective from 1st March, 2011.

What is the reaction to this development by the Bihar Retired Teachers staff?
The staff is really happy about the high salaries which they will be getting.

What steps have been taken so far in getting this new revised pension implemented the Sixth Pay Commission ?
As of now, the HRD minister Mr. Shahi has conveyed to Federation of Retired University Teachers' Associations of Bihar (FRUTAB) that the first step will be for the government to send out the circulars to all the universities informing them about the decision.
The next step will be for universities to send back to the government the details of the additional funds required for this revised pension.
Once that is receieved, the government will then release the required amount so that it can be paid to the retired employees.

Apart from that, it is also reported that 50 percent dearness relief will also be given to the retired members

JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Details about JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund: Review, Analysis, Details & Opinion.
The JPMorgan Mutual Fund House is launching their JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund. Interestingly, this is not the first off-shore fund launched by JP Morgan. In the past as well, they have launched other country specific funds (like JPMorgan JF Greater China Equity Off-shore Fund and JPMorgan India Alpha Fund)

In this article, we will analyze how good is this JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund NFO, whether this JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund offers anything new or unique for the investors and whether the investors should invest in JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund.

JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Let's begin with some basic details about JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund.
What are the NFO dates for JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund?
The NFO period for JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund is from 10 June 2011 and will close on 24 June 2011. After the NFO period, the regular buying and selling of fund units will start from 5th July 2011.


What is so unique about this JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund?
First things first - it's an offshore fund, basically a Fund of Funds (What's this?). In this particular case, this JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund will collect money from investors, and then invest in an foreign fund called JPMorgan Funds - JF ASEAN Equity Fund, by purchasing the units of that fund. So ultimately, your money will reach the JPMorgan Funds - JF ASEAN Equity Fund (end-fund).
What this end-fund will do is invest that money in stocks/shares of compnaies which belong to ASEAN countries i.e. members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). There are around 10 member countries of ASEAN group - Combodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.
So this becomes a regional fund investment, and will be a good option for investors who wish to bet their money on the companies of countries from the ASEAN region.

Don't like ASEAN country investments, but want to go west? Then there is the Brazil focussed fund called the HSBC Brazil Fund-HBF, from HSBC.

The asset allocation for JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund will be as follows:
80% to 100% will be invested in the units of the end-fund, i.e. JPMorgan Funds - JF ASEAN Equity Fund
Rest 0-20% will be in debt and money market instruments for unit redemption and creation purposes.

What are the other competitor products available in comparison to JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund?
As mentioned above, there are lots of other country specific funds available in the market which are similar to this JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund - the only difference in that they focus on different countries - China, Brazil, ASEAN, etc. There is another unique fund which offers a mix of both China and India, called the Mirae India-China Consumption Fund. So as an investor, you have a lot of choice specific to countries.

The JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund will track the benchmark Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) South East Asia Index (Total Return Net) for tracking its performance.

What are the risks of investing and trading JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund?
To repeat again, its a fund of funds. So ultimately the performance depends upon the end fund and how that fund manager plays around with your money.
Then, there is a big currency risk. Remember, this fund will invest in companies of 10 different ASEAN countries, which trade in differnt currencies. Hence, you will have to take the currency risk. What if the end fund gives a faboulous return of 50% in its own currency, but because of currency fluctuations, the net returns you get go down substantially.
Then, also note that only 80% to 100% will be invested in the end fund, rest 0 to 20% will be kept in debt instruments. So not all of your money will acctually get invested.

Final Thoughts about JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund?
A good option for investors who are interested in overseas destinations like ASEAN and other countries. If you trust the fund managers of JP Morgan, and believe the ASEAN country companies will generate good returns, and you will not get hit by the fores rates fluctuations, this is the fund for you.

See List of All Mutual Fund and NFO Articles here

During NFO period each unit cost Rs. 10 per unit plus the premium, during NFO period
Minimum investment Rs 5,000 and in multiples of Re 1 afterwards.

No tax benefit will be available in JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund

Mr. Namdev Chougule will be the fund manager for JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund.

