Monday, April 5, 2010
Key points to know before investing in FDs
Over the past one year, it is witnessed that fixed deposit interest rates from nationalized banks have gone down from 8-9 percent to around 6-6.5 percent now for a period of 1-3 years.
Aseem Dhru, Managing Director and CEO of HDFC Securities, which has recently started distributing company fixed deposits, said, "With fixed deposit rates from banks coming down, investors seeking higher returns from fixed income products are investing in company fixed deposits."
Here are some key points one needs to know while investing in company fixed deposits:
Security
Company fixed deposits are unsecured. In case of bank fixed deposits, the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India guarantees repayment of Rs.1 lakh in case of default. There is no such guarantee offered in company deposits and the safety of your deposit depends on the financial position of the company.
This means, as a depositor, you have no lien on any asset of the company, in case it goes into financial difficulties and is wound up. Your turn to get your money back would come only when secured lenders have been paid. So do not invest in unknown companies.
Risk v/s return
Today, investors could expect around 5-8 percent from income funds, depending upon whether it's an ultra liquid fund or a long-dated income fund. Schemes like the post office NSC and PPF give you a eight percent return, but are locked in for six years and 15 years, respectively.
You can check with distributors or with friends about the credentials of the promoters and their past track record. Opt for companies that pay dividends and are profit making. Avoid loss-making companies or those who do not pay dividends. If a company has made a one-off exceptional loss in a particular year, but has a good parentage and past track record, you could consider it.
Liquidity
Most companies accept fixed deposits for a period ranging from 1-5 years. Compared to mutual funds or bank fixed deposits, company fixed deposits are rather illiquid. In most cases, premature withdrawal is not allowed before completion of three months. If one wishes you wish to withdraw between the third and the sixth month, you get zero interest income.
If one wishes to withdraw between the sixth and the 12th month, he/she gets three percent less than the guaranteed return
Aseem Dhru, Managing Director and CEO of HDFC Securities, which has recently started distributing company fixed deposits, said, "With fixed deposit rates from banks coming down, investors seeking higher returns from fixed income products are investing in company fixed deposits."
Here are some key points one needs to know while investing in company fixed deposits:
Security
Company fixed deposits are unsecured. In case of bank fixed deposits, the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India guarantees repayment of Rs.1 lakh in case of default. There is no such guarantee offered in company deposits and the safety of your deposit depends on the financial position of the company.
This means, as a depositor, you have no lien on any asset of the company, in case it goes into financial difficulties and is wound up. Your turn to get your money back would come only when secured lenders have been paid. So do not invest in unknown companies.
Risk v/s return
Today, investors could expect around 5-8 percent from income funds, depending upon whether it's an ultra liquid fund or a long-dated income fund. Schemes like the post office NSC and PPF give you a eight percent return, but are locked in for six years and 15 years, respectively.
You can check with distributors or with friends about the credentials of the promoters and their past track record. Opt for companies that pay dividends and are profit making. Avoid loss-making companies or those who do not pay dividends. If a company has made a one-off exceptional loss in a particular year, but has a good parentage and past track record, you could consider it.
Liquidity
Most companies accept fixed deposits for a period ranging from 1-5 years. Compared to mutual funds or bank fixed deposits, company fixed deposits are rather illiquid. In most cases, premature withdrawal is not allowed before completion of three months. If one wishes you wish to withdraw between the third and the sixth month, you get zero interest income.
If one wishes to withdraw between the sixth and the 12th month, he/she gets three percent less than the guaranteed return
Fujifilm launches series of digital cameras in India
FUJIFILM India has announced the launch and availability of 14 digital camera models into the Indian market. FUJIFILM has launched four new models of its 'A series' compacts (AV100, AV150, AX200 & AX250) featuring high definition (HD) image and video capture for the first time on entry-level cameras.
These are easy-to-use and are ideal for people who are investing in their first digital camera. Offering a combination of various mega pixel resolutions, Fujinon zoom lenses and LCD screen sizes, consumers will be able to choose a camera that perfectly suits their needs and budget, one that features all of FUJIFILM's advanced technologies such as Automatic Scene Recognition, Face Detection, Digital Image Stabilization, high ISO sensitivity levels, Picture Search (as per the scene mode), and Panorama Shooting Mode which allows users to stitch three photos together to create a panoramic image (perfect for wide landscapes, tall buildings or large groups of people).
