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An investment property is becoming a more popular choice for those seeking to create a revenue stream and also achieve capital growth through the investment property value increasing over time.

This can also be part of a strategic financial plan and should be considered by investors as part of a diversified portfolio. When considering an investment purchase you should also source the best investment loan structure for you. With any investment your investment loan can make a difference to your return. If you are negatively geared through an investment loan the cost to you of that investment loan can effectively be reduced.

If you purchase wisely, once there has been capital growth in the investment property over time there is the option of using this built up equity to move into another investment property, take out another investment loan and thereby continue to further increase your investment portfolio.

Aside from the traditional belief that tax advantages are the key driver for taking out an investment home loan there are many other factors to consider when purchasing an investment property.

Below are some key points for your reference, by using these points as a guide in conjunction with a detailed discussion with your accountant or financial planner you will be in a better position to ensure your investment purchase and investment loan is a financially sound decision for the long term.

In relation to property enquiry therefore, you should consider:

* What is the infrastructure like in the area? Are there enough schools, hospitals, shopping centres, doctors and dentists, freeways or main roads?

* What has the historical capital growth been in the area over the last two decades?

* Is the local council planning to increase housing density or add a new road to increase traffic flow?

* If you are purchasing in a new subdivision, are there more new land blocks and house and land packages planned nearby. New developments can impact on the value of your home as purchasers often prefer a new home to one that might be 2 or 3 years old in the same area.

* What length of time will the investment be held? And will this tie in with planned infrastructure development which will in turn accelerate capital growth?

There has been recent press to suggest that investment and home property values in Sydney have a potential capital growth of 18% over the next 3 years so buying off the plan as an investor may be an attractive option in the current market. If you find a good property development, suitable for investment, which has a completion date in say 2010 – 2011 then you can exchange contracts with either a 10% cash deposit or a deposit bond (as a guide the cost of a deposit bond of around $86500 for say settlement September 2011 will cost you approximately $9000- $9500 (significantly less than the interest you would pay over the period if you borrow $86,500 at current interest rates of 9% p.a). The general feeling is that direct investment into property as opposed to into managed property funds is a better way to go – you are in control of your investment and avoid the high management fees so often charged by share and property investment funds.

Do some research on the internet to see which areas have the greatest potential for capital gains – remember if you are looking for an investment property you should invest with your head not your heart. An investment property needs to be well located to transport and other facilities so that those renting can easily access these services.

When considering which investment loan would suit you best take the following into account:

1. Does the investment loan allow you to split it into a number of investment loan accounts. This is a good feature to have in an investment loan because you are positioning yourself for the future – if you use the investment property at a later date to gear into another investment purchase then you can split the account so that the investment loan portion relating to the new purchase is clearly identified. This allows you, and your accountant, to easily track the costs associated with the new purchase.

2. If you use your home property (with an existing home loan) as security for the investment loan then it is imperative that you do not mix any home loan debt with your investment loan borrowings. The ATO in Australia requires you to apportion any additional repayments to a loan where the borrowings are “mixed”. You want to apply any additional repayments to your home loan before your investment loan. You are paying your home loan off in after tax dollars – whereas you can deduct the interest you are paying on your investment loan against the income form the investment property.

3. Does the investment loan allow you to capitalise interest? It is always a good idea to include a capitalising feature as a part of your investment loan to protect you against any unexpected costs in relation to the property. It also means that instead of subsidising the investment costs and interest shortfall on your investment loan you can capitalise these and make additional repayments to your non-deductible home loan debt.

4. If you have sufficient equity in your home then you may be better to consider a 100% + costs investment loan for the investment acquisition and use any savings you intended for the investment purchase to pay down your home loan debt.

If you consider all these points your investment loan will be working in your favour at all times.

Hoboken, NJ (October 2008)—If Wall Street’s recent implosion has you looking for a tin can and the perfect burying spot in your backyard for your money, who can blame you? Recent weeks have held enough economic bad news for several decades. A historic investment bank declared bankruptcy. The U.S. government stepped in to bail out the world’s largest insurance company. And now Uncle Sam is scrambling to figure out what exactly a $700 billion bailout of the financial sector should look like. In the aftermath, many people are left wondering Just how safe is my money, anyway?

The answer? Not very, says Alex Green.

“Our economy is tanking largely because of the poor decisions of Wall Street’s big financial institutions and investors,” says Green, investment director for The Oxford Club and author of the new book The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio: Get Wise, Get Wealthy…and Get on with Your Life (Wiley, September 2008, ISBN: 978-0-470-11267-0, $27.95). “Knowing this, you might be wondering who you should trust to make critical financial decisions for you. Well, look in the mirror for your answer.”

In his new book, Green debunks the idea that financial experts should manage your money because they are somehow better equipped to predict what’s going to happen in the market. This is a myth, he insists. And that’s why his Gone Fishin’ Portfolio flips tradition on its head and helps you go DIY with your investing.

“No one has more skin in the game than you, so why wouldn’t you be at the helm?” asks Green. “You don’t need to predict the future to make money through investing. In fact, it’s better if you just work with the uncertainties of the market. The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio gives you the tools you need to make the most of your money and leaves you plenty of time for the more important things in life.”

Here are just a few reasons why The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio is right for you:

It requires no economic forecasting or market timing. Financial advisors pretend—and sometimes convince themselves—that they can predict what the market and economy will do because it’s believed that this is the special talent that separates them from the unlearned masses. People want to feel that someone smarter and more insightful than them is managing their money, and that’s why many of them are willing to pay considerable amounts for investment solutions. The reality is that no one can tell you with any certainty what the economy or the stock market will do next.

“Anyone can make a good market call,” says Green. “But no one—and no system—can accurately and consistently forecast the future. Investment success begins with a strong dose of humility—not just about your own knowledge but, just as importantly, about the knowledge of the so-called experts. Rather than pretend to have answers you don’t have, acknowledge your uncertainty. Deal with it. Capitalize on it. The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio does just that. It allows you to profit regardless of market conditions.”

It allows you to manage your own money. Once you know that neither you nor your financial advisor can predict the future you’re ready to manage your own investments. No one cares more about your money more than you do, so why not manage it yourself? Sure, there are investment advisors out there who are competent and ethical, says Green. It’s just that most investors don’t need to pay for the services of a good one.

“In this industry there is a lot of jargon and investment complexities that are off-putting to the average investor,” he explains. “But you no more need to master all this arcane knowledge to manage your money effectively than you need to understand how a combustion engine works to drive you from here to the post office. Successful investing does not have to be terribly complicated. Simplicity and effectiveness lie at the heart of the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio. You won’t need an investment advisor to put it together—or run it.”

It eliminates individual security risk. “The Gone Fishin’ strategy skips buying and selling individual stocks,” says Green. “That means if a company goes under—think Enron and Worldcom, or, for that matter, Lehman Brothers—your retirement savings won’t go down with it. The portfolio’s focus is meeting long-term investment goals, not pursuing short-term gains through trading. It’s also about spending as little time as possible on your investments, and being in the business of buying and selling individual stocks requires a lot of time, attention, and legwork on your part.”

It has delivered consistent market-beating returns in good times and bad. Green created the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio back in 2003. In the five years since it has compounded at 17.3 percent, considerably better than the S&P 500 over the same period. And it allows you to take on less risk than you would being fully invested in stocks. But what anyone interested in the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio will want to know—especially in today’s economy—is how it performs in a down market. The answer: it works. If you had owned it in the bear market of 2000 to 2002, for example, you would have seen it make temporary declines. It was down 6.1 percent in 2000, 2.7 percent in 2001, and 5.4 percent in 2002. But compare those numbers to the S&P 500, which fell harder: down 10.1 percent in 2000, down 13 percent in 2001, and down 23.4 percent in 2002, and you see that it is the better investment strategy.

“The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio is conservative in its investment approach yet as you can see it has beaten the market every year since its inception,” says Green. “And when we back-tested through the biggest bear market since The Great Depression, it still beat the market. Not just over time, but every year. It’s an investment strategy that you can be fully confident will always perform for you.”

It is based on a Nobel Prize-winning investment system. Harry Markowitz won the Nobel Prize for showing how a portfolio constructed of uncorrelated assets can allow you to master uncertainty and generate excellent investments—a strategy adopted by the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio. His ground-breaking paper, “Portfolio Selection” published in The Journal of Finance, laid the groundwork for much of today’s asset allocation strategies, including the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio.