Only Growth Option is available in JPMorgan JF ASEAN Equity Off-shore Fund

Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Details about Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund: Review, Analysis, Details & Opinion.
The Religare Mutual Fund House is all set to enter the ETF space in india with the launch of their Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund. This appears to be the first ETF by the Religare Mutual Fund house. Although in the past, there have been other mutual funds from Religare (like Religare Business Leaders Fund).

In this article, we will analyze how good is this Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund NFO, whether this Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund offers anything new or unique for the investors and whether the investors should invest in Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund.

Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Let's begin with some basic details about Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund.
What are the NFO dates for Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund?
The NFO period for Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund is from 23 May 2011 and will close on 06 June 2011.

What is so unique about this Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund?
In my honest opinion, there is nothing much unique about this Nifty based ETF from Religare, as compared to other Nifty based ETF's already available. This is just another Exchange Traded fund which will invest the money collected from investors into the stocks which constitute the Nifty index in the same proportion of the index constituents.

The asset allocation will be as follows:
95% to 100% will be in Indian equities in proportion of the index constituents
Rest 0-5% will be in debt and money market instruments for unit redemption and creation purposes.

What are the other competitor products available in comparison to Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund?
There are lots of other ETF's available in the market which are similar to this Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund.
There are many other Nifty based ETF (like ETF- Exchange traded fund -Benchmark Funds; Motilal Oswal MOSt Shares M50 ETF) and quite a lot of Nifty based index Funds (like Quantum Index Fund (QIF ETF) & Reliance Index Fund-Nifty Plan).

The Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund will track the benchmark S&P Nifty 50 index for tracking its performance.

What are the risks of investing and trading Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund?
Being an ETF, it comes with the advantage of real time trading and price fluctuations which can be beneficial for traders as well as investors. On the risk side, it is the same story as with an other ETF - the investors take the risk of overall market falldown and hence the value of the ETF units going down.

Final Thoughts about Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund?
Just another ETF based on Nifty.
When it comes to ETF's, I dont advise investors to go through the NFO route, rather buy them directly on the exchanges once the NFO period is over and regular trading starts. Although withe zero entry load and zero exit load, investing through this NFO will be beneficial so as to save on brokerage charges during the buying leg, but the investor need to check this with the fund house.
However, if you apply through NFO, then you will have to apply with the minimum application amount.

See List of All Mutual Fund and NFO Articles here

During NFO period each unit cost Rs. 10 per unit plus the premium, during NFO period
Minimum investment Rs 10,000 and in multiples of Re 1 afterwards.

No tax benefit will be available in Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund

Mr. Pranav Gokhale will be the fund manager for Religare Nifty ETF Exchange Traded Fund.

Trade E-Gold National Spot Exchange (NSEL)

Details & Information about trading E-Gold as commodity on National Spot Exchange (NSEL)
It was recently when we covered the details about Trading E-Silver on National Spot Exchange. In this article, we will focus on another precious metal and the hot favourite of India for investment - Gold.
Traditionally, India has been known as the largest consumer of physical gold, and that continues till date. People have been buying Gold in physical form and storing it as an investment since long time. With the invest of electronic trading and other contracts, the gold investments have taken a new path. No more buying of physical gold, no more storing it in safe lockers, rather go the electronic way and get the gold investments safely into your demat account.

To enable such E-Gold trading, the National Spot Exchange (NSEL) has a good product called E-Gold which allows individual small investors to trade in Gold in electronic form, without having take physical delivery. There are many benefit of E-Gold trading and investments, which we will list below.

E-Gold Trading on National Spot Exchange (NSEL)

First, let's begin with the basic details of E-Gold Trading:
How can I trade E-Gold?
It's simple. Just open a demat account (like the one required for share trading) with a DP/Broker who has the membership to allow its clients to trade in the E-series on National Spot Exchange of India (NSEL). Once you get that, you can begin trading by simply placing your buy and sell orders through phone/internet, depending upon what channels your broker provides for trading and transactions.

