Financial Coffee

(Please click on the Newspaper link to read the full article)   INDIAN ECONOMY Plan Expenditure may face substantial cut in Budget ‘India’s savings rate to plunge to 10-year low this fiscal’ Close to 6% growth on manufacturing picking up in Jan-Mar: Rangarajan Global Economy: China factories see only modest pick-up, Europe stabilises, HSBC, Markit PMIs show INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY Service Industries in U.S. Probably Maintained Momentum China Services Industries Expanded at Faster Pace in January Japan Finance Minister Models Policy After 1930s Stimulus China Reports highest Capital-Financial Account Gap for 2012 Payroll Gains in Recent Months Show Progress in U.S. Jobs Market Euro Rallies to Highest Since 2011 as ECB Balance Sheet Shrinks European Stocks Post Weekly Drop; Santander, Saipem Slide   EQUITY MARKET Trade cautiously as bears seem to be in control of markets: Analysts Markets may see consolidation, Q3 results to set tone: experts Market cap of top 7 companies dip by Rs 30,797 cr FIIs invest Rs 22,000 cr into Indian equities in Jan LIC cuts holdings in 27 Nifty firms, sells shares worth Rs 8k cr DEBT MARKET Seven states to auction 10-yr bonds to raise Rs 7,670 cr NHB to raise Rs 5,000 crore from tax-exempt bonds by March-end Why investors don’t bank on tax-saving deposits Italian Bonds Fall After 10-Year Debt Sale; Irish Notes Advance Credit Swaps in U.S. Fall as Hiring Rises, Manufacturing Expands Treasury Yields Rise to Highest Since April as U.S. Adds Jobs COMMODITIES Health will be the fastest growing insurance business: Tapan Singhel Oil Completes Longest Run of Weekly Gains Since 2004 Commodities Post Longest Run of Weekly Gains Since 1996 Crude oil prices up in Asian trade   FOREX Euro Rallies to Highest Since 2011 as ECB Balance Sheet Shrinks Pound Falls Versus Euro as Data Signals Recovery Stalling Asian Currencies Decline in Week as Yen Tumble Threatens Exports Dollar Drops to 14-Month Low on U.S. Jobs; Yen Slides Rupee rallies on fund inflows  MUTUAL FUNDS MFs sport 'RGESS' tag to tap tax-saving season flows MFs garner over Rs 1 lakh cr from investors in Apr-Dec 2012 Business Line:-SBI Magnum Equity: Invest Business Line:-Building on Banking and Energy Market regulator Sebi to introduce product labelling for Mutual Funds soon INSURANCE Health will be the fastest growing insurance business: Tapan Singhel Drop in average premium size of life insurance policies: Deloitte REAL ESTATE Discounts through real estate group buys China Home Prices Have Biggest Gain in 2 Years Maytas Properties agrees to pay Rs 850 crore as settlement to SRS Investments, JM Financial OPINION Gold struggles to gain traction Asset markets are driving inflation India’s GDP growth estimate KNOWLEDGE CENTER How to reap benefits from a diversified investment portfolio 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