“It’s these principles that make the goals of the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio—higher returns with less risk—possible,” says Green. “Conventional wisdom says it isn’t possible. The Nobel Prize committee and decades of experience say it is. The work done by Markowitz and other economic pioneers provide the underpinnings of the Gone Fishin’ strategy.”

It keeps more money with you. When you put the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio to work, you will be light years ahead of the typical investor who is either wondering what the heck to do, learning the hard way, or turning things over to an expensive investment professional. The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio is designed to let you keep your money where it belongs—with you. By managing your own portfolio, you can avoid paying an investment professional costly brokerage commissions and other fees. Also, the unique make up of the portfolio will help you keep your money in other ways. It consists entirely of low-cost Vanguard mutual funds that charge no sales loads or 12b-1 fees—costs that often come up when investing in other mutual funds. The Vanguard Group is among the nation’s largest mutual fund groups with more than $1.1 trillion in assets under management. Its large asset base allows the company to enjoy economies of scale that allow it to maintain its position as the lowest-cost fund family in the industry. So you avoid paying a lot in fees.

“In the book, I talk about the role saving will play in building the best financial future for you,” says Green. “By avoiding having to pay out these extra fees to brokers and/or mutual funds you are able to save and invest that much more of your income each year.”

It prevents shortfall risk. The whole point of financial planning is to make sure your investment portfolio doesn’t kick the bucket before you do. If you’re in good health, you may live a lot longer than you’re counting on financially. For example, consider that many baby boomers retiring at 65 will spend up to three decades in retirement. The reality is that Social Security and private pension plans just won’t be able to sustain you comfortably, if at all, for that amount of time. Add the increasing cost of living to the puzzle and the retirement situation for many Americans can become even more tenuous.

“The simple fact is that you are going to need funds other than those provided by Social Security or a private pension plan to ensure your money lasts as long as you do,” says Green. “The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio covers your shortfall risk. In other words, it is a growth portfolio designed to keep you from outliving your money. It should give satisfactory returns for 25-year-olds just beginning to invest, as well as 65-year-olds whose retirement may realistically last three decades, before they go to that big retirement home in the sky.”

It spells out a profitable asset allocation for you. Investors are often surprised to learn that their most important investment decision is selecting the mix of assets to be held in the portfolio, not selecting the individual investments themselves. The Oxford Club asset allocation model Green created recommends that you have 30 percent of your portfolio invested in U.S. stocks, 30 percent invested in foreign stocks, 5 percent in REITs, and 5 percent in gold shares. The remaining 30 percent is divided between high-grade bonds, high-yield bonds, and inflation-adjusted Treasuries. The Portfolio achieves this allocation through investments in Vanguard mutual funds.

“You’ll find that stocks give the greatest return over the long haul,” says Green. “The trade-off is high volatility. Blending different types of stocks with other assets can generate excellent returns with less risk than being fully invested in stocks.”

It only takes 20 minutes a year but use that time wisely. Once you’ve set up your Gone Fishin’ Portfolio you are free to spend the majority of your time doing something other than worrying about your retirement savings. But remember the 20 minutes you do spend managing your portfolio are crucial. You’ll spend that time rebalancing your asset allocation. Over time your asset allocation percentages will change significantly, depending on the performance of the financial markets. Rebalancing brings your asset allocation back to your original target percentages, so it’s those 20 minutes each year that will help you control risk and will likely deliver a significant performance boost over the years.

“A few pieces of advice: first, let an interval of at least a year and a day pass between each time you rebalance,” says Green. “This will help you avoid paying short-term capital gains taxes and the 1 percent redemption fee on investments held less than a year. Second, unless your investments are held entirely in a qualified retirement plan, where a fund redemption is not a taxable event, it’s preferable to rebalance by adding money to those funds that have fallen below your original target percentages. That may sound simple, but I can tell you from working with hundreds of investors that most have a strong compulsion to add to those assets that are performing best, not those that are performing worst. But for long-term results you need to forget what the hot asset class is doing. You want to buy what’s cheapest for the long-term advantage it confers.”

“The great thing about this investment strategy is that it takes the stress out of building your savings,” notes Green. “You no longer have to worry about any looming market catastrophes, and you don’t have to try to predict when these catastrophes will happen or rely on someone else’s ability to do so. Once you’ve set up the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio it will start making money for you and leave you time to do those things that you really want to do in life. It’s simple and effective—exactly what you would want an investment strategy to be.”

One of the outstanding features of globalization in the financial services industry is the increased access provided to non-local investors in several major stock markets of the world. Increasingly, stock markets from emerging markets permit institutional investors to trade in their domestic markets. Indian stock market opened to Foreign Institutional Investors in 14th September 1992, initially with lot of restrictions. The regulation on them are liberalized and minimized now, since 1993 has received a considerable amount of portfolio investment from foreigners in the form if FIIs investment in equities. This has become a turning point of India stock market. The government of India announced the policy of the government to permit the FII investment in India capital market. According to the SEBI modified the regulation on 14-11-1995. In order to make investment in India equity market they wanted to register with Security Exchange Board of India as foreign institutional investors. It is possible for foreigners to trade in India securities without registering as Foreign Institutional investors, but such cases require approval from Reserve Bank of India or the Foreign Institutional Promotion Board. They are generally concentrated in secondary market.

Domestic market alone not able to meet the growing capital requirement of the country and financing from mutilated institution has lost primary in the emerging in the global order .Besides aimed primarily at ensuring non-debt creating capital inflows at a time of extreme balance of payment crisis. It was to tie over the balance of payment crisis in the early 1990s

Portfolio flows often referred to as ‘hot- money’ are notoriously volatile capital flows. They have also responsible for spreading financial crisis causing contagion in international market. Evan though, the FIIs have been plying a key role in the financial markets since their entry into this country. The explosive portfolio flow by FII brings with them great advantages as they are engine of growth, lowering cost of capital in many emerging market. This opening up of capital markets in emerging market countries has been perceived as beneficial by some researchers while others are concerned about possible adverse consequences.

Clark and Berko (1997) emphasize the beneficial effects of allowing foreigners to trade in stock markets and outline the “base-broadening” hypothesis. The perceived advantages of base-broadening arise from an increase in the investor base and the consequent reduction in risk premium due to risk sharing. Other researchers and policy makers are more concerned about the attendant risks associated with the trading activities of foreign investors. They are particularly concerned about the herding behavior of foreign institutions and the potential destabilization of emerging stock markets.

This study addresses these issues in the context of foreign institutional investors’ (FII) trading activities in a big emerging market – India. India liberalized its financial markets and allowed FIIs to participate in their domestic markets in 1992. Ostensibly, this opening up resulted in a number of positive effects. First, the stock exchanges were forced to improve the quality of their trading and settlement procedures in accordance with the best practices of the world. Second, the information environment in India improved with the advent of major international financial institutional investors in India. On the negative side we need to consider potential destabilization as a result of the trading activity of foreign institutional investors. This is especially important in an emerging country that has embarked upon reforms to open up its market.

OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were as follows;

(1) To study the role of FII investment in the Indian stock market, ( 2 ) To examine the causal relationship between net FII investment and BSE sensex using granger causality test (3) To examine the causal relationship between net FII investment and NSE sensex using granger causality test (4 )To examine whether FIIs were a channel of global disturbance into the Indian stock market.