What are the timings for E-Gold on National Spot Exchange (NSEL)?
This is a bit tricky part. The E-series products E-Gold (and E-Silver) have very long trading hours 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM - i.e. 13:30 hours of non-stop trading.
In one way, it is good as you can buy sell at the time you wish. However, it becomes difficult for traders to trade for such long time. Another issue is that all these commodities and their prices are influenced by international rates (Remember the recent fluctuations in silver prices). So if you are a trader and have bought E-Gold say at the price of 20,000 in the morning, it is quite possible that by the time the trading ends on the NSEL exchange, the prices may come down substantially. You need to be alert for this kind of trading fluctuations for long trading hours.
The trading days for NSEL for E-Gold trading are usually Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays)

What will be the underlying unit for E-Gold?
Each E-Gold unit will be comprised on 1 Gram of pure gold with 995 purity level.

What is the lot size and tick size for E-Gold trading?
One can trade E-Gold in 1 unit and its multiples, and the maximum lot size is set to 10,000 units of E-Gold.
The tick size indicates the minimum price movement, and that is set to 10 paisa. That means, any price will have to be quoted in multiples of 10 paisa only for E-Gold trading.

What are the margin requirements for E-Gold Trading?
The exchange has set the initial margin as 5% and delivery margin as 10% for trading E-Gold.
However, depending upon the broker you wish to trade with, the margin requirements might vary, please confirm with your broker about that.

What is the settlement cycle for E-Gold?
E-Gold contracts follow T+2 settlement cycle.

What are the risks in trading E-Gold?
Please note that there is the general price fluctuation risk which is always there. We have seen that happening for Silver prices recently, and to some extent gold prices are also fluctuating. So whether your buy (go Long on E-Gold) or sell (go short on E-Gold), the price movement will affect your trading profits.
Then, as mentioned above there is the long trading hours risk. What if you purchase something at high price in the morning and it comes down substantially due to international price changes by the time the exchange closes?
Third, you need to accept the risk of international price changes which might happen overnight, when the exchange is closed.
Transaction costs will again be another thing to look at and it will vary from broker to broker.
Then, all the brokers you generally trade with, may not have NSEL membership for allowing trading in E-Gold. You may have to incure extra charges for trading on NSEL listed products

What are the other competitor products available in the market againsts E-Gold?
There are lots of Gold Based ETF's which one can consider. Since majority of the gold based ETF are listed on common exchanges like NSE and BSE, you can save charges for getting a NSEL exchange trading account - again, check with your broker. Here is the List of Gold ETF India available for trading on NSE

HDFC has its own HDFC Gold ETF

Then there is the good old Quantum Gold Fund (Gold ETF) and ICICI Prudential Gold ETF, then SBI GETS-SBI Gold ETF: SBI Gold Exchange Traded Scheme

Other than the Gold Based ETF's, there are some Gold based Funds, but do read the following articles to understand how they work, as they are not directly similar to E-Gold or Gold ETF. The recently lauched Reliance Gold Savings Fund (See Review & Details)

If you are interested in looking at how Gold prices have performed historically, see Gold ETF: Historical Performace of Gold ETF

Union KBC Equity Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Details about Union KBC Equity Fund: Review, Analysis, Details & Opinion.
The Union Bank of India, which is a government PSU bank and the KBC Asset Management Company based in Belgium, have come together to launch the Union KBC Equity Fund. This appears to be the first Mutual Fund by the Union Bank of India and it is offered as a joint proposition along with the local arm of a foreign based Asset Management firm named as KBC Asset Management.

In this article, we will analyze how good is this Union KBC Equity Fund NFO, whether this Union KBC Equity Fund offers anything new or unique for the investors and whether the investors should invest in Union KBC Equity Fund.

Union KBC Equity Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Let's begin with some basic details about Union KBC Equity Fund.
What are the NFO dates for Union KBC Equity Fund?
The NFO period for Union KBC Equity Fund is from 20 May 2011 and will close on 03 June 2011. Scheme reopens on 17th June 2011 for normal trading.

What is so unique about this Union KBC Equity Fund?
There is nothing unique about this Union KBC Equity Fund which can set it apart from the rest of the common Equity based mutual funds - it is just another mutual fund which will collect money from investors, pool it together and invest in securities as decided by the Fund Managers of Union KBC Equity Fund. The only thing is that this is the first offering from the Union Bank of India in the mutual fund space, so it will be interesting to observe how the fund managers of this bank will perform with their mutual funds in the mutual fund market.
The asset allocation will be as follows:
75% to 100% will be in Indian equities
Rest 25% will be in debt and money market instruments.

