A few good notes! Pennywise. And otherwise! :-)

S&P

2011-09-12T19:40:00.003-05:00

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44487678

Debt Ceiling 101

2011-07-21T22:13:00.001-05:00

http://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-debt-ceiling-2011#what-is-the-federal-debt-1

5 Great Slides From Goldman On What's At Stake In The Debt Ceiling Fight

2011-07-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

Small yet Detailed

What in the Heck is CDS

2010-04-16T18:56:00.000-05:00

is a hedging instrument. It's a Credit Derivative Contract, not traded in the exchange, done between two parties. Protection Buyer Protection Seller and Reference Entity [a Bond Obligation, of a corporation or government]

The protection buyer makes quarterly premium payments -- the “spread” -- to the protection seller. If the reference entity defaults, the protection seller pays the buyer the par value of the bond in exchange for physical delivery of the bond, although settlement may also be by cash or auction.[1][2] A default is referred to as a 'Credit Event' and include such events as failure to pay, restructuring and bankruptcy.[2] Most CDS’s are in the $10 million–$20 million range with maturities between one and 10 years.

Entrepreneurs don't take risks! They do everything to minimize them!

2010-04-10T21:12:00.000-05:00

Mantra is not high risk, high return. Mantra is low risk, high uncertainty, high return:) And more here - The total amount of capital that ever went into the Microsoft was less that 50000 bucks!

Buy n Hold is Dead!

2010-03-28T19:16:00.000-05:00

Because “it’s an easy way to lose, not make, money.” And a few more great points here:

a) Monitor them constantly, looking for any change that affects the reasons why you bought them in the first place

b) Buy them in wide scales

c) Take profits even on your winners. Bulls make money, bears make money, hogs get slaughtered

d) No stock should comprise more than 20% of your portfolio at any time

e) The best way to sell a stock? – in increments

f) Invest in IRAs. Seek out high-yielding dividend-paying stocks that offer as much safety as possible. Cramer specifically mentioned master limited partnerships (also known as energy trusts), oil tanker stocks and real estate investment trusts.

Who owns America!

2010-02-20T08:49:00.003-05:00

CNBC has compiled a very noteworthy report on who are the biggest investors in US treasuries and bonds. The debt currently Hovers around $11.09 trillions in total, about $33000 per family! Whoops! Thats too much to owe!

Way to go Bill!

2010-02-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

Here's where we can track what Bill Gates has been upto! :) N looks like he's been upto very impressive things!

Fed! And Its Independence

2009-12-02T11:22:00.001-05:00

I would say a great analysis
We have a long way to go. Further, I would be the first to argue that the Fed made many mistakes on the road to the financial crisis of 2007-2009. They failed at consumer protection, at regulating derivatives, at risk supervision ... we could go on and on. But there are reasons for those failures, systemic reasons, in which a lot of interest groups, individuals and corporate entities had a hand. It seems unfair to load all the criticism onto the one institution that has kept us afloat.

Don't Sell America Short Yet! :)

2009-11-20T08:00:00.002-05:00

A very good read :) Explains what experience delivers to you - ability to read the great words from a whole bunch of good words "If you have a good farm, with good crops and good soil and you know you're going to have five droughts in the next fifty years, you don't let it affect you that much."

Interesting article on China's currency, Gold's rise n US Debt

2009-11-17T11:01:00.002-05:00

The U.S. needs at least 5% growth in GDP to support its huge and increasing debt load. Raising U.S. rates to defend the dollar is political nonstarter.

What makes Indian companies excel abroad?

2009-09-10T14:19:00.002-05:00

Experts explained that it is the knowledge component and the managerial competence, which gives an edge to Indian companies to be competitive. Human resources are an obvious factor as the success of our IT companies has shown.

Apart from such fundamentals, going abroad requires a different set of attributes and skills: Entrepreneurship, legal acumen, financial deal making ability: we seem to be learning all these. Well written article :)

Recession By the numbers!

