Investment

In investment, DST revolves around a particular type of investment that is in a position to increase your capital for you without requiring much effort on your part. It means that DST investors tend to have an easier time investing the money they have because all the stress and hassles involved when working with other forms of investments are entirely out of their way.

What is a DST?

To put things as simple as they could be, DST is a business that offers financial services to its clients with the help of networks. One of their most popular products is bonds and fixed-rate notes, which large companies use for financing their projects.

However, before you decide to invest your money into such an opportunity, it would be best if you knew exactly what you were getting yourself into. It is because the majority of such services are not regulated, and therefore investors stand the chance of losing their funds to fraudsters.

So whenever someone offers you an opportunity to invest money in a project outside the stock market, it would be best if you did your research on whatever they have to offer before you go ahead and hand over your money.

What do you need to know about DST?

You need to know several critical things about DST before putting your money into any of its projects.

1. DST is entirely unregulated when investing in businesses outside of the stock market.
2. Any government agency will not insure any money you put into DST.
3. Several reports suggest that DST brokers tend to generate higher than average returns on investments for their clients because they do not work with their money directly.
4. They also tend to use at least some of the investor’s money when they are trading on their behalf, which means that if their broker is fraudulent, they might lose more than 50 percent of their investment in a short time.
5. DST brokers tend to use high-pressure sales techniques when trying to convince potential investors to put their money into such projects.
6. They also try and trick investors by explaining how the company works in a not completely clear or straightforward manner and leaving out certain essential information that they think would put them off from investing with them.
7. There are several cases where large amounts of customer funds go missing, and there is nowhere to report as an agency does not regulate the DST broker.
8. There have been cases where investors have lost a large percentage of their investments within a few months of putting them into projects offered by DST brokers.
9. DST brokers tend to only target people with large amounts of cash to invest.
10. The majority of DST brokers tend not to explain the risks involved in investing in their projects which means that you need to do your research before you go ahead and hand over your money for any project they might offer you.

Conclusion

You need to know several critical things about DST if you want to invest your money with them. The first thing you have to remember is that it operates in a completely unregulated manner which means that if their brokers were fraudulent, the chances of investors getting their money back are slim.

To some people, forex trading might seem like an impossible task. Any individual investor has the potential to make money in the forex market. The key is to open forex demo accounts first and learn how to use them effectively. A demo account lets you practice your strategies without any risk.

What you have to do first:

– Decide what sort of trader you want to be

– Define your goals for trading

– Develop a trading plan

– Choose which forex broker to work with

If you want to learn how to trade currencies effectively using a forex demo account, then you need to keep a few things in mind.

First, make sure that you have all of the necessary information available before trading any real money. You will need to know what type of trader you wish to be—news, technical or fundamentals-based, and what your entry and exit strategies will entail. Set some short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for yourself and determine the best ways to reach them.

Develop a trading plan based on these factors and ensure that you have everything recorded in a spreadsheet or some other easily accessible piece of paper. Find out how CPI affects your trading strategy.

Finally, choose a broker with low commission rates, deposit minimums, competitive spreads and reliable customer service.

Higher success rates for traders who use a demo account

Once you have all of your ducks in a row, then you are ready to open your forex demo account. Start by using just one currency pair until you feel comfortable with how it works. It is important not to spread yourself too thin by learning all of the trading pairs at once.

The success rate for new forex traders who use a demo account is much higher than those who choose to trade with real money right away. It allows them to learn their way around the charts and graphs before investing in this volatile market. Forex demo accounts also allow people time to practice executing trades based on their own decisions without being forced into making rash moves due to sudden news announcements or fluctuations in value that result from economic data releases.

Rest assured that if you practice patience, discipline and sound money management skills, then sooner or later, your hard work will pay off in the form of profits.

Get comfortable with different tools

Using demo accounts is one of the best ways to learn how to trade currencies online because it allows people with limited experience to get familiar with the software they will be using before any real money changes hands. A new trader can comfortably contact the various tools available on his platform before placing actual trades, saving him time and frustration. It also allows traders to experiment with different strategies without risking their capital.

Learn without losing capital

A basic understanding of forex trading can prevent costly blunders in the future if you learn as much as possible about it before making your first deposit with a broker. The global forex market is one of the most popular, so now is an excellent time to learn how it works.

Practice

As you begin your journey as a currency trader, remember that it takes plenty of practice and dedication to become a successful trader. Develop a plan with specific goals and objectives in mind to get started. Make sure your plan reflects what you want from your trading career and includes incentives for good performance. Setting realistic expectations and clearly defined standards will help keep you focused daily.