TOOLS: Study was carried out with the help of unit root test, co integration test, causal regression and F statistics for FII investment and index from BSE and NSE

LETERATURE REVIEWS

Gayathri Devi .R in 2003, she conducted study on “Causal Relationship between FIIs and Stock Market: A critical study”. It revealed that there was long run relationship between net FII investment and sensex, FII investment did not respond the short-run changes or technical-position of the market and they were more driven by fundamentals, and FII investments did granger cause India stock market. “Selen Serisoy Guerin” in 2006, conducted study on “The Role of Geography in Financial and Economic Integration: A comparative Analysis of foreign direct investment, Trade and Portfolio Investment Flows”.. It found support for the argument that most FDI among Industrial countries were horizontal, whereas most FDI investment in developing countries was vertical and our results indicated that portfolio investment flows compared to FDI, were highly sensitive to change in GDP per capita, this implied that if there was a negative output stock, portfolio investment flows would be more volatile than FDI. A.Julia Priya, D. Lazar and Joseph Jeyapual in 2005, they conducted study on “Role of Foreign Institutional Investors on stock market development in India”, Results revealed that sensex, market capitalization of NSE, Turnover of BSE and NIFTY without market capitalizations were influenced by Foreign Institutional Investors“Suchismita Bose and Dipankor coondoo” in 2004, they conducted study on “The Impact of FII Regulation in India”,. These results strongly suggested The liberalization policies had the desired expansionary effect and had either increased the mean level of FII inflows and/or the sensitivity of these flows to a change in BSE returns and /or the Parthapratim pal in 2004 conducted study entitled as “Recent volatility in stock markets in India and foreign institutional investors. Findings of this study indicated that Foreign institutional investors had emerged as the most dominant investor group in the domestic stock market in India. Particularly, in the companies that constitute the Bombay stock market sensitivity index, their level of control was very highinertia of these flows.

“sandhya Ananthanaryanan, Chandrasekhar krishnamurthi and Nilajan Sen in 2003 conducted study as “Foreign institutional Investors and Security Returns: Evidence from Indian Stock Exchanges”, It found strong evidence consistent with the base-broadening hypothesis.It did not find compelling confirmation regarding momentum or contrarian strategies being employed by FIIs.It supported price pressure hypothesis.

It did not find any substantiation to the claim that foreigner’ destabilize the market. J.S. Pasricha and Umesh.C.Singh in 2001, tried to analyze the impact of FIIs investment on Indian capital market. Their study revealed that FII are here to stay and have become the integral part of Indian capital market. Their entry has led to greater institutionalization of the market. They have brought transparency in the market operations.S.S.S. Kumar in 2001, attempted in his study to find the effect of FIIs on the Indian stock market. The inference analysis of the paper suggests that FII investments are more driven by market fundamentals rather than by short term changers or technical position of the market. As per K. Seethapathi and V. Subbulakshmi study entitled “Foreign investment: Need for focus”, They concluded that, the flows have to pick up. The political will is to be demonstrated by the government. In addition, the regulators have to identify the reasons for failure in converting approvals into actual investments and those issues are to be addressed immediately. E. Han Kim and Vijay Singal in 1997, they conducted study entitled “Are open market Good for Foreign Investors and Emerging Nations?”, Conclusion revealed as. Integrating the emerging stock markets into world markets has had benefits, and will continue to have benefits for both global investor and host countries. The end result of integrated markets a better allocation of resources, improved productivity of capital, and a higher standard of living.

THEORETICAL REVIEW

Between late 1990 and the middle of 1991, the economy faced severe balance of payment difficulties, coming close to defaulting on its external payment obligations in January and June of 1991. In January 1991, the Government negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for loans. What followed was the implementation of the conventional IMF-World Bank prescription of short-term ‘stabilization’, consisting of devaluation, temporary import compression, fiscal and monetary compression with a rise in interest rates, followed by more long-term ‘structural adjustment’ measures, seeking to restructure the domestic economy.

The New Economic Policy was an outcome of implementation of the ‘structural adjustment’ program. The ‘economic reforms’ or ‘economic liberalization’ program, which began to be implemented with the announcement of the New Economic Policy (NEP), included wide-ranging changes in industrial policy, trade policy and foreign investment policy, a redefinition of the role of the public sector in the economy and redesigning the architecture of the domestic financial system. By narrowing down the topic, first it concentrates on capital account liberalization.

CAPITAL ACCOUNT LIBERALIZATION

The process of capital account liberalization in India needs to be situated in its wider context, for it was shaped by the reality in the national context and the conjuncture in the international context. In response to the external debt crisis, which surfaced in 1991, the government set in motion a process of stabilization, adjustment and reform. Economic liberalization and structural reforms sought to increase the degree of openness of the economy through trade flows, investment flows, technology flows and capital flows. The process began the introduction of convertibility on trade as quantitative restrictions on imports, except for with consumer goods were dismantled and tariff levels were reduced. It was combined with a liberalization of the regimes for foreign investment and foreign technology. And restrictions on international economic transactions, including capital movements, were progressively reduced. This process was also influenced by the gathering momentum of globalization which was associated with increasing economic openness in trade flows, investment flows and financial flows.

The approach to capital account liberalization in India was much more cautious. What was liberalized was specified. Everything else remained restricted or prohibited. The contours of liberalization of the capital account were, in large part, shaped by the salutary lessons of the external debt crisis which surfaced in early 1991 and brought India close to default in meetings its international obligations. The balance of payments situation, then, was almost unmanageable.

The vulnerability was accentuated by two factors: it became exceedingly difficult to roll-over short-term debt in international capital markets and there was capital flight in the form of withdrawals from deposits held by non-resident Indians. This experience dictated the parameters of capital account liberalization8. It prompted strict regulation of external commercial borrowing especially short-term debt. It led to a systematic effort to discourage volatile capital flows associated with repatriable non-resident deposits. Most important, perhaps, it was responsible for the change in emphasis and the shift in preference from debt creating capital flows to non-debt creating capital flows. To some extent, the liberalization that was introduced was also influenced by the perceived needs of the economy: financing the current account deficit, mobilizing resources for investment and attracting international firms. But capital account convertibility remained, fortunately, in the realm of rhetoric. The Mexican crisis in late 1994 was, ironically enough, a blessing in disguise for India. It was not just an early warning signal. It dampened the enthusiasm of those who advocated capital account liberalization with a big bang. It lent support to those who questioned the wisdom of capital account convertibility that would have been premature in every sense. The contours of capital account liberalization in India were determined by these factors.

In sketching these contours, it is necessary to distinguish between different forms of private capital inflows and outflows, as there are important differences between these categories in the nature and the degree of liberalization. A complete description would mean too much of a digression. For our purpose, it would suffice to consider the contours of liberalization in the following categories of capital account transactions:

• Direct investment,

• Portfolio investment, and

• Non-resident deposits.

Foreign Direct Investment

It is defined as a long-term investment by a foreign direct investor in an enterprise resident in an economy other than that in which the foreign direct investor is based. The FDI relationship consists of a parent enterprise and a foreign affiliate which together form a transnational corporation (TNC). In order to qualify as FDI the investment must afford the parent enterprise control over its foreign affiliate.

The liberalization of the policy regime for direct foreign investment began in July 1991 with two major decisions. First, direct foreign investment with up to 51 per cent equity was to receive automatic approval in selected high priority industries subject only to a registration procedure with the Reserve Bank of India. Second, a Foreign Investment Promotion Board was constituted to consider all other proposals for direct foreign investment where approval was not constrained by pre-determined parameters and procedures. In effect, this created a dual route for inflows of direct foreign investment. The approval was automatic, within the specific parameters, from the Reserve Bank of India, while all other inflows were subject to approval through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. The access through the automatic route has been progressively enlarged over time. Needless to add, outflows associated with direct foreign investment are not subject to any restrictions, but this was so even in the era of capital controls.

Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI)

Portfolio investment represents passive holdings of securities such as foreign stocks, bonds, or other financial assets, none of which entails active management or control of the securities’ issuer by the investor; where such control exists, it is known as foreign direct investment.

The liberalization of the policy regime was extended to portfolio investment in September1992. To begin with, foreign institutional investors such as pension funds or mutual funds were allowed to invest in the domestic capital market subject simply to registration with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India permitted such foreign institutional investors to invest in the secondary market for equity subject to a ceiling of 5per cent (subsequently raised to 10 per cent) for individual foreign institutional investors in a single Indian firm with an overall limit at 24 per cent of equity (later relaxed to 30 per cent of equity at the option of the firm) for total foreign institutional investment in a single Indian firm. Foreign portfolio investment further classified into

1. FIIs

2. ADR/GDR, and

3. Offshore funds.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs)

One who propose to invest their proprietary funds or on behalf of “broad based” funds or of foreign corporates and individuals and belong to any of the under given categories can be registered for FII.