What are the other competitor products available in comparison to Union KBC Equity Fund?
Since this is just another mutual funds, there are lots of other funds available in the market which are similar to this Union KBC Equity Fund. The Union KBC Equity Fund will track the benchmark BSE 100 index for tracking its performance.

What are the risks of investing and trading Union KBC Equity Fund?
All the usual market risk and similar stuff as common to all mutual funds. This Union KBC Equity Fund will also have its performance dependent on the stock selection of the mutual fund managers.

Final Thoughts about Union KBC Equity Fund?
Nothing specific or unique about this Union KBC Equity Fund - just that it is the first equity fund from the house of Union Bank of India which is being offered as a joint venture along with KBC Asset Management of Belgium. Investors who trust the find managers can take a shot at this fund.

See List of All Mutual Fund and NFO Articles here

During NFO period each unit cost Rs. 10 per unit during NFO period
Minimum investment Rs 5,000 and in multiples of Re 1 afterwards.

Multiple options available for investments in Union KBC Equity Fund :
Growth Option
Dividend Option - Payout, Reinvestment facilities

Union KBC Equity Fund Entry Load: Nil
Union KBC Equity Fund Exit Load: 1% if exit within 1 year, NIL afterwards.
SIP or systematic investment plan? Avaialble post NFO period.
No tax benefit will be available in Union KBC Equity Fund
BSE 100 Index will be the benchmark index for tracking the performance of Union KBC Equity Fund
Mr.Ashish Ranawade will be the fund manager for Union KBC Equity Fund

Galaxy Surfactants IPO: Review Analysis & Details of Galaxy Surfactants IPO

Galaxy Surfactants IPO Details, Review, Analysis, Opinion and information on Galaxy Surfactants IPO
The Galaxy Surfactants Company which operates in skincare products supplies sector, is coming out with its Initial Public Offering or IPO.
In this article, we will look at the Review, Analysis and Details of the Galaxy Surfactants IPO.

Galaxy Surfactants IPO: Review Analysis & Details

Some basic details first about the Galaxy Surfactants IPO, which are available as of now: Image sourced as screenshot from official website of Galaxy Surfactants

- The size of Galaxy Surfactants IPO is around 200 Crore Rs. INR

- The company is in the business of supplying chemicals to the personal care, home care and FMCG sector companies and have a healthy and reputed client list

- Galaxy Surfactants claims to have a 60% market share in its key area which includes big clients like Henkel, Dabur, HLL, etc.

What is the issue size of the Galaxy Surfactants IPO?
Around 200 Crore Rs is the size of the Galaxy Surfactants IPO.

What is the price band of Galaxy Surfactants IPO?
The price band for Galaxy Surfactants IPO is Rs. 325 to 340 Rs per share.

How many shares will be sold in the Galaxy Surfactants IPO?
The total no. of shares to be sold through this IPO is 59.3 lakh shares fresh shares.

What are the IPO dates for Galaxy Surfactants IPO
As per the earlier reports, this Galaxy Surfactants IPO was supposed to open on 10 May 2011. However, as per the latest info, The IPO dates for Galaxy Surfactants IPO are from May 13, 2011 to May 19, 2011. However, investors should check the exact dates as there is no precise clarity on the IPO dates.

How will the capital raised by Galaxy Surfactants IPO be used?
It is reported that the capital raised through this IPO will be used for 3 purposes:
- Set up of expansion units in international location like Egypt, and another one domestically in Gujarat
- Company is learnt to have received a lifetime tax exemption on the Egyptian plant setup from the Egypt government
- Egypt unit will enable them to penetrate more in the African countries

See List of All IPO Articles here

Any ratings given to Galaxy Surfactants IPO?
No info about that as of now.