Bottom line

When it comes to determining which techniques work best for them, there are a plethora of options. It is crucial to learn as much as possible about forex trading before making your first deposit with a broker so that you don’t make costly errors in the future since you have nothing invested. Because the foreign exchange market is one of the most popular financial markets in the world, there is no better time to learn how it works.

Next, make sure you avoid these common trading mistakes.

A mutual fund house pools investments from different sources with common investment goals. Then it invests this collective amount in securities like money market instruments, bonds, stocks, commodities including valuable metals and similar other assets.

Financial experts known as fund managers manage investments in these funds. For that, the fund house charges a nominal annual maintenance fee called the expense ratio.

Investors can earn through regular interest or dividends in capital gains. They can even reinvest the capital gains using a growth option.

When it comes to investing in mutual funds, you can do it fast and most easily online. Then you can also use smart digital tools associated with the management of funds, like a mutual funds SIP calculator that shows your estimated returns.

That being said, here’s how mutual funds work online.

Top Ways to Invest in Mutual Funds Online

By opening an account on a fund house’s official website

On the official website of an asset management company (AMC) or fund house, you can choose from several mutual funds of different categories to invest in.

To create your account on the site, simply go by the given instructions, fill in all the necessary information and submit the same.

You can even complete the mutual fund KYC procedure on the website (e-KYC). For that, only your PAN and Aadhar number are required. Once your information is successfully verified online, you can begin investing.

If you prefer investing offline, see whether the AMC offers this facility.

Via the app of the AMC

A fund house lets you invest in mutual funds online through its own mobile application as well. This makes the process fast and hassle-free.

The app allows you to:

• View account statements
• Check other important details relevant to your investment portfolio
• Purchase or sell units
• Invest in various fund schemes

How to Start SIP Investment Online?

After signing up with the AMC website/app, you can select the investment mode, lump sum or Systematic Investment Plan (SIP). In the first case, you need to deposit the whole amount in one go. In the second case, you can deposit a fixed amount at specific regular intervals (monthly, quarterly or every 6 months) on a certain day. Since SIP investments are systematic and help beat inflation by averaging out your savings, investors often prefer this mode.

If you wonder how to start SIP investments online, follow these steps:

• Decide the amount of investment, a suitable scheme plan and option.
• Choose the mode and date of payment.
• Submit your transaction.

Then you can use the mutual fund SIP calculator offered by the AMC to auto-calculate your estimated returns from your investments. For that, you simply need to enter:

• The investment amount
• The annual rate of returns
• The investment tenure

There are certain associated charges when you invest in mutual funds online on the app/site of an AMC. Usually, these include expense ratio, one-time transaction fee, exit load, securities transaction tax, and stamp duty. Make sure to learn about all the applicable charges before beginning your investments.

What is a SIP Calculator?

Be it a scientific calculator, or a normal calculator, or any other type of calculator. The goal is to make life easy for the user and to compute the results way faster and save the time of the user. Similar is the case with the SIP calculator. An online SIP calculator is an easy-to-use tool that computes results in a jiffy. If you had to make these calculations which the SIP calculator does with a pen and paper, it would consume a lot of time. The SIP calculator computes such complex calculations using a predetermined formula and displays results within no time.

You may know a thing or two about the SIP calculator by now. But do you know what SIP stands for? Let us find that out as well.

A Systematic Investment Plan or SIP as it is commonly referred to as is one of the two ways to invest in a mutual fund scheme (the other being lump sum investment). A lot of young investors take the SIP route instead of lump sum investing as this way they can save and invest a fixed sum from their monthly income and make it a habit. To inculcate investment discipline, SIP is a must.

Coming back to the SIP calculator. This free online calculator is based on the following formula –

M = P × ({[1 + i] n – 1} / i) × (1 + i)

In the above mentioned formula  –

• ‘M’ stands for the total sum that you receive upon maturity
• ‘P’ represents the sum you invest at periodic intervals
• ‘n’ stands for the number of monthly SIPs you have made during your investment journey
• ‘i’ is the periodic rate of interest

How to make the best use of the online SIP calculator?

There are two primary ways in which the online SIP calculator works. Say you want to know how much returns your current SIP investments in a particular scheme might help you fetch over the course of the next few years. You can put these details in the SIP calculator to derive the necessary.