• Pension Funds

• Mutual Funds

• Investment Trust

• Insurance or reinsurance companies

• Endowment Funds

• University Funds

• Foundations or Charitable Trusts or Charitable Societies who propose to invest on their own behalf, and

• Asset Management Companies

• Nominee Companies

• Institutional Portfolio Managers

• Trustees

• Power of Attorney Holders

• Bank

Access was provided to foreign institutional investors in the secondary market for debt. Soon thereafter, foreign institutional investors were also allowed investment or placement in the primary market, subject to approval from the Reserve Bank of India, with a maximum limit of 15per cent of the new issue. It was some time before foreign institutional investors were permitted investment in government securities in the primary and secondary markets. This came in 1996-97 and was subject to the ceiling for external commercial borrowing. Subsequently, in 1998-99, foreign institutional investors were also permitted to invest in treasury-bills. There is no reserve requirements stipulated for, or taxes imposed on, these capital inflows. It also needs to be said that foreign institutional investors are allowed to repatriate the principal, the capital gains, the dividends, the interest and any other receipt from the sale of such financial assets, without any restriction, at the market exchange rate. The income tax rate for dividends on such portfolio investment for foreign institutional investors is 20 per cent, which is much lower than the corporate income tax rate for domestic or foreign firms. But foreign institutional investors are subject to a higher short-term capital gains tax at 30 per cent compared with 20 per cent for domestic investors, while the long-term capital gains tax is the same at 10 per cent. Sales of such financial assets for the purpose of repatriation are absolutely unrestricted, provided the sales are through stock exchanges. However, disinvestment through any other route, or in any other form, requires approval from the Reserve Bank of India.

Global Depositary Receipt:

Global Depositary Receipt A negotiable certificate held in the bank of one country representing a specific number of shares of a stock traded on an exchange of another country. American Depositary Receipts make it easier for individuals to invest in foreign companies, due to the widespread availability of price information, lower transaction costs, and timely dividend distributions. Also called European Depositary Receipt.

The option of portfolio investment was also made available to domestic corporate entities from September 1992. Indian firms were allowed access to international capital markets through global depository receipts or Euro convertible bonds which converted debt into equity after stipulated period. This access, however, was not automatic. Individual applications, drawn up inconformity with the general guidelines of the government, were subject to approval. This process remains unchanged.

Offshore Funds:

An offshore fund is a collective investment scheme domiciled in an Offshore Financial Centre, for example British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg, Cayman Islands or Dublin.

Similar facilities for portfolio investment were subsequently extended to Offshore funds, non-resident Indians (as individuals) and overseas corporate bodies, only for investment in shares or debentures through stock exchanges, on the same terms as foreign institutional investors, but subject to a ceiling of 5 per cent for individual non-resident Indians or overseas corporate bodies in a single Indian firm.

Among the various components of portfolio investment, FII comprises the bulk of portfolio inflows. The main objective of foreign institutional investors is to minimize risk and maximize returns by diversifying their portfolios internationally. Major determinants of investment decisions of FII are country and region specific.

Portfolio flows often referred to as ‘hot- money’ are notoriously volatile capital flows. They have also responsible for spreading financial crisis causing contagion in international market. Evan though, the FIIs have been plying a key role in the financial markets since their entry into this country. The explosive portfolio flow by FII brings with them great advantages as they are engine of growth, lowering cost of capital in many emerging market. This opening up of capital markets in emerging market countries has been perceived as beneficial by some while others are concerned about possible adverse consequences.

Among the most active FIIs are Morgan Stanely Asset Management, jardine Fleming, Capital International, J. Henery schorder, templeton, Warburg Pinkers, Internatioanl Alliance and Quantum fund.

Foreign Institutional Investors in India

India opened her doors to foreign institutional investors in September, 1992. This event represents a landmark event since it resulted in effectively globalizing its financial services industry. Initially, pension funds, mutual finds, investment trusts, Asset Management Companies, nominee companies and incorporated/institutional portfolio managers were permitted to invest directly in the Indian stock markets. Beginning 1996-97, the group was expanded to include registered university funds, endowment, foundations, charitable trusts and charitable. Since then, FII flows which form a part of foreign portfolio investments have been steadily growing in importance in India. Other than in the year 1998, the net flows have been positive. The nuclear tests and East Asian crisis did slow down the flows but as stated by Gordan and Gupta (2003), their effects were short lived. That the percentage of total net turnover of BSE, the share of average of FII sales and purchases increased from 2.6 percent in 1998 to 5.5 percent in 2002. The cumulative net FII investment in India as on August 2003 is approximately $17400 million. As of August 2003 net FII investment was 9 percent of the BSE market capitalization which is small compared to the size of the market. However, in the words of Banaji (2002), it is not the market capitalization that matters but what is important is the level of the free float, that is, the shares that are actually publicly available for trading. With floating stock in the Indian market being less than 25 percent, about 35 percent of the free float available has been bagged by FIIs - despite the fact that they invest in just a few highly liquid stocks.

Though India receives hardly 1 percent of the FII investments in emerging markets, the portfolio flows to India have been less volatile when compared with that of many other emerging markets (Gordan and Gupta, 2003). FIIs by adopting a bottom-up approach seem to invest in top-quality, high growth, large cap stocks (Gordan and Gupta, 2003). Sytse et al. (2003) provide empirical evidence that foreign institutional investors in India, invest in large, liquid companies which enable them to exit their positions quickly at relatively lower cost and also that the foreign institutional owners have a larger impact than foreign corporate owners when performance is measured using stock market valuation criterion.

India is one of the fastest growing economies in South Asia, promising a growth of over 9 percent, second only to China, it would not be a surprise to see increased FII flows to India in the future. FIIs are now looking at the economy as a whole, with the macro-economic factors also playing their role in attracting foreign investors. Factors like a strong currency, key reforms in the banking, power and telecommunications sector, increased consumer spending and stable policies are expected to play a major role in attracting FIIs to India. The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) along with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) jointly monitor the markets and announces the regulatory measures thus making the Indian companies more transparent and more disciplined.

According to the April 2005 report on corporate governance by CLSA Emerging Markets, India ranks fourth with a score of 55.6 percent. Banaji (2000) emphasizes that the capital market reforms like improved market transparency, automation, dematerialization and regulations on reporting and disclosure standards were initiated because of the presence of the FIIs. But FII flows can be considered both as the cause and the effect of capital market reforms. The market reforms were initiated because of the presence of FIIs and this in turn has lead to increased flows.

The Government of India gave preferential treatment to FIIs till 1999-2000 by subjecting their long term capital gains to lower tax rate of 10 percent while the domestic investors had to pay higher long-term capital gains tax. The Indo-Mauritius Double Taxation Avoidance Convention 2000 (DTAC), exempts Mauritius-based entities from paying capital gains tax in India - including tax on income arising from the sale of shares. This gives an incentive for foreign investors to invest in Indian markets taking the Mauritius route. Consequently, we now see investments coming from Mauritius while there were none before 2000.

The country wise distribution of the FIIs registered in India, with majority of them coming from USA and UK. Chakrabarti (2002) and Rao et al. (1999) point out the fact that due to existing inter-linkages, the source of the FII investment might not be the country from where the institution operates. Nevertheless, the figure gives us an idea of the country wise distribution of the FIIs in India. So as to encourage long term investments in the Indian market, Budget 2003 proposed that investors who buy stocks of listed companies from March 1, 2003 be exempt from paying tax on the gains they make on their investments, provided they hold them for more than one year. With so much to benefit from, the FII investment in India is likely to increase in the future.

Regulation on FII

Investment by FII was jointly regulated by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) through the SEBI (Foreign Institutional Investors) Regulations, 1995 and by the Reserve Bank of India through Regulation 5(2) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999. The promulgation of legislation pertaining to foreign investment by SEBI in 1995 market a watershed for FII flows to India; this led to a significant increase in the level of FII equity inflows in the pre-Asian crisis period. The SEBI FII Regulations and RBI policies are amended and modified from time to time in response to the gradual maturing of the Indian financial market and changes taking place in the global economic scenario.

In order to trade in India equity market, foreign corporation need to register with SEBI as Foreign Institutional Investors. Without registration they can invest, but cases require the approval from RBI. They are generally concentrated in secondary market. FII are allowed to invest in

a) Securities in primary and secondary market including shares, debentures and warrant of companies, unlisted, listed or to be the listed in India.

b) Units of mutual funds

c) Dated government securities

d) Derivative traded in a recognized stock market and

e) Commercial papers

FII can invest their own funds as well as invest on behalf of their over seas clients registered as such with SEBI. These client accounts that the FII manages are known as ’sub accounts’. FII sub accounts include those foreign corporate, foreign individual, institution funds or portfolio established or incorporated out side India.