FUJIFILM has also launched four sleek models of its 'J series' family cameras (JV100, JV150, JX200 & JX250) that come with sculpted and sophisticated looks, and enable users to shoot images in HD. These cameras are loaded with advanced features like razor sharp Fujinon zoom lenses, Scene Recognition Auto, Panorama Shooting Mode, Movie Mode with Sound, Picture Search etc. The Smile & Shoot Mode works with FUJIFILM's highly-acclaimed Face Detection technology to detect smiles on faces. It will not take a picture until it detects a smile. Another new feature is Blink Detection which warns users if they have captured an image with people blinking, so that they can re-shoot if necessary. The newly launched JV and JX models have a new feature - Targeting AF - which is perfect in case users need to take a picture of a moving subject and can't keep the subject in the frame. As and when Targeting AF is switched on, it tracks the subject and ensures pictures with the subject in the centre of the frame in perfect focus.
These are easy-to-use and are ideal for people who are investing in their first digital camera. Offering a combination of various mega pixel resolutions, Fujinon zoom lenses and LCD screen sizes, consumers will be able to choose a camera that perfectly suits their needs and budget, one that features all of FUJIFILM's advanced technologies such as Automatic Scene Recognition, Face Detection, Digital Image Stabilization, high ISO sensitivity levels, Picture Search (as per the scene mode), and Panorama Shooting Mode which allows users to stitch three photos together to create a panoramic image (perfect for wide landscapes, tall buildings or large groups of people).
FUJIFILM has also launched four sleek models of its 'J series' family cameras (JV100, JV150, JX200 & JX250) that come with sculpted and sophisticated looks, and enable users to shoot images in HD. These cameras are loaded with advanced features like razor sharp Fujinon zoom lenses, Scene Recognition Auto, Panorama Shooting Mode, Movie Mode with Sound, Picture Search etc. The Smile & Shoot Mode works with FUJIFILM's highly-acclaimed Face Detection technology to detect smiles on faces. It will not take a picture until it detects a smile. Another new feature is Blink Detection which warns users if they have captured an image with people blinking, so that they can re-shoot if necessary. The newly launched JV and JX models have a new feature - Targeting AF - which is perfect in case users need to take a picture of a moving subject and can't keep the subject in the frame. As and when Targeting AF is switched on, it tracks the subject and ensures pictures with the subject in the centre of the frame in perfect focus.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
37 U.S. banks closed in 2010
Even though the global economy is said to be on the recovery path, 37 American banks shut their door in 2010, an average of 12 entities going bust every month.
It is witnessed that high unemployment levels are resulting in increased defaults, in turn severely hitting the small and medium banks. The seven banks that collapsed on March 19, 2010 are State Bank of Aurora, First Lowndes Bank, Bank of Hiawassee, Appalachian Community Bank, Advanta Bank Corp, Century Security Bank and American National Bank.
According to Federal Deposit Insurance, the failure of seven banks would cost the agency as much as $1.28 billion. The FDIC insures deposits at more than 8,000 banks and also acts as a caretaker of failed entities. Indicating the severity of the financial crisis, a whopping 191 banks have been closed down by the authorities since the fall of Wall Street major Lehman Brothers in September 2008.
It is witnessed that high unemployment levels are resulting in increased defaults, in turn severely hitting the small and medium banks. The seven banks that collapsed on March 19, 2010 are State Bank of Aurora, First Lowndes Bank, Bank of Hiawassee, Appalachian Community Bank, Advanta Bank Corp, Century Security Bank and American National Bank.
According to Federal Deposit Insurance, the failure of seven banks would cost the agency as much as $1.28 billion. The FDIC insures deposits at more than 8,000 banks and also acts as a caretaker of failed entities. Indicating the severity of the financial crisis, a whopping 191 banks have been closed down by the authorities since the fall of Wall Street major Lehman Brothers in September 2008.
Monday, March 22, 2010
'Spy in sky' can pinpoint car even in busy traffic
Military scientists in the US are developing what they claim is a "spy in the sky" — a remote-controlled airborne detection system which can bounce radar off buildings to follow a vehicle through a city.
Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing the new radar system which sees around corners and down into "urban canyons" — in fact, it can track vehicles across an entire city using just a few uncrewed aircraft.
Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing the new radar system which sees around corners and down into "urban canyons" — in fact, it can track vehicles across an entire city using just a few uncrewed aircraft.
The agency is exploring how Multipath Exploitation Radar (MER) might work by driving vehicles around a simulated urban area and collecting returns from an overhead radar.
The scientists are aiming to combine the radar data with a three-dimensional map of the test environment to calculate how the radar reflects off and between vehicles and buildings. This process should highlight which signals in the returning radar data can be used to plot the target vehicle's path.
Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing the new radar system which sees around corners and down into "urban canyons" — in fact, it can track vehicles across an entire city using just a few uncrewed aircraft.
Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing the new radar system which sees around corners and down into "urban canyons" — in fact, it can track vehicles across an entire city using just a few uncrewed aircraft.
The agency is exploring how Multipath Exploitation Radar (MER) might work by driving vehicles around a simulated urban area and collecting returns from an overhead radar.
The scientists are aiming to combine the radar data with a three-dimensional map of the test environment to calculate how the radar reflects off and between vehicles and buildings. This process should highlight which signals in the returning radar data can be used to plot the target vehicle's path.
Auto edit: DVD player to censor movies at home
American scientists have developed a new technology that can censor all potentially offensive scenes of a movie, making it watchable with children at home.
The patented technology — an electronic film filter called the ClearPlay system — can be integrated into the next generation of DVD players to skip and mute content based on seven categories that can be set to meet viewing preferences. These included violence, blood, nudity, sex, swearing, blasphemy and offensive content, the Daily Mail reported.
Many films, especially those that are rated 15, lend themselves to such treatment because their rating is based on only one or two brief scenes which can be edited without spoiling the rest of the movie.
Andrew Duncan, the head of ClearPlay International, said: "We know from our research that parents are concerned about inappropriate content but don't like conflicts around censorship at home. Our system effectively ends the important but tiresome debates."
DVD players with ClearPlay technology will be on sale in the UK in July, but households can now download it online for a cost of about £1 a week. Filters will be available for hundreds of films already out and will be ready for new films within 48 hours of their DVD release. Players that can use the new technology will be about the same price as current machines.
The company says the sort of films the system will work with include 'Love Actually', 'Atonement', 'The Matrix and Sweeney Todd'. All contain scenes which ClearPlay bosses say can be edited without ruining the whole film.
The system has been developed by a team of American scientists which had earlier invented VideoPlus, the system which simplified recording of television programmes.
ClearPlay director Skip Riddle said: "Clearly there are some films that don't lend themselves to filtering but the vast majority do. Often the aspects of a film that give it a 15 certificate are connected with a few very short sequences."
The patented technology — an electronic film filter called the ClearPlay system — can be integrated into the next generation of DVD players to skip and mute content based on seven categories that can be set to meet viewing preferences. These included violence, blood, nudity, sex, swearing, blasphemy and offensive content, the Daily Mail reported.
Many films, especially those that are rated 15, lend themselves to such treatment because their rating is based on only one or two brief scenes which can be edited without spoiling the rest of the movie.
Andrew Duncan, the head of ClearPlay International, said: "We know from our research that parents are concerned about inappropriate content but don't like conflicts around censorship at home. Our system effectively ends the important but tiresome debates."
DVD players with ClearPlay technology will be on sale in the UK in July, but households can now download it online for a cost of about £1 a week. Filters will be available for hundreds of films already out and will be ready for new films within 48 hours of their DVD release. Players that can use the new technology will be about the same price as current machines.
The company says the sort of films the system will work with include 'Love Actually', 'Atonement', 'The Matrix and Sweeney Todd'. All contain scenes which ClearPlay bosses say can be edited without ruining the whole film.
The system has been developed by a team of American scientists which had earlier invented VideoPlus, the system which simplified recording of television programmes.
ClearPlay director Skip Riddle said: "Clearly there are some films that don't lend themselves to filtering but the vast majority do. Often the aspects of a film that give it a 15 certificate are connected with a few very short sequences."