2009-07-31T23:03:00.001-05:00

Key numbers :) and a good graph

David Oglivy on running the businesses! :)

2009-07-31T23:00:00.002-05:00

Remember that Abraham Lincoln spoke of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He left out the pursuit of profit. :) Tough to digest that this is advocated by someone who has been tasked with help raising the bottom line all his life! :)

http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/07/21/david-ogilvys-best-advice-for-business/

SAP & IBM - How good of a fit they are!

2009-05-12T06:49:00.002-05:00

"For every dollar of revenue that SAP books, there's five dollars of services, hardware and other software associated with that SAP system," Mills told me. "You really have to be careful about competing with your ecosystem. Because the modest amount of revenue and profit you might be able to get from an acquisition is likely to be dwarfed by the amount that you lose as you give up those ecosystem relationships." - Good analysis

Personal Finacial Stress Test!

2009-05-12T04:41:00.001-05:00

A good tool @ CNN Money to check your financial health

US Economic Recovery Index

2009-05-04T01:56:00.000-05:00

A Good matrix to look at!

Branding!

2009-04-23T03:42:00.002-05:00

A Gem of a deck! Thanks Rehan Yar! I am already a fan of yours!

The Brand Gap

View more presentations from coolstuff.

Tech Trends!

2009-02-07T07:09:00.001-05:00

Technology trends report by MS!

Angelic Indian Investors

2009-02-07T03:31:00.000-05:00

These guys are supposed to have the golden touch!

Evaluating Financial Health

2009-01-26T02:54:00.001-05:00

Here's a good first principles approach!

9 notions of innovation!

2009-01-14T05:54:00.001-05:00

A great set of ideas on innovation

Cramer's Rules

2008-11-30T17:00:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of nice rules!

- Look at the Sector! Sector Growth Prospects >= Sensex Growth Prospects. Buying a good stock in bad sector is like buying a good home in bad neighborhood.

- If P/E <= Growth Rate, Buy Buy Buy! If P/E > 2* Growth Rate, Expensive!

- Short Term Losing Money but Balancesheet is Good - Buy, Buy, Buy.

Commendable Common Sense

2008-11-28T23:28:00.003-05:00

Mumbai was attacked and I have never regretted more me not getting selected for the Indian Army! I have never been more disturbed on India as a country and its policies and dirction. These are some of the most sensible questions that need to be answered on these attacks

Good words on investing!

2008-11-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

:) Here are some good points!

Get it right, get it quick, get it out, and get it over

2008-10-23T08:02:00.002-05:00

Warren Buffet's precious words!

The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect... You need a temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd or against the crowd.

If you don't feel comfortable owning something for 10 years, then don't own it for 10 minutes.

Never count on making a good sale. Have the purchase price be so attractive that even a mediocre sale gives good results.

It's optimism that is the enemy of the rational buyer.

Diversification is a protection against ignorance. It makes very little sense for those who know what they're doing.

What can China do with its $2 Trillion reserves

2008-10-18T04:32:00.002-05:00

Enforce its mighty muscle power on the world stage!

Why aren't you rich yet! Actually why am I not rich yet!

2008-10-12T03:36:00.002-05:00

It is surprising - we know all of this and oops yet we do it again! :)

Economy 101

2008-10-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

World's important institutions

String theory!

2008-09-25T23:50:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable!

Sustainable Future!

2008-09-25T21:13:00.002-05:00

Of course - its supposed to be the order of the day!

Straight from the Drucker!

2008-09-24T12:34:00.007-05:00

Sample this -
Ideas are somewhat like babies -- they are born small, immature, and shapeless. They are promise rather than fulfillment. In the innovative company, executives do not say, 'This is a damn-fool idea.' Instead they ask, 'What would be needed to make this embryonic, half-baked, foolish idea into something that makes sense, that is an opportunity for us?'