FII may issue deal in or hold off share derivative instrument such as participatory notes (PN). The entities that can subscribe to the PN are : a) Any entity incorporated in a jurisdiction that requires filing of constitutional or other documents with a registrar of companies or comparable regulatory agency or body under the applicable companies legislation in that jurisdiction; b) Any entity that is regulated, authorized or supervised by a central bank, such as the Bank of England, or any other similar body provided that the entity must not only be authorized but also be regulated by the aforesaid regulatory bodies; c) Any entity that is regulated, authorized or supervised by a securities or futures commission, such as the Financial Services Authority or other securities or futures authority or commission in any country , state or territory ; d) Any entity that is a member of securities or futures exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange or other self-regulatory securities or futures authority or commission within any country, state or territory provided that the aforesaid mentioned organizations which are in the nature of self- regulatory organizations are ultimately accountable to the respective securities financial market regulators.

Investment limit

As per the September 1992 policy permitted foreign institutional investment registered FII could individually invest in a maximum of 5% of a company’s issued capital and all FIIs together up to a maximum of 24%. From November 1996 are allowed to make 10 percentage investment in debt securities subject to the specific approval from SEBI as a separate category of FIIs or sub accounts as 100% debt fund investment such investment were of occurs subjected to the fund specific ceiling prescribed by SEBI and had to be within overall ceiling US 1.5 $. The investment was however, restricted to the debt instrument of companies listed or to be listed on the stock exchanges. In 1997, the aggregate limit on investment by FIIs was allowed to be raised from 24% to 30% by then board of directors of individual companies by passing a resolution in their meeting and by special resolution to that effect in the company’s Board meeting. In June 1998 the 5% individual limit was raised to 10%.In March 2000, the ceiling on aggregate FII portfolio investment increased to 49%.This was subsequently raised to 49%, on March 8 2001, Finance minister announced February 28 2002 that foreign institutional investors can invest in accompany under the portfolio investment rout beyond 24% of the paid up capital of the company with the approval of the general body of the share holders by a special resolution.

Benefits and costs of FII investments

The terms of reference asking the Expert Group to consider how FII inflows can be

encouraged and examine the adequacy of the existing regulatory framework to adequately address the concern for reducing vulnerability to the flow of speculative capital do not include an examination of the desirability of encouraging FII inflows. Yet, for motivating the consideration of the policy options, it is useful to briefly summarize the benefits and costs for India of having FII investment. Given the Group’s mandate of encouraging FII flows, the available arguments that mitigate the costs have also been included under the relevant points.

Benefits

Reduced cost of equity capital

FII inflows augment the sources of funds in the Indian capital markets. In a commonsense way, the impact of FIIs upon the cost of equity capital may be visualized by asking what stock prices would be if there were no FIIs operating in India. FII investment reduces the required rate of return for equity, enhances stock prices, and fosters investment by Indian firms in the country.

Imparting stability to India’s Balance of Payments

For promoting growth in a developing country such as India, there is need to augment domestic investment, over and beyond domestic saving, through capital flows. The excess of domestic investment over domestic savings result in a current account deficit and this deficit is financed by capital flows in the balance of payments. Prior to 1991, debt flows and official development assistance dominated these capital flows. This mechanism of funding the current account deficit is widely believed to have played a role in the emergence of balance of payments difficulties in 1981 and 1991. Portfolio flows in the equity markets, and FDI, as opposed to debt-creating flows, are important as safer and more sustainable mechanisms for funding the current account deficit.

Knowledge flows

The activities of international institutional investors help strengthen Indian finance. FIIs advocate modern ideas in market design, promote innovation, development of sophisticated products such as financial derivatives, enhance competition in financial intermediation, and lead to spillovers of human capital by exposing Indian participants to modern financial techniques, and international best practices and systems.

Strengthening corporate governance

Domestic institutional and individual investors, used as they are to the ongoing practices of Indian corporates, often accept such practices, even when these do not measure up to the international benchmarks of best practices. FIIs, with their vast experience with modern corporate governance practices, are less tolerant of malpractice by corporate managers and owners (dominant shareholder). FII participation in domestic capital markets often lead to vigorous advocacy of sound corporate governance practices, improved efficiency and better shareholder value.

Improvements to market efficiency

A significant presence of FIIs in India can improve market efficiency through two channels. First, when adverse macroeconomic news, such as a bad monsoon, unsettles many domestic investors, it may be easier for a globally diversified portfolio manager to be more dispassionate about India’s prospects, and engage in stabilsing trades. Second, at the level of individual stocks and industries, FIIs may act as a channel through which knowledge and ideas about valuation of a firm or an industry can more rapidly propagate into India. For example, foreign investors were rapidly able to assess the potential of firms like Infosys, which are primarily export-oriented, applying valuation principles that prevailed outside India for software services companies.

Costs

Herding and positive feedback trading

There are concerns that foreign investors are chronically ill-informed about India, and this lack of sound information may generate herding (a large number of FIIs buying or selling together) and positive feedback trading (buying after positive returns, selling after negative returns). These kinds of behavior can exacerbate volatility, and push prices away from fair values. FIIs’ behavior in India, however, so far does not exhibit these patterns. Generally, contrary to ‘herding’, FIIs are seen to be involved in very large buying and selling at the same time. Gordon and Gupta (2003) find evidence against positive-feedback trading with FIIs buying after negative returns and vice versa.

BoP vulnerability

There are concerns that in an extreme event, there can be a massive flight of foreign capital out of India, triggering difficulties in the balance of payments front. India’s experience with FIIs so far, however, suggests that across episodes like the Pokhran blasts, or the 2001stock market scandal, no capital flight has taken place. A billion or more of US dollars of portfolio capital has never left India within the period of one month. When juxtaposed with India’s enormous current account and capital account flows, this suggests that there is little evidence of vulnerability so far.

Possibility of taking over companies

While FIIs are normally seen as pure portfolio investors, without interest in control, portfolio investors can occasionally behave like FDI investors, and seek control of companies that they have a substantial shareholding in. Such outcomes, however, may not be inconsistent with India’s quest for greater FDI. Furthermore, SEBI’s takeover code is in place, and has functioned fairly well, ensuring that all investors benefit equally in the event of a takeover.

Complexities of monetary management

A policymaker trying to design the ideal financial system has three objectives. The policy maker wants continuing national sovereignty in the pursuit of interest rate, inflation and exchange rate objectives; financial markets that are regulated, supervised and cushioned; and the benefits of global capital markets. Unfortunately, these three goals are incompatible. They form the “impossible trinity.” India’s openness to portfolio flows and FDI has effectively made the country’s capital account convertible for foreign institutions and investors. The problems of monetary management in general, and maintaining a tight exchange rate regime, reasonable interest rates and moderate inflation at the same time in particular, have come to the fore in recent times. The problem showed up in terms of very large foreign exchange reserve inflows requiring considerable sterilization operations by the RBI to maintain stable macroeconomic conditions. The Government had to introduce a Market Stabilization Scheme (MSS) from April1, 2004.

With the foreign exchange invested in highly liquid and safe foreign assets with low rates of return, and payment of a higher rate of interest on the treasury bills issued under MSS,

sterilization involves a cost. With a rapid rise in foreign exchange reserves and the need for having an MSS-based sterilization involving costs, questions have been raised about the desirability of encouraging more foreign exchange inflows in general and FII inflows in particular. While there is indeed the issue of timing the policy of encouragement appropriately to avoid the pitfalls of throwing the baby with the bath water, there can not be a turnaround from the avowed policy of gradual liberalization, including the cap ital account. All modern market economies have evolved policies to reconcile prudent monetary management with the benefits of a liberal capital account. There is no scope for any diffidence in India also moving in the same direction.

CONCLUSION

The liberalization policies had the desired expansionary effect and had either increased the mean level of FII inflows and/or the sensitivity of these flows to a change in BSE returns and /or the inertia of these flows. On the other hand, the restrictive measures aimed at achieving greater control over FII flows also did not show any significant negative impact on the net inflows, it had found that these policies mostly render FII investment sensitive to the domestic market returns and raise the inertia of the FII flows.