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Vineet Nayyar donates Rs. 30 Crore to charity
Vineet Nayyar, Managing Director of IT services firm Tech Mahindra has donated a third of shares in the company, converted from employee stock option plan (ESOP) in the past, worth over Rs. 30 crore to a Delhi-based charitable organization run by his wife.
He has gifted 3.5 lakh shares, which is worth Rs. 31.78 crore as per the closing price of Tech Mahindra shares on Wednesday at NSE, to Essel Social Welfare Foundation. Essel Social Welfare Foundation, an umbrella organization to many other NGOs, supports education of underprivileged children, including the girl child and the visually handicapped. It is run by Reva Nayyar, a retired bureaucrat who has in the recent past been involved with ministry of woman and child development and has been instrumental in enactment of policies and legislation pertaining to women and child welfare.
He has gifted 3.5 lakh shares, which is worth Rs. 31.78 crore as per the closing price of Tech Mahindra shares on Wednesday at NSE, to Essel Social Welfare Foundation. Essel Social Welfare Foundation, an umbrella organization to many other NGOs, supports education of underprivileged children, including the girl child and the visually handicapped. It is run by Reva Nayyar, a retired bureaucrat who has in the recent past been involved with ministry of woman and child development and has been instrumental in enactment of policies and legislation pertaining to women and child welfare.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Google to insert automated captions on YouTube
Google is to add automatic captions to the tens of millions of English-language videos it hosts on YouTube, the web search giant said Friday.
The move will make the videos more accessible to deaf viewers but will also help Google index the content and supply relevant ads.
Google has been experimenting with the automated captions for several months with a handful of high profile partners like the University of California, Berkeley, Yale University and National Geographic. All other captions on YouTube videos were provided by the videos' producers.
Google has been working on speech recognition technology for some five years, and uses the technology to transcribe audio voice mails through its Google Voice service, and to provide spoken Web searches from smart phones.
However, engineers warned that the technology is far from perfect and that the machine translations are sure to contain mistakes.
The move will make the videos more accessible to deaf viewers but will also help Google index the content and supply relevant ads.
Google has been experimenting with the automated captions for several months with a handful of high profile partners like the University of California, Berkeley, Yale University and National Geographic. All other captions on YouTube videos were provided by the videos' producers.
Google has been working on speech recognition technology for some five years, and uses the technology to transcribe audio voice mails through its Google Voice service, and to provide spoken Web searches from smart phones.
However, engineers warned that the technology is far from perfect and that the machine translations are sure to contain mistakes.
Friday, March 5, 2010
கதவை திற .......... வரட்டும்....
சன் பிக்சர்சின் தீராத விளையாட்டு பிள்ளை எதிர்பார்த்த அளவு வெற்றி நடை போடாத நிலையில் செவ்வாய் மாலை சன் நியூஸ் ரிலீஸ் செய்திருக்கும் "தியான பீட விளையாட்டு பிள்ளை" வெளியிட்ட சில மணித்துளிகளிலேயே உலகெங்கும் சூப்பர் டூப்பர் ஹிட் ஆகி இருக்கிறது.
புன்னகை தளபதி 'நித்தி' இதுவரை பார்த்திராத புதிய கோலத்தில் நடித்திருப்பதே இந்த படத்தின் வெற்றிக்கு காரணம் என கூறப்படுகிறது. மேலும் படத்தில் நடித்திருக்கும் கதாநாயகி யார் என சஸ்பென்சாக வைத்திருந்ததும் தமிழ் ரசிகர்களிடையே பெரும் பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியது .
வழக்கமாக ஒரு நாளுக்கு நான்கு ஷோ மட்டுமே படங்கள் திரையிடப்படும் நிலையில் இந்த திரைக்காவியம் அரை மணிக்கொரு முறை சன் நியூஸ் சேனலில் ஒளிபரப்பட்டது அனைத்து ரசிகர்களிடேயும் வரவேற்பு பெற்றது.
