Financial Coffee

(Please click on the Newspaper link to read the full article)   INDIAN ECONOMY Govt considering 8% licence fee on telecom tower firms Govt likely to harmonise excise, service tax laws in Budget Exports Enter Positive Zone After Eight Mths Planning Commission opposes cut in spending India Posts $20 Billion Trade Gap in January, One of its Widest India Said to Seek $6.5 Billion Share Sales to Curb Budget Gap INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY New Zealand Manufacturing Expansion Fastest Since May Draghi-Carney Show Ascent of Whatever-It-Takes Central Bankers King Says U.K. Faces Inflation Bout Plus Weak Growth Japan’s Economy Unexpectedly Shrinks on Exports, Investment No Agreement on $1.2 Trillion in Cuts as Deadline Nears  Retail Sales in U.S. Increase for Third Straight Month EQUITY MARKET Pre-market: Volatile session of trade seen Bear traders on the prowl PSU banks likely to get Rs 20,000 cr capital infusion in FY’14 FIIs Turn Cautious as St Ignores Diesel Price increase, RBI Rate Cut Lenders Gear up for Mega Write-Off on Kingfisher Sebi Freezes Bank A/Cs & Assets of Roy, Sahara Cos DEBT MARKET Debt Investors can Buy Listed NCDs as Shield against Rate Fall Tight Liquidity may Push Short-term Rates Higher Spanish, Italian Bonds Gain on Industrial Production Bond Traders Whip CPI Angst as India to Hungary Cut Rates Corporate Credit Swaps in U.S. Decline; Calpine Risk Increases U.S. 30-Year Debt Holds Drop Before Auction, Claims Data COMMODITIES Brent crude jumps to $119/barrel Oil Trades Near Three-Day Low on U.S. Output Gain, Iranian Talks Copper Declines as Commodities Slump With Crude-Oil Prices   FOREX Rupee slips a tad Pound Tumbles on Bank of England Inflation Report Australia’s Dollar Touches 2-Year Low Versus New Zealand Peer Colombia Reduces Planned Foreign Bond Sales to Ease Peso Gains Yen Falls After Former BOJ Deputy Says Correction Needed Euro Drops as Portugal’s Jobless Rate Climbs Before GDP Report  MUTUAL FUNDS Assets of tax-saving MFs show lower erosion than equity funds Direct Plans Garner 56% of Total MF Investments in Jan Funds seek open-ended status for RGESS INSURANCE Insurance sector looking for remunerative tax incentives Health insurance firms must settle claims directly with policyholders, rules court Life insurers’ profits to be muted, says Goldman Sachs report  REAL ESTATE Home loan disbursements ballooning because of value, not numbers U.K. House-Price Index Falls as Snow Disrupts Market, RICS Says Home Prices Rise in 88% of U.S. Cities as Recovery Gains  OPINION Shankar Acharya: Macroeconomic context and Budget Somasroy Chakraborty: India Inc and the Big Bank theories Budget should revamp direct taxes Lending Rates Need to Come Off for a Rebound KNOWLEDGE CENTER Tax-savings Bonds are  Best option before Rates Fall Park money in a contingency fund Look beyond Section 80 C for tax-saving instruments Guarding against a weak rupee How the rupee’s movements can wreck your portfolio