Foreign institutional investors had emerged as the most dominant investor group in the domestic stock market in India. Particularly, in the companies that constitute the Bombay stock market sensitivity index, their level of control was very high. Data on shareholding pattern showed that the FIIs were currently the most dominant non-promoter shareholder in most of the sensex companies and they also controlled more tradable shares of sensex companies than any other investor groups .The sensex, market capitalization of NSE, Turnover of BSE and NIFTY without market capitalizations were influenced by Foreign Institutional Investors. FIIs investment was not across the shares listed in the stock exchange but instead it was very concentrated on the top few company’s shares. Though there was a role by FII on Indian stock market. It was to be taken very cautiously because their influences were on the very few shares in the stock market, which influenced the indicator included in the study but which might not help the Indian economy to grow

The influence of FIIs on the movement of sensex became apparent after general election in India, during this period sensex experienced its worst single-day decline in its history and in the three month period between April to June 2004, it declined by about 17 percent. Moreover, this study also showed that even sharp changes in sensex did not necessarily indicted a significant alteration of actual shareholding pattern of different investor groups even in sensex companies. The activities of foreign institutional investors in emerging economies following the opening-up of the capital account were not simply positive for these countries but could also exert adverse effects. The reasons were derived from asymmetric distributions of information between local and foreign investors and between fund holders and mangers. Foreign institutional investors could be assumed to have relatively little information on specific developments in emerging markets so that ‘diluted information’ and ‘illusive competition’ could result. Their influence on these markets was likely to worsen the relative position of local investors which leads to ‘unbalanced diversification’. Moreover, due to their incentives they were likely to amplify occurring imbalances or even trigger financial shocks leading to what they call ‘obscure risks’ and ‘booming contagion’. The was long run relationship between net FII investment and sensex, FII investment did not respond the short-run changes or technical-position of the market and they were more driven by fundamentals, and FII investments did granger cause India stock market. The FIIs investments are highly concentrate in terms of their market value in very small number of companies. There seemed to be a clear distinction in the FIIs shareholding in nifty and non-nifty companies. There was a wide gap between the actual investments by FIIs and the investments allowed as per the cap.The gap in their investments existed both in nifty and non-nifty companies

There are numerous ways for individuals to invest money, and some individuals are choosing to buy or sell Cyprus property to maximize returns. While other investment options provide individuals with ways to make a profit, most don’t allow individuals to experience little risk while making a decent profit. However, individuals that buy or sell Cyprus property can experience just that if they equip themselves with the appropriate knowledge before they commit to any transaction.

Individuals must have a fairly clear idea of their goals when they decide to buy or sell Cyprus property. There are a number of different types of Cyprus property located all over the island, and individuals will need to choose which will provide them with the best return. For some individuals their best investment is to buy homes in Cyprus that they can rent out to families on holiday, while others find that apartments and villas make a good investment as they are a great value property in Cyprus and fairly easy to sell later. There is no right or wrong property type as each individual and their property investment goals can vary quite a lot.

Individuals will also need to learn about what they can do with a particular property type when they buy or sell Cyprus property. Some individuals choose to buy homes in Cyprus that can be rented, while others choose to quickly buy or sell Cyprus property that is under priced in order to make a fast profit. Individuals need to know what they plan to do with their Cyprus property to ensure they maximize their investment.

In order for individuals to make the best property investment decisions, they need to take the time to learn about the different areas that make up Cyprus. Some individuals will find they prefer to buy or sell Cyprus property located near the beach, while others find property located in the Troodos Mountains to cater for the skiing season can provide them with reasonable profits and yet be free for their own use in summer months. In the same way that there is no right or wrong property type to invest in, there is also no right or wrong place to buy or sell Cyprus property as long as individuals know what they are getting into before they commit to purchasing a Cyprus property.

Lastly individuals must learn about the value of property in Cyprus to ensure they are making a good investment. There are dangers in buying off-plan because (obviously) a surveyor cannot inspect the property and give an appraisal of value. The only real option is to check what similar properties in the area are selling for to see if they are getting a good deal.

Due to instability in the financial markets, individuals are looking for different ways to invest their money that will provide them with a solid return. Many individuals are achieving this when they buy or sell Cyprus property. You too can find success by taking time to learn a few things before you make your first investment - when buying Cyprus property always plan for when you will want to sell it!

While the current real estate market is certainly distressing, studying the history of real estate clearly indicates that it is, by nature, cyclical. There have been times throughout history when real estate has boomed and other times when it has remained somewhat stagnant. Real estate still remains one of the best investments around, provided that you exercise the proper amount of precaution in order to avoid getting caught up in a real estate market crash.

First, be aware of the need to change your investment strategy according to the current market. Just as the market changes from time to time, you will need to be prepared to change as well. Keep in mind that just because the market is slumping, or has even already crashed, that does not mean that you must forego investing entirely. It simply means that you will need to invest wisely. One technique that many investors use is to focus on the best areas for the investments. This is because those areas are likely to be the first ones to regain value once the cycle shifts. When prices do begin to pick up once again, you can use your purchase for leverage and sell the property, then move on to another investment. The key is to try to time your purchase so that you make your purchase in these areas right before they peak and then sell them before the interest in that market begins to wane.

It is also important to make sure you are paying attention to where you are focusing your spending. Naturally, when the market is down you will need to wisely slow down on the amount of purchases that you make. Along those same lines; however, you also need to make sure that you are not spending too much on property improvements and renovations. When the market is down is simply not the time to make such an investment.

Paying attention to the cyclical nature of the real estate market itself, especially over the past several decades, can give you a good indication of where the current market may be headed next. The main factor that can affect the real estate market is the theory of supply and demand. Simply put, when supply exceeds the current demand, the market will experience problems. Watching for these trends can provide you with critical clues to gauging the right time to buy as well as to sell.

In addition, be sure to keep an eye on the proportion and layout of your investments. Ultimately, it is good idea to make sure that all of your investments are balanced. So called ‘paper investments’ should be considered carefully to ensure that you are not investing so heavily in the real estate market on paper that your total investments will be put at risk when the market dips.

Finally, make sure that you never become so excited at the thought of an investment that you put the equity in your own home at risk. While it can be quite tempting to use the equity in your home in order to make an investment purchase, this is a risk that can put your own home and future in jeopardy. Only when your own home is secured should you even consider investing in the real estate market.

Let’s be honest, many of us dream have that one day starting up and successfully running a new business and leaving our miserable jobs behind to become our own bosses. And whilst many do just that and at least make a go at running a new business there are even more who never quite stop dreaming about it and find the courage to actually do so.

One of the reasons people give for not starting up a new business is a lack of finance. Well firstly that is a very poor excuse, if you believe in yourself and your own abilities to make a success of your venture then that alone is the biggest investment you can make in running a new business. Yes, you are the most valuable asset a new business can have, you and your specialist knowledge, your pride in getting a job done properly and having an absolute belief in your own abilities to make a success of running your new business.

Let’s say it again, ultimately you are the only thing worth investing in for running a new business and you don’t cost a penny, dime or cent. So what are you waiting for?? Running a new business is absolutely free, you don’t actually need to invest in it to get it off the ground because all the investment should come from within you and not from a bank or money-lender.

So once you’ve decided to invest in yourself, first in order to get your new business off the ground you are at some point going to have to think some sort of financial investment. See, eventually money does come into it but it is useless if your business plan is useless or you don’t have the personal wherewithal to actually make a good idea happen and the best place to seek such investment will be your bank.

All banks will have a new business advisory department and they will be more than happy to talk with you of your business plans, so make sure your plan is a good and sustainable one and if it is: they’ll certainly listen and if they like it, they will definitely lend you the money. It should be said that banks exist for you to borrow for things such as investing in a new business, they like people who are prepared to give it a go and if you demonstrate this and a fierce determination they’ll lend you the money to kick-start your new business.

When investing in starting up and running a new business it is vital that you don’t waste your initial investment on fancy cars, flash offices and a menagerie of staff. Basically, don’t walk before you crawl, all these trappings of success will come in time but to start off creating an image of success ultimately will mean you will fail because the best investment you can make at this stage of running a new business is dedication and hard work, that’s how you achieve lasting fulfillment and success and the trappings that go with it. If you just want the trappings without the hard work then don’t bother starting your own business because hard work is a better investment than an unearned top-of-the-range motor.

