Do it yourself

Thought for the day In struggling against anguish one never produces serenity; the struggle against anguish only produces new forms of anguish." -           Simone Weil (French, 1909-1943) Word for the day Stinkaroo (n) Something markedly inferior in quality (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Is there any study to assess what is the role of incest in worsening sex ratio in India? The road less traveled has its own perils The week expectedly started with Greece. Monday morning was overwhelmingly dominated by Greek talk. By the time markets opened, I had already participated in many discussions. "What is happening in Greece?" Why people are discussing it 5am in the morning! my wife a student of Music and blissfully oblivious about finance, wondered. "I am praying for Gexit. A vacation in Santorin at cost of Bangkok would then be possible!", a dear friend ex...

Thought for the day "The intelligent man who is proud of his intelligence is like the condemned man who is proud of his large cell." -           Simone Weil (French, 1909-1943) Word for the day Tenderfoot (n) A raw, inexperienced person; novice (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Narendra Bhai's friend Barack's country has embraced Yoga. Will Barack's friend Narendra Bhai's country embrace Gay marriage? Or we just believe in saying our Mann ki Baat, without bothering about others' Mann ki Baat. Lull before the storm As expected last week ( see here ) Nifty faced strong resistance in the 8350-8386 range and failed to sustain outside this range. The momentum in the market slowed down considerably despite F&O expiry last week. Volumes were low. Volatility persisted at lower levels. Market breadth was even. FPI selling seen in past two weeks ...

Thought for the day "Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence; they go stark, raving mad." -           Feodor Dostoevsky(Russian, 1821-1881) Word for the day Ennui (n) A feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom: (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none What is morality and what is legality; and why should they cohabit; and how could morality be tangent on the legality. True and fair Someone raised a very pertinent question - should driving below speed limit be equivalent to driving above speed from viewpoint of the legality of the action? In a scenario when everyone is driving at the stipulated speed limit, the safety of the vehicles and people riding in those vehicles would be endangered in equal proportion if someone decides to drive either below or over the stipulated limit. ...

Thought for the day "The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month." -           Feodor Dostoevsky(Russian, 1821-1881) Word for the day Otiose (adj) Being at leisure; idle; indolent. (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none In a society where history is quintessentially intertwined with religion & mythology and laced with guilt - how science could progress. A stich in time! At the recently concluded annual general meeting of the Reliance Industries Limited, the management of company presented some glimpses of their strategy for the telecom business under Reliance Jio brand. While the analysts are divided over the extent of damage it might inflict to the existing players, three things are clear: (a)    The Indian telecom industry shall see enhanced competition and pricing pressure in next couple of...

Thought for the day " There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it. " -           Feodor Dostoevsky(Russian, 1821-1881) Word for the day D efiniens (n) Something that defines, especially the defining part of a dictionary entry. (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Government is considering tax rebate for encouraging use of credit card. Does promoting the use of debt not violate the "Indian Culture"? Why no champion of "Hindu Rashtra" is seen protesting? Let it go! Last week, the government raised the import duties on flat steel products to 10.0% from 7.5% and on long products to 7.5% from 5.0%. Higher import duties on steel products are intended to ease some of the downward pressure on domestic steel prices from cheaper Chinese steel imports. As per Moody's, Indian steel prices have dropped 27% over the past 12 months owing to a 70% increase in cheaper imports, one third of whi...

Thought for the day "Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant and agonizing anxiety than find as quickly as possible someone to worship." -           Feodor Dostoevsky(Russian, 1821-1881) Word for the day Swashbuckler (n) A swaggering swordsman, soldier, or adventurer; daredevil. (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Has Bangladesh finally replaced Pakistan in terms of popular cricketing rival of India? Look at what you own, Sensex may mislead you The recently concluded result season (4QFY15) was one of the worst in past one decade. The Sensex earnings fell 7% yoy, led primarily by commodities. More companies missed the earnings forecasts of analysts as compared to the companies which met or beat the forecasts. Pharma sector perhaps disappointed most. Consumers, particularly discretionary, also let down the street expectations. The most disappointing ...

Thought for the day "Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid." -           Feodor Dostoevsky(Russian, 1821-1881 ) Word for the day Inviolable (adj) incapable of being violated; incorruptible; unassailable (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Why Lalu and Nitish are taking LKA side, who they believe to be the original villain of Secularism? Greed still outweighs fear: Market crash not imminent Since the all time high level recorded by Nifty on 4 March 2015, small cap and midcap stocks have mostly outperformed the benchmark. Despite rising threat perception, persistent selling by FPIs and worsening technical parameters, broader markets have continued to outperform last week. Though the small cap did worse than midcap last week, the scale is still tilted towards "greed" in the battle of bulls (greed) and bears (fear). ...

Thought for the day "I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way. " -           Robert Frost (American, 1874-1963) Word for the day Lackadaisical (n) Without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic. (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Wonder, when non-congress parties will stop citing non-performance of Congress in last 60yrs as a defense for their non-performance! Irony of middle child - II The decision of CCEA to hike interest subvention for EWS and LIG housing is a most welcome. I am happy to see that the government is thinking on the lines which I truly believe to be correct. Now continuing from yesterday ( see here ), I believe that the focus of policy should be on providing escape velocity to the middle and lower middle class households. Moving this tremendous mass of people to a higher economic strata will...

Thought for the day " The best way out is always through. " -           Robert Frost (American, 1874-1963) Word for the day Technophobia (n) Abnormal fear of or anxiety about the effects of advanced technology. (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Enforcing the constitutional pledge of office "Without fear or favor; without affection or ill will" in letter and spirit will not only get the nation rid of corruption but will also secure elected legislators against frivolous allegations. Irony of middle child Not being an economist, I enjoy the luxury to see the things as they appear in natural light, without bothering about the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, its myriad variants and even larger number of criticism. And as I see the things in natural light, consumer inflation is primary monetary policy consideration in India, at a time (a) when ...