Let us assume you want to invest Rs. 10000 every month in a mutual fund scheme for the next five years to build a corpus for your medium term financial goal.

In the SIP calculator, enter –

• Monthly SIP sum – Rs 10000
• Investment horizon – 5 years / 60 months
• Assumed rate of return – 10%

The SIP calculator will compute and show the following –

Total amount invested over the course of the investment horizon – Rs 6 lakhs

Total corpus earned (invested sum + interest earned) – Rs 7.74 lakhs

There’s another way in which the SIP calculator works as well. So if you have a figure in mind but you do not know how much your monthly investment should be, the SIP calculator can help you with that as well.

Let us assume that you want to build a retirement corpus of Rs. 1 crore. The expected rate of return is 8 percent, and you have 150 months in hand before you retire.

In the SIP calculator, enter –

• Total corpus needed – Rs 1 crore
• Investment horizon – 150 months
• Assumed rate of return – 8%

The SIP calculator will compute and show the following –

• Monthly SIP sum needed to achieve the corpus – Rs 39003
• Total invested sum – 58.50 Lacs

Investors can do multiple calculations with the SIP calculator to derive to multiple results and can easily plan their investments accordingly.

If you are investing your hard earned money by making some sacrifices now, you are doing so, so that in the near future you are able to improve your existing financial condition. People want to create wealth but aren’t ready to commit to a disciplined investment approach. It is possible to achieve a noticeable corpus if you choose the right type of investment scheme whose investment objective, risk profile, and investment time horizon aligns with that of yours.

One of the simplest ways to create long term wealth is by investing in market linked schemes like equity mutual funds. Equity mutual funds have the potential to generate far better returns as they predominantly invest in the equity market. Some claim equity funds to be a risky investment, but they are far less volatile than direct stock market investments as equity mutual funds invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks and invest in securities spread across market capitalizations.

Let us find out more about equity mutual funds and understand the five primary benefits of investing in them.

What is an equity mutual fund scheme?

An equity mutual fund is an open ended mutual fund scheme that invests the majority of its investible corpus in equity and equity related instruments of publicly listed companies. As per market regulator SEBI guidelines, an equity mutual fund invest a minimum of 65% to 80% of its total assets in stocks and other equity related instruments. These funds may carry high investment risk, but also have the potential to generate returns like no other mutual fund scheme.

Five primary benefits of investing in equity mutual funds

Diversification and risk mitigation

If you had to take exposure to the equity market through stocks, you would have to invest thousands of rupees to buy single quality stock. Plus there would be concentration risk as you would end up losing your invested sum in case the stock value goes down. In the case of equity mutual funds, they invest in a basket of such credible stocks that have growth potential. So even if one stock collapses, the overall equity mutual fund portfolio should be able to reduce risk and create stable returns. Through a single equity mutual fund investment, you get exposure to several expensive stocks.

Professionally managed

Equity mutual funds are managed by a team of professional fund managers who ensure that they maintain a portfolio that keeps generating decent returns. Hence, even if you do not have a deeper knowledge about equity funds, you can still invest and let the fund managers handle the portfolio and help you generate returns.

Avail tax benefit

Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) is an equity mutual fund scheme that comes with a tax benefit. You can invest up to Rs 1.5 Lacs in ELSS every fiscal year and bring down your tax liability.

Systematic Investment Plan

Investors can invest an amount as low as Rs 500 every month in equity funds through a Systematic Investment Plan. SIP is a simple and convenient way to save and invest a fixed sum at regular intervals. Investors can create long term wealth through systematic and regular SIP investments.

Regulated

Equity mutual funds are well regulated and under the governance of SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India). Investors do not have to worry about getting cheated as all equity funds must be transparent with their investors as per the norms set by SEBI.

When Indians think of investing a majority of them think of putting their money in conservative instruments like banked fixed deposit, public provident fund, post office, or any such similar fixed income avenues. However, the Indian debt market has witnessed a drastic fall in interest rates which is why investors are now reconsidering their choice of investments. Most investors are now turning to mutual funds as an alternative and there isn’t a reason why they shouldn’t.

Mutual funds today are only of the most sought after market linked schemes. Investors prefer mutual funds over direct stock market investments because mutual funds offer diversification through a single investment. But a lot of investors refrain from investing their hard earned money in mutual funds because they believe that all mutual funds invest in the equity market. The truth remains that under the mutual fund gamut, there are multiple subcategories as well. Some of the most common categories of mutual funds are equity, debt, and hybrid. Investors who do not wish to invest in equity mutual funds simply because of the scheme’s volatile nature, such individuals may consider debt mutual funds.

