Sunday, February 13, 2011

Financial Extremists


These guys are highly qualified , Wears expensive suits , Lives in posh and affluent localities ,drives expensive cars , Good speakers & presenters , Extremely self motivated people, Look very cool and gives impression as they are relentlessly working for social & investors cause .Derives lot of social respect from society. Their job known as Financial Advisory. They don't carry ammunition or weapons but products more dangerous and powerful than nuclear bombs which create financial destruction to your life. They are least bothered about customer's financial fortunes ,they work for their personnel appraisal and bonuses, prescribes only financial products that only gives highest amount of revenues irrespective of associated risks with respective of products . Unlike communal terrorists they won’t cover their faces with masks but wears neck ties . Their motive is increase their Assets under management and revenue and always assures and talk about doubling of our invested money at a very short span of time.
They won't talk much time once your balance is Zero .They call Customer is KING but not treats at least as a Citizen once your balance is NIL . Financial services firms designates their sales staff as Financial Advisors that they look into their priorities but not the investor priorities while conducting financial planning.
Now especially in India , the Wealth Managers or financial planners or Relationship Managers irrespective of their designations their main motive is earn high revenue for the company. Of course its not wrong practice ,Every one have to work with profit motive , But it should not through misguiding and promoting illicit wrong advisory practices which leads to Investors Financial destructions. , they know they are not married to their companies but Profit with human touch is essential for long term sustainability of Relation & Business.
Customers and Investors are afraid and worried to go to Banks not of robbers , but because some one might do their financial planning !!. In reality these highly respected institutions doing their own financial planning but not customers. Recently one of my uncle asked me in surprise why my wealth managers from a reputed Bank is stopped suggesting Mutual Funds for investment, and only talk about Stock Portfolio Management Services (PMS) , derivative structured products and private equity products (P.E) .For some well known financial advisory firms irrespective of customer's needs & requirements wealth management means only Life Insurance since it gives highest revenue .
I am not against to any of these Financial advisory firms and persons , I have high regards and respect for the profession of financial advisory. But the problem lies in with most of the advisors and their prescription of products . We have clearly witnessed the lacuna in recent Citi Bank Gurgoan case and there are number of issues and instances which won't come to lime light because of illicit financial advisory . A communal terrorist might create destruction to the lives with their explosives and weapons . But the products these financial extremists carry in their bags like Derivative structured and high bandwidth financial products create greater destruction to your financial life and makes miserable if Investors are not educated on the risks associated with the same. Because of wrong advisory the entire life savings of a Investor will be evaporated in a single day .You don't get these destruction stories on print & electronic media as prime news to know .
In India there is no proper code of conduct to regulate , restrict and control activities of this financial advisory services .We have to blame all the financial regulators also for messing and perplexing the entire advisory activities. AMFI , IRDA,SEBI all the monetary & regulatory bodies are failed to construct , develop a standard uniform code of conduct for Financial advisory services . Since we are very well aware how these regulatory bodies acted in recent past
Ministry of Finance should take initiative to develop standard code of conduct for Financial advisory at base level as priority before they constitute Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) as super regulator . From Financial advisory firms perspective , they have construct and develop stringent norms to appraise products and stress on strong risk disclosure norms to customers before they distribute and sell Financial Products to prevent this fervid financial extremism & Extremists while advising financial products.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Financial Wilderness



As we are progressing into the Month of February uncertainty creeping into the Economy & Stock Markets. Euphoric and exuberant voices on idiot boxes I mean television sets , were shut from some time . One will say we are in bull market , other will say bear and some other will say , We are already Doomed .
Wilderness is a state where people have to spent time in Forest without any basic facilities , life will be full of uncertainty in despondency without any aim. Wilderness is the period where children of Israel spent 40 years before entering into the promise land of God , after they depart from Egypt. During the same time nevertheless of Wilderness God comforted them .
Because of their Disobedience & Indiscipline ,they got delayed 40 years to pursue the promise land that flow with milk & Honey ,which normally takes 40 days to reach . If we observe the current trend in stock market, we are entering into the wilderness where our patience will be tested . With High inflation Environment ! Hedge funds & Emerging market dedicated ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) started withdrawing their investments from Indian markets. Markets have taken a U turn from 20K to 18K levels . Retail & HNI investors are confused on to what is going to happen in market thinking that are we going hit all time low again ! Investors just started investing from past 6 months were not able to see their portfolio fizzling . I am not here to time the market which every Investor tend to do every time and I am not going to discuss how many days we will spend in wilderness. But what are the principals one should follow , and discipline to habituate during the course of Wilderness. There is immense exuberance in the Economy , people are not deferring their spending plans , Every asset class in the world is going up except stocks in India .I am not sure how many vegetables you can buy for thousand Rupees ( 22 Dollars) at vegetables stores . But For beginners in Stock Market I am very much confident and sure you can start constructing portfolio of stocks with all recipe of sectors with just one lac ( Two thousand Dollars) ! If you want to build a successful portfolio.
First & Foremost thing one should learn ,avoid timing the market I.e looking for bottoms levels of the market so one can buy stocks at much more cheaper rates . Time is stupendous and key essence of your investments , there is no good or bad times for market , market runs on its own trade cycles and time , where majority of of the people fail predict these Bottoms & Ups. According to one study of the American stock market over a 30-year period between the mid-1960s and mid-1990s, 95% of the significant market gains over this period came in just 90 trading days. That's 90 days out of a total 7,500 trading days – just around 1%. Investors who had missed even one of those days would have lost heavily. In India too, often large gains have come on a single day. The most memorable such day was May 19, 2009, when the Sensex rose 17% on the back of the re-election of the Congress -led United Progressive Alliance government. So, unless you can predict which days will be the big market gain days, the only way to capture them is to hang on for the ride even in the downturn. No stock pundit in the world predict those days .If they predict correct also its just their pure luck.
Its futile exercise spending time to catch the bottoms & Ups in the stock market and always stay invested .
There is always some thing to worry in stock market !! Show me a single day where we had a clear picture in stock market . In 2009 February deflation was the problem , today it turned as inflation .There is no single rule that works always in stock markets . IF one want to be successful in the journey of wilderness they have to be disciplined in investing .
The qualities an Investor ought to have include self reliance , common sense , open mindedness, flexibility , willingness to do independent research , A equal willingness to admit mistakes and ability to ignore general panic and most important PATIENCE. These are the few qualities one should habituate to become a successful investor in all times including Wilderness. The biggest enemy in stock is not your stock broker or company management Its your Emotions .Policy makers should recognise present inflation is not on Demand side But more on Supply side . Tightening interest rates is not a cure for inflation , Its just a first Aid. This is the time bank's lending should go up to priority sector at cheaper rates to control raising prices in long term. Since change of Growth Corridors to west in short term , Markets will be expected to be volatile . Even though some hot money may flow out . India will attract investors interest over longterm because of its intrinsic growth .For My readers in United states Don't worry Our Printing Machine Bernake will come up with one more recipe QUANTITATIVE EASING if Dow falls to 10000 levels.
If analyst says we are going to to touch lows? JUST Rejoice , you can buy chips at much more cheaper levels , use this Panic period as stock sowing time and get ready for harvesting soon . Historically Feb month was a volatile month with renewed anticipation from Union Budget. When Inflation at high levels then Equity market is the best avenue to tide against the inflation , As a growing nation and kind of bureaucratic & political mismanagement inflation and disinflation will be a problem Always in the days to come .Indian Markets will prove its resurgence and resilience at some point of time .
If anyone want to pursue their promise land successfully , then they have to learn and practice the principals to spend time in Wilderness.