Reaching to nature for the best metaphor to consider when investing for running a new business, it is a whole lot better to invest in a bag of acorns and watch them grow, yield and flourish than it is to buy a lot of old oaks and see them wither and die.

And finally, again, it should said the biggest and best investment for a new business is you, your idea and your desire to succeed. With these, you can’t go wrong

A friend asked me during the week where he could “park” some cash while he was tossing up possible renovation plans for his home.  A similar situation might be faced by those saving for a home deposit or who already have a deposit and are waiting for home prices to fall before jumping in to buy.

The first suggestion that comes to mind would be to focus on removing volatility from any possible investment (and in doing so reducing risk).  In particular, a serious look at investing for income is definitely warranted.  So what is investing for income?

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The most commonly understood way to earn income from an investment is through cash and fixed interest style investments.  The common thread between these investments is that they pay regular interest payments over time while the initial value of the investment does not grow.

At the moment these style of investments are offering relatively strong returns.  The Weekend Australian Financial Review provided a good summary of some of the better returning cash and fixed interest style investments.  They firstly looked at cash accounts with the most compelling options those provided by online saving accounts.  The top three were Bankwest 8.25%, RaboPlus 8.00%, ING Direct 8.00% (It should be noted that these are introductory offers but still great returns.)

The great benefit of cash is that it is easily converted into money that can be used to purchase goods and services.  In financial terms these investments are highly liquid.  You are also very confident that you will not lose any of the initial investment along the way.  The major risk is that while this money is sitting in cash, alternative investments are providing a higher rate of return.

The next in the pure income line of investments are term deposits.  For agreeing to lock your money up with a financial institution for a given term, the institution pays you a slightly higher return compared to deposit accounts.  It was interesting to note in the AFR article that not until terms of at least 90 days were the rates above or equal to the rates offered by the top online savings accounts.  Basically what the current rates are telling us is that an investor is not compensated for having money locked away for less than a 3 month term.  The major risks with this type of investment is that you either need the money before the end of the term or interest rates in the economy increase meaning that your money could be yielding higher levels of income elsewhere (for the same level of risk).

The third basic category is fixed interest securities otherwise known as government or corporate bonds.  Investors purchase these investments with the issuer promising to pay a particular rate of return over a given term with the initial investment being returned to the investor at the completion of the term.  Bonds are traded and therefore once issued may move up or down in price. These changes are most likely caused by changes of interest rates in the economy or a change in the likelihood of the issuer meeting its repayments on the bond.  The major risks therefore are that interest rates in the economy increase causing the price of the bond to fall in value also meaning you could get better returns elsewhere or the issuer is unable to make the payments as required.  (More about this default risk later).

From here we move to less traditional cash and fixed interest securities.

In between the pure fixed interest investments and growth assets, like shares and listed property, are what are known as hybrids.  These are bond-like offerings which provide regular income payments but have equity characteristics. Should a company collapse, holders of these securities are treated like shareholders and their claims come after the claims of debt holders (bond holders).  You therefore should expect to be paid higher rates of income compared to bond holders.  For more information on an example of this style of security take a look at Scott Francis’ recent Eureka Report article - Suncorp offering with a bonus.

The clear risks with hybrids are that the company will not be able to make the payments however one risk that is removed is that of interest rate movements.  The products tend to have a floating rate tied to a relevant cash rate.  At the moment the premium above the cash rate is high as the credit market is tight and companies have to pay more to secure your money.

Then we come to the property sector.  Most people invest in property to hopefully see the value of the property grow.  However, there is also the benefit of receiving rent provided by tenants.  We access property exposure in our portfolios through listed property trusts.  Latest figures put income from listed property at 8 or 9%.  However, it should be noted that there has also been a significant depreciation in the value of listed property trusts over the past year, the worst year in history.  Therefore the major risk of utilising property investments for income is that the price of the investment will fall in value.

Finally, the last major income producing investments are shares.  Again, many investors get caught up in the growth side of the share return story while forgetting the income being provided through dividends paid by companies.  This story is particularly attractive in the Australian context thanks to the dividend imputation tax system whereby companies are able to pass on dividends that effectively have already been taxed at 30% before reaching the investor.

The AFR article on the weekend provided some interesting figures regarding dividend yields.  Historically companies in Australia have paid yields for industrial stocks averaging 5.2% since 1961.  Goldman Sachs JB Were are predicting yields of 5.9% for the year up from 5.6% last year.  Macquarie Research forecast 6.1% for the current year increasing to 6.4% in the following.  This gradual increase in dividends being received by investors is a real benefit of these investments that is often forgotten.  Of course the recent plunge in sharemarkets have detracted from shares as investments but if you are willing to hang on and wait for share prices to rise, this level of income being paid is nothing to be sneezed at especially given the tax benefits of fully franked dividends.

Across all of the income producing investments there is an underlying risk that the holder of your cash, including shares, will not be able to return it when required.  i.e. they default on returning the money you have loaned them.  The greater the risk of this occurring, the higher the return that should be expected by investors.  Groups like Standard & Poors help determine this risk by providing ratings of the underlying products and companies.  Having consideration of the rating of a product or company is key to assessing whether the investment is suitable for you.  It is interesting to note that the best yielding income investment mentioned in the AFR article was the Babcock & Brown Infrastructure EPS (BEPPA) returning 23%.  The recent news surrounding Babcock & Brown show that this is indeed a riskier style of investment.

For more information on this topic, Vanguard have produced a really clear explanation of Investing for Income in their Plain Talk library which is well worth a look.

In order to invest wisely, you need to have a suitable investment plan that will ensure the appropriate amount of growth for you. Your investments will also need to be safe and easy to manage.

Developing an Investment Plan:

The first step in developing an investment plan is to identify what type of an investor you are. Investor types are often determined by their stages in life. Here is a guide:

- Single person under 40 years old. Focus: Long-term investments, medium to high risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- Two-income married couple, no children, aged 20 to 40 years. Focus: Long-term investments, medium to high risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- One-income family, young children, aged 20 to 40 years. Focus: Long-term investments, low to medium risk. Emphasis: compound growth.

- Single person, aged 40 to 60 years. Focus: Medium-term investments, medium risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- Married couple with adolescent or independent children, aged 40 to 60 years. Focus: Medium-term investments, medium risk. Emphasis: capital gain, compound growth.

- All investors, aged 60 and over. Focus: Short to medium-term investments, low risk. Emphasis: Income.
The following are examples of investment portfolio mixes for the various types of investors.

Low Risk Investments:

Low risk investments are predominately cash, fixed interest and superannuation. This has the lowest risk of all investments but has also the lowest return - in today’s market, approximately 3% to 6% per annum. Fixed interest includes cash, cash management trusts and bonds. They return approximately 5% to 10% per annum, sometimes as high as 15% if you invest in global bonds in good markets.

Superannuation returns and risk profiles vary from institution to institution, however the best and safest usually return on average 10% per annum.

Medium Risk Investments:

Medium risk investments include property and non-speculative shares. Diversified funds, which invest in a range of asset groups, are also considered to have medium risk profiles. Average returns from these types of investments will range from 8% to 15% per annum.
I also like to include the broad spectrum of mutual funds, to be discussed later, in the range of medium risk investments. Some can return up to 25% and more depending on the fund type and managers.

High Risk Investments:

High risk investments include all speculative shares, futures and any other type of investment that is purely speculative by nature. Because with these types of investments we are betting on whether the price will go up, or sometimes down, I often classify this as a form of gambling. Accordingly, the returns are unlimited but so is the ability to lose the total money invested.

The basic rule for investing in highly speculative stock is to build in ’sell-out’ thresholds, three up and three down. For example, if you buy a stock at $20.00 per share, your sell-out thresholds might be:

Sell out threshold 3 $30.00

Sell out threshold 2 $25.00

Sell out threshold 1 $22.50

Buy $20.00

Sell out threshold 1 $17.50

Sell-out threshold 2 $15.00

Sell-out threshold 3 $10.00

Each time your stock reaches one of the threshold levels, you sell a third of your stock.

If the stock starts to rise, you sell a third at $22.50 and then another third at $25.00 and so forth. If the stock starts to fall, you also sell a third at $17.50, then another third at $15.00 and the final third at $10.00. In this way, you will never lose all your money, however you have also put a cap on the total profit you will make on the investment. This I have found to be the best and safest method for investing in speculative shares. In 1987, my husband and I were saved from the severe losses of the Wall Street crash because we were well and truly out of the market by taking our profits beforehand. Like all systems, this strategy will only work as long as you obey the rules and do not get too greedy.