குப்பென்று பத்திகொள்ளும் என எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட அஜித் ரஜினி பிரச்சனை பொசுக்கென்று முடிந்து விட்டது. அடுத்த படம் வேறு வெள்ளி கிழமைதான் வரும். அதுவரை பதிவு போட என்ன செய்வது என பதறி கொண்டிருந்த பதிவுலகிற்கு " நித்தியின் சித்து விளையாட்டு " ஸ்டான்ட் காட்சிகள் பெரும் டாபிக் ஆக அமைந்ததால் எல்லோரும் சேனலுக்கு நன்றி தெரிவித்து யூடூப் லிங்க் கொடுத்த வண்ணம் உள்ளனர்.
தங்களது ஆன்மீக குரு இதுவரை எவ்வளவோ தியான முறைகளை சொல்லி தந்துள்ளார். ஆனால் இத்தைகைய புதிய தியான ஆசனங்களை எங்களுக்கு இவ்வளவு நாட்களாய் சொல்லி தராமல் ஏமாற்றி வந்தது ஏன் என படத்தை பார்த்த சீடர்கள் அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்து வருத்தம் தெரிவித்தனர்.
தங்களது எல்லா படங்களுக்கும் இடைவிடாத விளம்பரம் போடுவது போல இந்த படத்திற்கும் சன் டி.வி.யில் "அடுத்த காட்சி 9 மணிக்கு... 9.30 மணிக்கு... 10 மணிக்கு " என இடைவிடாத ப்ளாஷ் நியூஸ் ஓடிய வண்ணம் இருந்தது குறிப்பிடதக்கது.
அதே போல் ஊர் ஊராய் சென்று படத்தின் ரிசல்ட்டை பாலோ அப் செய்யும் தங்களது பாரம்பரிய முறைப்படி, இந்த படத்திற்கும், திருவண்ணமலையில் ஆசிரமம் முற்றுகை, புதுவையில் படம் எரிப்பு, கடலூரில் பறந்தது செருப்பு என விடாது பாலோ செய்து சூடாக ரிசல்ட் சொன்ன சன் நியூஸ் சேனலின் கடமை உணர்வை தமிழ் குடிமகன்கள் மெய் சிலிர்த்து பாராட்டி புளகாங்கிதம் அடைந்தனர்.
படத்தின் பின்னணி இசை நன்றாக வந்திருக்கிறது. குறைவான நேரமே கொடுக்கப்பட்டாலும் டெர்ரராக இசை அமைத்த இசை அமைப்பாளருக்கு நல்ல எதிர்காலம் உள்ளது.
எங்கே படத்தின் காட்சிகள் மக்களுக்கு புரியாமல் போய் விடுமோ என அஞ்சி க்ரியேடிவ் டீம் அமைத்துள்ள வர்ணனை வசனங்கள் அடுத்த வருடத்திற்கான விருது பெரும் சாத்திய கூறுகள் உள்ளது.
படத்தில் ஏகப்பட்ட கவர்ச்சி காட்சிகள் இருந்ததால் அதை தாங்களே சென்சார் போர்டாக செயல்பட்டு அனைவரும் பார்க்கும் விதத்தில் U செர்டிபிகேட்டுடன் வெளியிட உதவிய எடிட்டரின் பணி பாராட்டுக்குரியது
"தியான பீட விளையாட்டு பிள்ளை" - சன் பிக்சர்சின் முதல் சூப்பர் டூப்பர் ஹிட்
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Thursday, February 25, 2010
HSBC MF plans to unveil Brazil Equity Fund
Mutual Fund is set to launch an open-ended fund of fund scheme called HSBC Brazil Equity Fund. The fund has filed an offer document with the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The fund's performance will be benchmarked to the MSCI Brazil 10/40 Index. The minimum application amount is Rs 10,000.
Last week, Benchmark Mutual Fund launched its first international exchange-traded fund, the Hang Seng BeES, based on the Hong Kong stock exchange's Hang Seng index. In July 2009, JPMorgan Asset Management had launched Greater China Equity Offshore Fund, while in September, Mirae Asset Global Investment launched its Mirae Asset China Advantage Fund.
Last week, Benchmark Mutual Fund launched its first international exchange-traded fund, the Hang Seng BeES, based on the Hong Kong stock exchange's Hang Seng index. In July 2009, JPMorgan Asset Management had launched Greater China Equity Offshore Fund, while in September, Mirae Asset Global Investment launched its Mirae Asset China Advantage Fund.
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