What are the analysts recommendations and business results for Galaxy Surfactants IPO?
The company seems to be well placed in the business sector with the following key points:
- The company has 70 international clients and more than 55% of the business is reported to come from the international clients
- The company has been in business since last 31 years
- for the nine months ending Dec 2010, the company had a good profit of around Rs 43 crore

The sector in which it operates - skincare, homecare, FMCG suplies - is a consistent sector i.e. one does not see a lot of turnaround in such areas like that seen in the technology sector where one technology kicks out other in a matter of few days. So this business aspect is expected to remain relatively stable.
The client list of the company is also good - it includes reputed names like HLL, Dabur, Henkel, P&G, ITC, L'Oreal, etc. Although the company will have dependency of the clients for its business, but such good list will ensure that it will be able to sustain. Overall, the issue looks good for investors. However, one should take the call as per the risk appetite

PFC FPO IPO: Review Analysis & Details of Power Finance Corporation FPO

It's the season of IPO's and FPO's - so the Government of India has also joined the party with an FPO of Power Finance Corporation Limited.
The FPO or follow-on public offer of the another government owned healthy company called PFC or Power Finance Corporation Limited has opened up. Investors who are interested in applying for this FPO or IPO should note that this is NOT an IPO, rather it is an FPO since the PFC Shares are already listed on the stock exchanges. This is the same company which came out with the PFC Infrastructure Bonds
In this article, we will look at the Review, Analysis and Details of the PFC FPO and try to do the Review and analysis of Power Finance Corporation FPO.

PFC Power Finance Corporation FPO: Review Analysis & Details

Some basic details first about the PFC FPO, which are available as of now:

- The issue size of the PFC IPO is Rs 4,700 crores
- The details about FPO price of PFC is not knows as of yet. However, if the FPO price is offered at a discount to the current price, it is worth subscribing to the FPO
- Being a Navratna company, it is recommended for both a medium term and long term hold

What is the issue size of the PFC IPO?
A total of 22.95 crore shares will be sold through the FPO.

What is the price band of PFC IPO?
The price band of PFC FPO is Rs 193 to Rs 203 per share.

How many shares will be sold in the PFC IPO?
The total no. of shares to be sold through this IPO is a total of 22.95 crore equity shares.

What is the trading symbol & exchange for the PFC IPO
No info about that

What are the IPO dates for PFC IPO
The PFC IPO FPO dates are from 10 May 2011 to 13 May 2011.

Any ratings given to PFC IPO?
No information about that. However, being a Navratna company already listed in the stock markets, this is known to be having very good fundamentals
PFC initially listed on the stock exchanges in March 2007 and since then it has doubled in value, as per the recent market cap stats.

What are the analysts recommendations and business results for PFC IPO?
Being a government owned Navratna company, it is recommended that investors can stay invested in this company shares for long term. This company also brought the Infrastrcuture Bonds issue recently PFC Infrastructure Bonds
On the first day of opening of FPO, the FPO was subscribed by 9%.
BofA Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, JM Financial are the BRLM or Book Running Lead Managers to the issue

HSBC Brazil Fund-HBF: Review Analysis & Details

Details about HSBC Brazil Fund: Review, Analysis, Details & Opinion.
In India, it is rare to see a foreign country specific fund. Although we have seen some recent launches like the Mirae India-China Consumption Fund, that too has a mixed focussed which includes the home country India, and a small portion of exposure going to China.
Therefore, Indian investors who might be looking for investing explicitly in an overseas country do not have any choide. So now, to fill this big gap, HSBC Mutual Fund house hace come out with its unique offering called the HSBC Brazil Fund, which is focussed solely on Brazil which is another developing country like India and also a key member of BRIC community group.

In this article, we will analyze how good is this HSBC Brazil Fund NFO, whether this HSBC Brazil Fund offers anything new or unique for the investors and whether the investors should invest in HSBC Brazil Fund.

HSBC Brazil Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Let's begin with some basic details about HSBC Brazil Fund.
This is a Fund of Funds (What's this?) meaning, your invested money in HSBC Brazil Fund will actually be invested in an overseas funds (end funds). In this case, though it is cited that the end fund will be HSBC Global Investment Funds (HGIF) Brazil Equity Fund, it is also mentioned that the fund managers might invest in other funds as per their wish and prevailing market conditions.
So in a nutshell, what this HSBC Brazil Fund will do is collect money from investors and put it in other overseas funds like HSBC Global Investment Funds (HGIF) Brazil Equity Fund or other funds.
What are the NFO dates for HSBC Brazil Fund?
The NFO period for HSBC Brazil Fund is from April 15 2011 and will close on 29 April 2011. Scheme reopens on 9th May 2011 for normal trading.