Mutual Funds:

Mutual Funds are a selection of investments that are professionally managed by a financial institution or organization. These institutions have a wide range of specialists, researchers and advisor’s who devote their time to ensuring that the fund invests in the best companies and assets.

As well as the advantage of having experts manage your investments, managed funds also give you the ability to invest in a wide range of shares, property or fixed interest markets, either locally or internationally, for as small an outlay as $1,000. In the latter case, they also require a savings plan where you agree to deposit additional capital of a minimum $100.00 per month.

Because managed funds cover the whole spectrum of investment risk profiles, you can easily cover your preferred investment portfolio, as described above, by investing in several different funds.

Putting Together Your Investment Program:

After you have identified your investment type, you need to either seek a good financial advisor or devote your own time in researching investment options.

Shares have traditionally outperformed other asset groups over time. However, share markets can widely fluctuate in the short term, so any entry into the market should always be done with a long-term view of up to 10 years. Even the best managed share funds can fall if the stock market crashes or enters a severe downward cycle. As long as you ensure that you are with a reputable fund with good managers and are willing to ride the waves, your investment will do well in the long-term. If you are in the short-term, low risk category then your investments should be in the safer, more stable areas with lower returns.

Rules for Investing:

Investing may seem daunting for a lot of people. Maybe you have tried it once and failed, or maybe you are simply frightened of losing your money.

To avoid losing any capital, you simply need to be aware of the main pitfalls and always avoid them. The simple, reliable rules for investing are:

1. Have a plan. Always ensure that you or your financial advisor draws up an appropriate investment strategy for you that incorporates your risk profile, timeframes and financial goals. As foolish as it seems, many people plunge headfirst into investing without thoroughly working through these fundamental issues.

2. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Obvious advice, but many people fail to follow it. Many people think that they are on the right financial track by paying off the mortgage on their family home and then buying another property for investment purposes. Think about it! You have put all of your financial eggs in one asset basket - property. What happens if the property market collapses? Despite common thinking that this is a safe way to invest, the outcome is very risky. You have invested all of your well-earned money into only one area.

3. Build in appropriate timeframes. There is an old saying, “When the tea lady starts to invest in the stock market, it’s time to get out.” What this means is, when the share market is so high that everyone starts to clamber on board, it has probably reached its peak. There are two ways of successful investment timing. The first is to always pick the low-end of the market to buy and the high-end of the market to sell. This is extremely hard to do. Even the best-informed experts have trouble. The second way is to choose good investments and stay with them over the long-term (say 10 years or more) and ride the waves of the market. For safe, easy investing, choose the second method. Do not buy into the top-end of the market and sell once it starts to fall. You will definitely lose money this way.

4. Avoid high-risk investments. These include risky business ventures, highly speculative stock, tax avoidance schemes or too-good-to-be-true propositions that promise unusually high returns.

5. Avoid borrowing for your investments. Although some financial advisors advocate ‘gearing your investments’, this can be fraught with danger. Gearing means to borrow. If borrowing for investments takes you over your 40% fixed costs margin, you will be cutting it too fine, particularly if you lose your current income level.

6. Stay with the traditional and known. The best and surest investments are fixed interest, property and shares. Although all asset classes will fluctuate over time.

Work out the optimum mix for your investment profile, have a safe plan to work with and you can’t go wrong.

Mortgage broker surety bonds are one of the most highly requested surety bonds out there. As businesses and companies have become ever so competitive today, surety bonds are essential for guaranteeing payments are made on time. And in an industry that is flourishing, mortgage broker bonds allow brokers and lenders to sustain their activity in a legal manner.

Mortgage broker bonds are the most common and popular subtype of commercial surety bonds. Essentially, they guarantee the job will get done according to what was stated in the bond. And because of the fact that they are imposed by state law, they have great importance and are highly requested.

The main difference that you will find in a mortgage broker surety bond as oppose to other bonds is that it is designed specifically for brokers only. There are no people involved that are also lending the funds like in mortgage banker bonds. Because of this, you will find that mortgage broker bonds are easier to handle and far quicker to obtain than most kinds of loans.

It is vital that as a mortgage broker, you do not have to worry about whether or not you will get paid and all notes within the contract are respected. There is enough work to keep you busy through your job, and worrying about these kinds of things is just a hassle. Therefore, mortgage broker surety bonds guarantee the authenticity and legality of brokers license.

Along with this, these bonds also get into respecting the laws stated and imposed by the state. You will find that many states have their own specific laws that mortgage brokers must abide to. Because of this, each state has its own individual bonds.

What can become a hassle is when states change the document list required for obtaining bonds. Some states regularly change the list while others hardly ever change it. But it is vital for you to stay up to date with this so that you can properly close mortgage broker bonds in the state you are in.

Unlike the rest of the industry, mortgage brokers have been lucky that mortgage broker surety bonds have not changed much over the last few years. This makes it much easier if you are looking or a bond agency and even easier for those within the industry. Regardless, it is still vital that you research to find the more reliable mortgage broker out there.

A mortgage broker bond is one of the most highly requested surety bonds out there.

Is it so nominated in the bond? - Shakespeare

A corporation is a peculiar thing. A corporation, at least in the eyes of the law, is actually a legal entity, having been born by virtue of its charter; it has certain rights and privileges which are conferred upon it by the state which issued its charter, which specifies the total capitalization and the amount of stock and/or bonds which may be issued; should any further amounts be required, then the charter must be amended.

Such rights include the right to issue a portion or all of the total authorized stock and/or bonds specified in the charter, the power to incur obligations (debts) and to issue bonds to cover such debts, the right to own property, the right of recourse to law for suit or to be sued in turn.

Bonds

A bond is basically a contract whereby a corporation may borrow money and, in turn, promises to pay interest at a stipulated rate for a fixed period of time. While the stockholder is a part owner in the business, the bondholder is simply a creditor and as such has a prior claim upon the assets of the corporation.

In the event of failure of the issuer of the bond to carry out the provisions of the contract (commonly known as the indenture), the bondholder is protected by law and may take the necessary steps to recover the principal amount which he has lent; in practice this is done by the appointment of a trustee to act for all bondholders as a group in the event of any legal action.

In case of bankruptcy, the claims of any bondholders are prior to all other claims and must be satisfied before stockholders of any class receive anything. Should more than one bond issue be involved, they are usually satisfied in the order of their rank or issue.

As a guide to the purchase of bonds, there are available what are known as “bond ratings.” These are obtainable from such organizations as Moody and Standard & Poor; in order to obtain a reasonable appraisal of the merits of a certain bond, one need only refer to the rating assigned to it by these or some other reliable organization. A portion of the ratings of the above two, as applied to better-grade bonds, is shown below:

Moody S & P Remarks
Aaa Al + Highest grade
Aa Al High grade
A A Upper medium grade
Baa Bl + Medium grade

Lower ratings are available, but the investor of modest means will be well advised to confine himself to the better issues. Bonds of good quality are regarded as having very high investment characteristics, especially with regard to safety of principal.

A bond represents a contract whereby the issuing agency borrows money and stands behind such a loan by a pledge of property, so that each bond commonly represents a portion of a mortgage. One might be tempted to think that all bonds are backed by mortgages and are therefore necessarily the best form of investment. This does not follow, because the general reputation of the company, coupled with its over-all financial standing, is of the utmost importance.

Bond selection is best made with the aid of the rating, as given by one of the investment services, and with the assistance of a broker or investment counsel. Some of the matters which should be borne in mind are: (a) type of business (railroad, manufacturing, public utility) ; (b) bond type (mortgage or debenture) ; (c) term, rate of return, special features (callable, convertible, etc.) ; (d) financial status of issuing company; (e) coverage of interest charges, which should be ample; (f) relationship to other bond issues.

While bonds are quoted on a day-to-day price basis, they do not characteristically fluctuate as widely as common stocks - at least the high-grade bonds do not; the medium- and lower-grade bonds are subject to rather sharp fluctuations, and for this reason are perhaps even inferior to higher grade preferred stocks for the investor of modest means.

Once you have a small nest egg, it may be time to invest in some bonds.