Management is doing things right [efficiency]; leadership is doing the right things.[effectiveness]

Effective leaders check their performance. They write down, �What do I hope to achieve if I take on this assignment?' They put away their goals for six months and then come back and check their performance against goals. This way, they find out what they do well and what they do poorly.

Morale in an organisation does not mean that 'people get along together'; the test is performance not conformance.

Leadership is not magnetic personality -- that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not 'making friends and influencing people' -- that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.

No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organised in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings...

One cannot buy, rent or hire more time. The supply of time is totally inelastic. No matter how high the demand, the supply will not go up. There is no price for it. Time is totally perishable and cannot be stored. Yesterday's time is gone forever, and will never come back. Time is always in short supply. There is no substitute for time. Everything requires time. All work takes place in, and uses up time. Yet most people take for granted this unique, irreplaceable and necessary resource.

Always take time to stop and smell the roses...

2008-09-14T13:09:00.001-05:00

...and sooner or later, you'll inhale a bee. Thats a cynic's guide to life ;)

Success isn't money, prestige or power because net worth can never define self-worth

2008-09-12T05:41:00.003-05:00

That's Indra Nooyi for You!

- True success is being happy with yourself, is being fulfilled. And that comes from devoting your time, your life, to doing what you love the most.

- We are too attached to the known security of the past and too wary of the challenging promises of the future. This often leads to complacency or inertia.

Growing a business continuously!

2008-09-11T12:50:00.002-05:00

Sustained growth requires sustained and refined efforts!

Tracking Business Performance!

2008-09-11T12:41:00.003-05:00

Here are the nine most important parameters to Tracking the Business Performance

Global Warming is for real!

2008-04-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

And here's why I like Al Gore!

Seemingly impossible is possible!

2008-03-23T06:12:00.003-05:00

Hans Rosling's a man who deserves a Thumbs Up! For his devotion to human kind and using the statistics in real meaningful way!

Democracies don't make great products. You need a competent tyrant.

2008-03-04T22:53:00.001-05:00

Thats how some one quotes about Steve Jobs! Definitely the most creative icon of our times..

Whats the share price of Mr. Buffet's Firm?

2008-03-01T08:40:00.002-05:00

Take a wild guess! :) And you will still go only so far! As on Feb 29, The Berkshire Hathaway A shares were down 0.2 percent, or $250, to $140,000.00 on Friday. Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares inched upwards 0.3 percent, or $14.50, to $4,674.50. Though according to his own admissons his Insurance biz is entering rough waters..

Just some interesting stats

2008-02-29T23:34:00.001-05:00

Indian economy overall has about 36 percent savings - households have an average of 28 percent savings and 6 percent is corporate savings - Half of the household savings about 14 percent of the Trillion dollar economy gets pumped into real estate and the other half into material investments! - Source a discussion on CNBC!

Indian Buffet!

2008-02-17T10:45:00.001-05:00

Markets are like women -- always commanding, mysterious, unpredictable and volatile. That's really a good one from Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.

US Announces Plan to Delay Foreclosures

2008-02-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

Are these steps really useful!

30 percent of homeowners who bought in the last two years owe more on their mortgages than their houses are currently worth..

Private economists are forecasting that the number of foreclosures
could soar to 1 million this year and next, about double the 2007 rate.

Threads to think along! Indian Economy!

2008-02-16T11:31:00.001-05:00

India's $5.2 Trillion Economy by PPP, is heading for another budget..

- Indian economy is 41% industrial in nature
- Inflation is mostly because of supply side constraints. Its not logical to try to curb it by introducing demand side bumpers like raising interest rates, making less funds available to the industry
- Tax net needs to be widened.
- The way to improve the economic status of the India's rural segments is to attract investments there
- Farmer productivity needs to improve. There's not a single ITI in India for teaching the best ways of Farming

Nations with highest external debt!