What is so unique about this HSBC Brazil Fund?
Most important and unique feature of this fund is that this is the only possible mutual fund available in India which will give Indian investors a chance to take direct exposure to equities in Brazil, which is an emerging economy.
Around 95% to 100% money will be invested in the units or shares of the end fund which is reported to be HSBC Global Investment Funds (HGIF) Brazil Equity Fund (as of now). However, the fund manager might invest in other Brazil based similar funds as the need be.
Rest 5% will be in liquid money market and debt instruments.

There are lot of good prospects for Brazil Country specifically in the space of infrastructure development for the following reasosn:
1) It will host the 2014 Football World Cup
2) It will also host the 2016 Olympic Games
3) It is among the largest producers of many key commodities and food grains, like Coffee
4) Part of BRIOC countries, an emerging market powershouse with well diversified export base

What are the other competitor products available in comparison to HSBC Brazil Fund?
We aren't aware of any Brazil focussed funds available in India for investment.

What are the risks of investing and trading HSBC Brazil Fund?
First and foremost, you are giving your money to HSBC fund managers who will be investing it as per their thought. You run the risk of the fund managers not able to keep up the returns in positive territory.
Second, there is Forex risk (See Forex Risk and Hedging). Ultimately, what you pay in Indian Rupee will get converted to an international currency like USD, and then get invested. So what if the end fund gives you a 20% return, but the Indian Rupee gets stronger against the USD which will mean you may loose out on substantial gains when you redeem your fund units.
Third, this is a country specific risk. Remember all your focus will on on Brazil. If there is a problem in Brazil, like social unrest, natural disaster which causes the overall country's economic situation to suffer, the returns will come down from this fund.

Final Thoughts about HSBC Brazil Fund?
A good fund for investors who trust the HSBC fund managers and their investment skills and also believe that Brazil market will generate positive returns. Being the only fund available in India offering investment in Brazil is unique in itself.

During NFO period each unit cost Rs. 10 per unit during NFO period
Minimum investment Rs 10,000 and in multiples of Re 1 afterwards.

Multiple options available for investments in HSBC Brazil Fund :
Growth Option
Dividend Option - Payout, Reinvestment facilities

HSBC Brazil Fund Entry Load: Nil
HSBC Brazil Fund Exit Load: 1% if exit within 1 year, NIL afterwards.
SIP or systematic investment plan? Avaialble post NFO period.
No tax benefit will be available in HSBC Brazil Fund
MSCI Brazil 10/40 Index will be the benchmark index for tracking the performance of HSBC Brazil Fund

Sundaram Equity Plus Fund-NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Details about Sundaram Equity Plus Fund NFO: Review, Analysis, Details & Opinion.
It was recently that the Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund house came out with its Gold based ETF or Gold Exchange Traded Fund: Birla Sun Life Gold ETF-NFO (See Details), followed by Quantum Gold Savings Fund NFO. Here is another gold based or better to say gold mixed fund from the Sundaram Mutual Fund house called the Sundaram Equity Plus Fund

In this article, we will analyze how good is this Sundaram Equity Plus Fund NFO, whether this Sundaram Equity Plus Fund offers anything new or unique for the investors and whether the investors should invest in Sundaram Equity Plus Fund.

Sundaram Equity Plus Fund NFO: Review Analysis & Details

Let's begin with some basic details about Sundaram Equity Plus Fund.
So in a nutsheel, what this Sundaram Equity Plus Fund will do is collect money from investors and put it in Equities as well as Gold. So its a fund where you get a mixed exposure to equities as well as gold. The reason being advertised by Sundaram Equity Plus Fund is that along with equities, gold too is expected to give good returns hence one should go for a mix of the two. The ad also carries some punchlines like "you believe equities will give good returns, while your wife thinks that gold will be better for investment, and hence the Sundaram Equity Plus Fund".
So if you also are in a similar situation :) and trust that Sundaram Equity Plus Fund managers will be able to generate good returns for your money, then this is the fund for you.
What are the NFO dates for Sundaram Equity Plus Fund?
The NFO period for Sundaram Equity Plus Fund is frm 4 May 2011 and will close on 16 May 2011.