Let us find out what debt mutual funds are and some of the things which investors must emphasize while choosing a debt scheme.

What is a debt fund?

A debt fund is an open ended mutual fund scheme whose main objective is to generate stable returns and protect the investor’s capital. Unlike equity funds that have a high risk returns trade-off, debt funds do not invest in equity markets and have a portfolio comprising of fixed income securities and debt related instruments. A debt fund’s portfolio usually comprises government and corporate bonds, commercial papers, debentures, CBLO, certificates of deposits, etc.

Things to know before investing in debt funds

Debt fund returns are not linked to equity markets

Debt mutual funds invest the majority of their portfolio in debt related instruments and fixed income securities depending on the nature of the scheme and its investment objective. They invest the majority of their investible corpus in debt securities like commercial papers, government back securities, debentures, etc. Since they have a minimum of almost zero exposure to the equity market, any upheavals in the equity market are less likely to create any impact on the performance of the debt fund portfolio.

Debt schemes have high flexibility

Debt funds are considered as diversification by a large number of equity heavy investors as these funds offer immense liquidity. Investors can redeem their debt fund units at any given time and the money is transferred to their registered savings account. Some debt funds like liquid funds even offer instant redemption options whereupon withdrawal, the money is transferred to their registered savings account within 24 hours. This is also the reason why investors use debt funds with a low maturity period for building an emergency fund.

Debt funds have SIP and lumpsum option

Retail investors can either make a one-time investment or opt for the Systematic Investment Plan while investing in debt funds. A lump sum investment can be considered by those who have surplus money sitting idle with them. On the other hand, investors can even start a SIP (Systematic Investment Plan), in any debt scheme of their choice. SIPs come in monthly, weekly, quarterly, biannually, and yearly forms. Investors can even use an online SIP calculator, to compute the total returns that their SIP investment might fetch. However, the SIP calculator can only display assumed returns as it does not consider other factors like expense ratio or exit load while computing returns.

For enhanced safety, all companies tend to invest in a well-balanced investment. Giving careful thought to individual stocks is one of the strategies they may use to achieve this aim. While there are numerous approaches to choosing which stocks to buy, you as an investor could examine a stock’s fundamental character to differentiate between cyclical and non-cyclical firms.

Cyclical vs non-cyclical stocks

The words cyclical and non-cyclical stock describe how strongly a corporation’s stock value is connected to economic changes. Cyclical stocks are directly affected by the economy, but non-cyclical stocks handily beat the market whenever the financial system sees a decline. Investors cannot influence the nation’s economic cycles, but they can adjust their investment strategies to their peaks and troughs. Adapting to changes in the economy necessitates knowledge of how businesses interact with the market. There are significant disparities between businesses that are impacted by wider economic developments and companies that are completely resistant to them.

Cyclical stocks

Cyclical stocks are much more volatile than non-cyclical stocks because they fluctuate with economic growth. Because of this difference, cyclical stocks are referred to as aggressive stocks, while non-cyclical stocks are referred to as long-term investments.

Non-cyclical stocks

Non-cyclical stocks are typically lucrative irrespective of economic fluctuations since they manufacture or deliver commodities and services that humans constantly require, such as nutrition, electricity, health, and gas. Stocks of firms that manufacture these items/products are sometimes known as marketable securities since they tend to protect investors from the impact of an economic recession.

Risk factors and potential rewards

Cyclical stocks are associated with increased risk and a decent rate in the upward phase. Investing in cyclical stocks may result in large gains if done correctly. Non-cyclical stocks, on the other hand, would also provide lower risks and much more stable profits owing to their structure. Such stocks also assist in minimising waste when in a financial downturn.

Cyclical stock values are tend to be unpredictable since they follow the developments in the rest of the economy. Pricing for cyclical stocks rises as the income increases. Whenever the economy is weak, their stock values fall.

They track the whole economic cycle, from growth to the maximum, crisis to restoration. Cyclical stocks belong to firms that produce or sell products and services which are in limited supply whenever the industry is performing well. Clubs, tour operators, airlines, furnishings, high-end apparel stores, and automotive manufacturers are among them.

The following are the best cyclical stocks in the stock market –

●      Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL)

●      TPI Composites, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPIC)

●      The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX)

●      The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS)

●      Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE: BF-B)

The following are the best non-cyclical stocks in the stock market –

●      The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO)

●      Philip Morris International Inc.