2008-02-09T09:48:00.001-05:00

India, with $155 billion, 16.8 % of economy, you'd think should be highest. But there's US at staggering $12.249 trillion, UK at $8.280 trillion, Germany at $3.904 trillion. Read on here..

Who cares for the dollar? Not the Fed, surely!

2008-02-01T20:31:00.001-05:00

Fundamental economics tells us that interest rate cut leads to two consequences.

First,
it acts as a disincentive to savings and it simultaneously encourages
spending. The second consequence is far more complex. It moves money
from the hands of individuals to the corporates through two routes:
one, as stated above, it encourages spending in the hands of
individuals -- which means more income to corporates; and, two, it acts
as an dampener for interest-related savings, but encourages investments
into stock markets.

Before one proceeds to critically analyse the Fed,
it is important to note its significance. It is in effect the central
bank of the world. Naturally, it needs to be put under maximum global
scrutiny. Despite such overwhelming requirement there is an important
difference between the Fed and the other central banks. If most of the
central banks are state owned or government controlled, the Fed is an
exception to this fundamental rule.

Readers
may be surprised to note that the US Fed system is neither controlled
by the US government nor is it a private body, subject to oversight by
a Regulator. Rather, as some analyst put it so succinctly, it is a
cartel of private banks. And it is structured in such a manner that its
functioning is absolutely independent and secret -- even the US
President or the US Congress cannot interfere in its working.

Rural Indian spends less than Rs 21 a day

2008-01-31T09:29:00.001-05:00

While an average urban citizen spends just about Rs
39 a day, the expenses on cereals, milk, beverages, vegetables and
refreshment etc account for about Rs 16 compared to just over Rs 11
spent on food by rural India...

Some stats on subprime crisis!

2007-12-15T22:24:00.000-05:00

How big is the Crisis!

The U.S. mortgage market, approximately $11 trillion in size, encompasses about $1.5 trillion, or 15% sub-prime loans. Cheap money caused those loans to balloon as a percentage, particularly over the last two years; even as housing prices stagnated. In 2006, $600 billion new sub-prime loans were originated, compared to $120 billion in 2001, or only 6.5% of the market.

According to Mr. Bernanke
The problems have been most severe for subprime mortgages with adjustable rates: the proportion of those loans with serious delinquencies rose to about 13-1/2 percent in June, more than double the recent low seen in mid-2005.1 The adjustable-rate subprime mortgages originated in late 2005 and in 2006 have performed the worst, in part because of slippage in underwriting standards, reflected for example in high loan-to-value ratios and incomplete documentation. With many of these borrowers facing their first interest rate resets in coming quarters, and with softness in house prices expected to continue to impede refinancing, delinquencies among this class of mortgages are likely to rise further. Apart from adjustable-rate subprime mortgages, however, the deterioration in performance has been less pronounced, at least to this point. For subprime mortgages with fixed rather than variable rates, for example, serious delinquencies have been fairly stable at about 5-1/2 percent. The rate of serious delinquencies on alt-A securitized pools rose to nearly 3 percent in June, from a low of less than 1 percent in mid-2005. Delinquency rates on prime jumbo mortgages have also risen, though they are lower than those for prime conforming loans, and both rates are below 1 percent.

On India!

2007-12-07T00:06:00.001-05:00

India's population surge that will increase the workforce to 800m by 2016 and make India the world's most populous nation. India has 18 per cent of the world's population but
only 4 per cent of its fresh water and just over 2 per cent of its land
area. Many of the country's groundwater aquifers are already in
critical condition. Available per capita water supply has declined
since 1975 and water demand is set to exceed all usable sources of
supply by 2050.

Plain Talk Shorts! :)

2007-11-23T18:28:00.001-05:00

Great short UPS style videos on how to go about building your portfolio!

Where are India's Millionaires!

2007-11-22T16:01:00.001-05:00

Chandigarh has the largest concentration of such families
with every seventh household there having a seven-figure annual
income.