What is so unique about this Sundaram Equity Plus Fund?
First and foremost, this fund offers a mix of gold and equities and that's what makes it unique.
It is stated that upto 35% of the money will be invested in Gold based ETF, so that means your invested money will get quite a good exposure to gold.
And that what the word "PLUS" in the name of this fund mean, plus indicates Gold as an additional invested asset, it does not indicate that returns will always be plus or poistive.
On the equities side, the fund claims to keep it exposure to large cap Indian equities and will have around 65% exposure to equities.

Asset Allocation will be as follows:
Equities: 65% to 85%
Gold ETF: 15% to 35%
Debt instruments: 0% to 20%

No tax benefit will be available in Sundaram Equity Plus Fund.

What are the other competitor products available in comparison to Sundaram Equity Plus Fund?
We aren't aware of any Gold and Equity based mutual funds currently avaialble in the market.
However, one can go for a mix bag on his own by selecting a equity based mutual fund and gold ETF. There is a lot of choice for Gold based ETF's as there are a lot of Gold based ETF's and Gold based Mutual Funds available:
Here is the List of Gold ETF India available for trading on NSE

Other Gold ETF's include: HDFC Gold ETF: Review Analysis & Details Then there is the Quantum Gold Fund (Gold ETF) and ICICI Prudential Gold ETF, then SBI GETS-SBI Gold ETF NFO Review: SBI Gold Exchange Traded Scheme

What are the risks of investing and trading Sundaram Equity Plus Fund?
First and foremost, you are giving your money to fund managers who will be investing it as per their thought. You run the risk of the fund managers not able to keep up the returns in positive territory.
Second, there is a asset category risk. What if equities or stock market falls? What if Gold prices fall?
Although gold prices (along with silver) have been shooting up and up in the recent times, there is no guarantee that it will continue to do so in future as well.
If you are interested in looking at how Gold prices have performed historically, see Gold ETF: Historical Performace of Gold ETF

Final Thoughts about Sundaram Equity Plus Fund?
A good fund for investors who trust the Sundaram fund managers and their investment skills and also believe that both equities and gold will generate positive returns.
This fund provides a good mix of investment in gold and stock market for people who want a mix of both.

During NFO period each unit cost Rs. 10 per unit during NFO period
Minimum investment Rs 5000 and in multiples of Re 1 afterwards.

Multiple options available for investments in Sundaram Equity Plus Fund :
Growth Option
Dividend Option - Payout, Reinvestment facilities

Sundaram Equity Plus Fund Entry Load: Nil
Sundaram Equity Plus Fund Exit Load: 1% if exit within 1 year, NIL afterwards.
SIP or systematic investment plan? No info available about that.
No tax benefit will be available in Sundaram Equity Plus Fund

Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO: Review Analysis & Details of Aanjaneya IPO

Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO Details, Review, Analysis, Opinion and information on Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO
The Mumbai based Aanjaneya Lifecare Company which operates in pharma sector, is coming out with its Initial Public Offering or IPO.
In this article, we will look at the Review, Analysis and Details of the Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO.

Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO: Review Analysis & Details

Some basic details first about the Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO, which are available as of now: Image sourced from Official website of Aanjaneya Lifecare

- The size of Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO is around 1.2 billion or 120 Crore Rs. INR

- The company claims to be the largest Quinine producers in world

- The company seems to have a strong product line - Alkaloids, Anti Malarial APIs & Anti Cancer APIs from Natural Sources & Veterinary APIs. In Finished Dosages we cover important therapeutic areas such as Anti Malarial, Anti Cancer, Erectile Dysfunction, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Anti Obesity, Herbal products & Lozenges for various Therapeutic segments

What is the issue size of the Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO?
Around 120 Crore Rs is the size of the Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO.

What is the price band of Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO?
The price band for Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO is Rs. 228 to 240 Rs per share.

How many shares will be sold in the Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO?
The total no. of shares to be sold through this IPO is 50 lakh shares fresh shares.