●      PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP): Pepsico globally sells food, snacks, and beverages.

Which stocks to invest in the stock market today?

Buying cyclical stocks necessitates an understanding of business movements. By evaluating market patterns, timing, and orientation, you as a savvy investor may balance the advantages of cyclical and non-cyclical stocks in your favour. A well-balanced portfolio should comprise a mix of both kinds of stock investment in your profile, selected depending on a lot of criteria, such as your risk tolerance.

Investments in the Indian stock market have grown amid the pandemic, with active investor accounts growing by a record 10.4 million last year. Many millennials and younger investors took to investing in stocks as the prevalence of stock trading apps, and online portals made it easy. Due to the pandemic-induced financial crisis, many also realized the importance of investing and how it can help them grow their savings and earn a passive income to help them realize their financial goals. However, the Indian stock market does not allow investors to invest in some of the biggest companies in the world, such as Apple and Google. These companies often provide high returns on investments. However, now there are several ways in which Indians can invest in the US stocks market.

Advantages of US Stocks Investments

• Allows You to Diversify Your Portfolio

Each global economy has its ups and downs. However, they usually don’t register gains or losses at the same time. The US stocks market may experience strong growth when the Indian market is crashing. Thus, investing in more than one economy could help diversify risks and increase the probability of getting good returns on your investments.

• Allows Global Investment

Companies from across the world are listed on the US stock exchange. So, simply by investing in the US stocks market, you can access companies from China, the UK, and so on.

• Permits Investments in Different Sectors

The US stocks investments provide you with the opportunity to invest in upcoming companies across various sectors. It is one of the world’s most diversified stock markets, with Technology and Financial stocks making up only 34% of the total market cap. This can help you further diversify your portfolio and reduce investment risks.

• Invest in the World’s Best-Performing Stocks

US stocks investments will enable you to own stocks of some of the best-performing companies globally, such as Facebook, Apple, Google, Tesla, and Netflix. The stocks of these companies have long been the favorite of global investors and usually provide high returns on investments. The stocks of these companies can often be out of the reach of small investors. However, the US stock market permits owning Fractional Shares. This means if the value of one share of a company is too high for you, you can buy a portion of it. This enables small investors to build an impressive portfolio of US stocks over time.

• US Dollar Investment

The US dollar is one of the world’s strongest currencies. Thus, investing in dollars is a promising way to build future wealth and fulfill financial goals.

• Buying US IPO stocks

The US stock market is currently experiencing an IPO boom. Over 279 companies have already gone public this year, while 100 more are set to IPO by the year’s end. This surge in IPOs is expected to continue until 2022, as more money is invested in upcoming startups. Investing in an IPO is often profitable as it enables investors to buy a company’s stock at a much lower price. Most companies’ stocks surge after they go public, thus providing almost instant profits to investors. Investing in the IPOs of high-profile companies like Airbnb and DoorDash has been successful for several investors.

How to Invest in the US Stocks Market?

The RBI’s Liberalized Remittance Scheme allows Indian investors to invest up to $25,0000 (around 1.9 crore rupees) annually in the US stocks market or US ETFs without any special permission. There are several different ways that you can begin US stocks investment. You can do so by opening a brokerage account or an overseas trading account with a domestic broker. Many domestic brokerage firms have tie-ups with US brokers and can act as your intermediaries. Similarly, you can open an overseas trading account with a foreign brokerage firm in India. You can also choose to indirectly invest in the US stocks market through exchange-traded funds or mutual funds that invest in the shares of US-listed companies. There are several US stocks apps and online trading portals available in India as well. These US stocks apps are easy to use and also allow you to invest small amounts.

How are US Stocks Investments Taxed

It should be noted that a flat 25% tax is applicable on your US stocks investments, which will be deducted directly by the country. However, due to the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between India and the US, investors can offset the tax already paid in the US.

Conclusion

With a GDP of $20.81 trillion in 2020, the US is currently the World’s second strongest economy, behind only China. The US stocks market is also one of the largest and most liquid stock markets in the world. Investing in US stocks can, thus, prove to be very beneficial and provide higher returns than investments made in Indian equities. Due to several online trading platforms, investing in US companies and stocks, in general, has also become much simpler. The concept of fractional ownership of stocks and the prevalence of US stocks app have also made such investments affordable and accessible to all. Therefore, intelligent investments in the US stock market can help you compound your wealth passively. However, such investments often carry high risks as well, especially for first-time investors.