Secrets Of The Self-Made!

2007-10-31T22:32:00.001-05:00

Secrets Of The Self-Made.They're rich-- really rich--and in the mood to share

Very Interesting Economics Concepts :)

2007-10-25T22:27:00.000-05:00

Raj Chetty's experiments with Economics

India to grow by 10% annually: Lehman

2007-10-16T20:21:00.001-05:00

India to grow by 10% annually: Lehman- Indicators-Economy-News-The Economic Times

Consumption, exports, and investment are feeding off one another, while improving fiscal finances and
strong capital inflows are providing more resources for infrastructure
spending

Why executives need to converse, through blogs

2007-10-06T19:22:00.001-05:00

CEO stands for the only job with three bosses: Customers, Employees and Owners.
One thus needs to develop a communications protocol for all three; and
the larger a company becomes, the more efficient this process needs to
get. When Kenexa started off 15-20 years back

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/oct/03blog.htm

Economic Indicators at a Glance

2007-10-06T00:07:00.001-05:00

United States Economy at a Glance

Great link to see all the indicators at a glance!

Book Review / Summary

2007-10-05T23:54:00.000-05:00

Book Reviews / Summaries

Gartner's Magic Quadrant

2007-10-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

Gartner's Magic Quadrant

My IQ Test :)

2007-10-02T06:11:00.000-05:00

No Bragging :)Just for the records!

India IT Spread!

2007-10-01T17:25:00.000-05:00

The Future!

What's bothersome is the slow geographical spread of IT. Let us take IT exports as a whole, which in 2006-07 were around $32 billion or around Rs 144, 214 crore (Rs 1,442.14 billion). This is how it was spread across locations of the software technology parks.
Seven cities accounted for a whopping 95 per cent -- Bangalore (33 per cent), the National Capital Region (15 per cent), Chennai (14 per cent), Hyderabad (13 per cent), Pune (10 per cent), Navi Mumbai (8 per cent) and Kolkata (2 per cent).

* Seven cities together account for yet another 3 per cent -- in descending order of contribution these are Mysore, Bhubaneswar, Mangalore/Manipal, Gandhinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Mohali and Jaipur.
* Four cities together account for yet another 0.6 per cent: Indore, Vishakapatnam, Kochi and Coimbatore in descending order of contribution.

5 Reasons Market is Complacent!

2007-09-27T23:10:00.000-05:00

5 Reasons Market is Complacent! Best being the Equity Earnings Yield Ratio going low!

Seduced by Success!

2007-09-25T18:00:00.001-05:00

By Robert J Herold!

A High Level Overview!

Indian Middle Class

2007-09-10T00:35:00.001-05:00

Income levels :)

A Tale of Two B's

2007-09-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

:) Barrett and Bharati

India's Growth Story - A Broker's Perspective :)

2007-09-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala

Brand India!

2007-08-26T22:39:00.001-05:00

A good summary of whats needed!

Crisis Counsel

2007-08-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

Awesome! On Recent Subprime Crisis at Markets! Great analysis from different perspectives!

Couple O' Good Lines!

2007-07-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

Sometimes courage is all it takes, and others thats all you've got!

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's there are only a few.

I Hope You Had The Time of Your Life!

2007-06-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I Hope You Had The Time of Your Life!

India IAS Results

2007-06-08T22:52:00.001-05:00

This is how tomorrow's India should be! No bans on any dreams!

Microsoft Surface

2007-05-31T10:43:00.000-05:00

I love the concept of this technology

Unwritten...

2007-05-18T18:35:00.000-05:00

If I could ever write a song :), it would definitely be Unwritten...

Drench yourself in words unspoken, Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins, The rest is still unwritten...

On Plans!

2007-05-12T17:59:00.000-05:00

On Biz Plans!

Hunger!

2007-04-11T18:53:00.001-05:00

www.bhookh.com

A very cool link!