What are the IPO dates for Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO
The IPO dates for Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO are from May 9, 2011 to May 12, 2011

How will the capital raised by Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO be used?
It is reported that the capital raised through this IPO will be used for 3 purposes:
- set up of anti-cancer API facility
- expansion of existing Research & Development facilities
- Branding of products in international markets

Other Current IPO's: Sanghvi Forgings IPO and Vaswani Industries IPO
See List of All IPO Articles here

Any ratings given to Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO?
Fitch has assigned a grade 2 to Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO

What are the analysts recommendations and business results for Aanjaneya Lifecare IPO?
Size of the IPO is compratively large as compared to the other IPO's which are currently open.
Fitch has assigned a rating of 2 to this IPO, which does not paint a very rosy picture. Pharma sector is always under the watch of the regulators and things become really tough when companies have to do business at international level as various standards, norms and regulations are to be followed as per the local country. Then comes the competition, at local as well as international level.
However, on the positive side, pharma sector and individual pharma companies, are known to spring surprises every now and then. Say, a company gets patent for a drug in USA or wins a court case against the rival to justify its medicines result in sudden rallies in the pharma stock.
Aanjaneya Lifecare is coming out to the stock market, so dont expect much of sudden rallies. One needs to keep a long term outlook for such companies, which is still not risk-free.
Anand Rathi Advisors and IDBI Capital are BRLM Book Running Lead Managers to the issue.

Sanghvi Forging IPO: Review Analysis & Details of Sanghvi Forgings IPO

Sanghvi Forgings IPO Details, Review, Analysis, Opinion and information on Sanghvi Forgings IPO
The Sanghvi Forging And Engineering Limited Company which operates in metal sector, has come out with its Initial Public Offering or IPO.
In this article, we will look at the Review, Analysis and Details of the Sanghvi Forgings IPO.

Sanghvi Forgings IPO: Review Analysis & Details

Some basic details first about the Sanghvi Forgings IPO, which are available as of now: Image sourced from Official website of Sanghvi Forging

- The size of Sanghvi Forgings IPO is around 37 Crore Rs. INR, that seems to be a small issue

- The company claims to be ISO 9001:2008 Certified company

- It is more than 20 years old company which is primarily in the business of manufacturing and marketing of Stainless Steel Forged and Machined Subtends, Forged Flanges, Forged Fittings and CNC Machined Forged Parts & Automobile Components in India

- The company has been in business for last 2 decades

What are the primary reasons for Sanghvi Forgings to come out with the Sanghvi Forgings IPO?
The main reason for any company to come out with an IPO is to collect money from the public through the standard process of listing on stock exchanges.
The Sanghvi Forgings IPO is expected to collect around 37 Crore Rs through this IPO.

What is the issue size of the Sanghvi Forgings IPO?
Around 37 Crore Rs is the size of the Sanghvi Forgings IPO.

What is the price band of Sanghvi Forgings IPO?
The price band for Sanghvi Forgings IPO is Rs. 80 to 85 Rs per share.

How many shares will be sold in the Sanghvi Forgings IPO?
The total no. of shares to be sold through this IPO is not known precisely.

What are the IPO dates for Sanghvi Forgings IPO
The IPO dates for Sanghvi Forgings IPO are from May 4 2011 to May 9, 2011

How will the capital raised by Sanghvi Forgings IPO be used?
It is reported that the capital raised through this IPO will be used for establishing a 15,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) capacity open die forging unit and hence this IPO is used to collect money for that business expansion.

Other Current IPO's: Innoventive Industries IPO and Vaswani Industries IPO

Any ratings given to Sanghvi Forgings IPO?
No info about that as of now.

What are the analysts recommendations and business results for Sanghvi Forgings IPO?
Although not many market expert details are available as of now, going by the reports coming in this IPO seems to be the rare ones among the recently lauched IPO's which is purely looking for capital collection for business expansion purposes.
On the business results side, the company has shown positive results recently. It's profits are reported to have increased in recent times. However, investors should invest in such IPO's as per their own risk appetite.
Arihant Capital Markets are BRLM Book Running Lead Managers to the issue.