2007-03-26T21:58:00.001-05:00

to find out a little more about yourself :)

My DNA :)

2007-03-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

This is something very cool!

Megabytes at the Edge!

2007-03-25T20:56:00.000-05:00

Here's one blog with oodles of intelligence. It deserves my Two Thumbs Up :). - I am Very proud of Ms Warrior.

CAN SLIM!

2007-03-23T00:21:00.000-05:00

Seven Characteristics of a great equity purchase!

According to Udayan!

2007-03-22T23:10:00.000-05:00

To chase every move in the market! - is not a good thing for the investor. A Trader does not have an option. :)

Interesting Stats

2007-03-03T19:28:00.000-05:00

- India's Revenue to Infrastructure Investment ratio is 1/3 while for China its 1/5.
- India produces 360,000-380,000 Engineering grads every year. Still its second highest in the world.
- Indian Economy currently standing at about USD 800 Bn, is likely to double up in 5-8 years :-)
- 20-25% of India still lives on the monthly income levels of 5000-8000 Indian Rupees.
- More...

Searching for the Alpha

2007-02-18T01:36:00.000-05:00

is better than searching for peace of mind :-) - It has monitory rewards!

5 important lessons to learn from a humble pencil

2007-02-18T00:02:00.001-05:00

1. It tells you that everything you do will always leave a Mark (good or bad).
2. You can always correct the mistake you make.
3. The important thing in life is what you are from inside and not from out side (beauty is only skin deep).
4. In life you will undergo painful sharpening which will make you better in whatever you do.
5. Finally, to be the best you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you (complete subjection).

[borrowed with thanks from a fellow blogger from Raipur]

Should you invest in New Fund Offers?

2007-02-17T21:41:00.000-05:00

Should you invest in New Fund Offers? Find here

Crisp line of thinking!

2007-02-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

I have developed increased revernce for Mr Ambani! : India Retail Saga

The world's greatest investors

2007-02-10T20:41:00.000-05:00

Here are: The world's greatest investors

Wal-Marting America!

2007-02-03T23:28:00.001-05:00

A great presentation that compares Wal-Mart revenues with different industries: Wal-Mart-ing America

Top 10 Travel destinations!

2007-01-14T02:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the choicest places - my favorite is seychelles

What to look for in IPOs

2007-01-07T22:30:00.001-05:00

What to look for in IPOs

Six mega-trends that define India's future

2007-01-07T00:40:00.001-05:00

Six mega-trends that define India's future

Median Net Worth! How do you Stack Up?

2007-01-05T00:42:00.000-05:00

Median Net Worth! How do you Stack Up?

What will shape the US Economy in 2007

2006-12-29T12:45:00.001-05:00

According to me, here are the variables, no surprises:

The Negatives

Housing - is tanking, and if it does recession will settle in. Net Effect - slow down.
Employment and Curb on Immigration - Is going to have an upward pressure on inflation and rate and liquidity. Net Effect - slow down
War on Terror - Is going to keep feds worried and so the businesses. Business folks on wall street look too much at Fed, rather than globally. Net Effect - growth slowing down

The Positives

We are entering 2007 on a bullish note - so some corrections are likely in the first quarter but the sentiment will continue.

It surely is India's time now fair & square

2006-12-28T21:04:00.000-05:00

It surely is India's time now fair & square

Even while enforcing contracts in India takes an average 1,420 days and involves 56 different procedures. Importing goods takes 41 days and 15 documents. Starting a new business takes 35 days of slogging. Tax payments have to be made 59 times a year and the process takes 264 hours.

In the last three years, the ratio of exports of goods and services to GDP has shot up from 14.6% to 20.5%. India’s share in global merchandise exports has doubled from 0.5% in 1990-91 to 1%. Its share of global services exports too has doubled in just the last two years to 2.5%, and politicians in the US and Europe are petrified that India will grab millions of jobs from their countries.