Zebu blog

Tag: interest rates

  • The Role of Economic and Political Factors in the Indian Stock Market: Insights for Investors

    As an investor in the Indian stock market, it is important to understand the various factors that can impact the performance of your investments. Economic and political factors can have a significant impact on the stock market and it is essential to be aware of these influences in order to make informed investment decisions.

    One of the most significant economic factors that can affect the Indian stock market is the state of the country’s economy. The stock market is closely tied to the overall health of the economy, as companies’ profits and stock prices are largely dependent on economic conditions. Factors such as GDP growth, unemployment rates, and inflation can all impact the stock market. For example, a strong economy with low unemployment and steady GDP growth may lead to an increase in stock prices, while a struggling economy may lead to a decline in stock prices.

    Political factors can also have a significant impact on the Indian stock market. Changes in government policies and regulations can affect the performance of specific industries and individual companies, which in turn can impact the overall market. For example, if the government enacts policies that are favorable to a particular industry, it may lead to an increase in stock prices for companies in that industry. On the other hand, if the government enacts policies that are unfavorable to a particular industry, it may lead to a decline in stock prices for companies in that industry.

    In addition to economic and political factors, other external influences such as global market trends and geopolitical events can also impact the Indian stock market. It is important for investors to be aware of these factors and to stay up-to-date on current events in order to make informed investment decisions.

    So, what can investors do to navigate these complex and constantly changing economic and political factors in the Indian stock market? Here are a few tips:

    Stay informed: As an investor, it is important to stay informed about current economic and political developments in India and their potential impact on the stock market. This can involve reading financial news, following economic indicators, and keeping track of government policies and regulations.

    Diversify your portfolio: By investing in a diverse range of assets, you can help mitigate the impact of economic and political events on your portfolio. This can include investing in different industries and sectors, as well as investing in both domestic and international markets.

    Have a long-term perspective: While it can be tempting to make impulsive investment decisions based on short-term market movements, it is important to maintain a long-term perspective. This can involve setting clear investment goals and sticking to a long-term investment plan, rather than reacting to every market fluctuation.

    Seek professional advice: If you are new to investing or unsure about how to navigate the Indian stock market, seeking the advice of a financial professional can be helpful. A financial advisor or investment professional can provide guidance on how to build a diversified portfolio that is aligned with your investment goals and risk tolerance.

    In conclusion, economic and political factors play a significant role in the performance of the Indian stock market. By staying informed, diversifying your portfolio, maintaining a long-term perspective, and seeking professional advice, you can make informed investment decisions and navigate these complex and constantly changing factors with confidence.

  • What Factors Affect Gold Prices?

    Even though the stock market has had a rough few months, gold is still highly valued, especially in India. India is one of the two biggest consumers of gold in the world, along with China. Each year, India uses more than 25% of the world’s gold.

    Demand for jewellery in the country goes up a lot during the wedding and holiday seasons, which often drives up the price of the item. Even if this rise in demand and price for gold is due to this, there are other factors that affect gold prices across the country. In one of its reports, the World Gold Council (WGC) said that income and the price of gold are two important factors that have a long-term, large effect on consumer demand.

    Some other things that can affect the price of gold are:

    Inflation

    Inflation, which is when the prices of goods and services go up, could have a big effect on the price of gold. Most of the time, inflation has a direct effect on the price of gold. Since inflation makes money worth less, the price of gold usually goes up when inflation goes up. This is because when inflation is high, people tend to store their money in gold because they think its value will stay the same over time. This makes the demand for gold go up. So, gold can also be used to protect against inflation.

    Interest rates

    Historically, interest rates and gold prices have had the opposite relationship. When interest rates go up, people often prefer to sell gold to make more money. But when interest rates go down, more people decide to buy gold, which drives up both its demand and price.

    Festive seasons

    Gold has always been seen as a strategic asset in Indian homes, and it has also become a part of Indian culture. Gold has a special place in the lives of Indian families, from being used in wedding ceremonies to being worn as jewellery on important holidays like Diwali. Gold prices go up during wedding and festival seasons because people want to buy more of it.

    In 2019, the World Gold Council (WGC) did a study that found that Indian families may have as much as 25,000 tonnes of gold. This makes India the country with the most gold in the world.

    Pleasant Monsoon Rains

    Studies show that rural India uses up to 60% of India’s total annual gold use, which is thought to be between 800 and 850 tonnes. So, the agricultural market has a lot to do with the demand for gold in the country, and the farmers’ incomes depend a lot on how well their crops do. When the monsoon rains are good, there is more demand for gold in the country. This makes farmers, who use about a third of the country’s gold, buy gold to build their wealth.

    Reserves on Treasury

    Like the central banks of most other countries, the Reserve Bank of India keeps gold reserves along with their money. The price of gold goes up when the RBI starts to buy more gold than it sells. This is because there isn’t enough gold and there is more cash coming into the market.

    A Way to Deal with Uncertainty

    People often choose to invest in or buy gold as a commodity when the market is volatile. This could be because of a slowing economy or trouble in the government. Gold is seen as a good alternative when other assets lose value because its value stays the same over time. Also, because uncertainty isn’t a number, it has more of a psychological effect on gold prices than other factors.

    Politics and geography

    India is one of the countries that uses gold the most, so any change in the price of gold on the international market would affect how much it costs there. Investors also see gold as a safe place to put their money during times of political uncertainty or geopolitical unrest. This increases the demand for gold, which drives up its price. During times of crisis, people tend to buy more gold, which makes it a good way to store money. Other types of assets, on the other hand, would often lose value during these times.

    What the Rupee Does to Gold

    It is important to understand how the relationship between the rupee and the dollar affects the price of gold in India. Since most physical gold is brought in from other countries, the price of gold in rupees will go up when the rupee falls against the dollar. So, a falling rupee could make India less interested in buying gold.

    Conclusion:

    Gold, which is seen as a valuable financial asset, is one of the most popular ways to invest in India. Investors often turn to gold as a safe place to put their money during uncertain times like geopolitical turmoil or trade disputes between countries. But gold prices in the country are also affected by things like inflation, interest rates, and the rupee-dollar exchange rate.

  • The Impact Of Inflation On The Forex Market

    The foreign exchange market, or forex, is a very volatile place. Volatility is what makes liquidity on the forex markets. As liquidity goes up, your chances of making money on your investments go up. But inflation is the main thing that is keeping the FX market from going up. This makes things hard for forex traders. Because of this, online currency trading also suffers.

    The rising rate of inflation around the world has caused a major Forex crisis that has messed up all previous financial calculations. The forex market is having a hard time right now because investors are getting scared and moving their money to safer places like fixed-income securities and gold.

    Inflation Across the Board

    When prices go up past a certain point, this is called inflation. This is what happens when a currency tends to lose value. Because of this, prices have gone up. When currencies lose value, the prices of goods slowly go up over time. The rise in commodity prices makes it harder for people to buy things. This is called the “depreciation of capital.” In this situation, online forex trading, which was once a priority for a forex investor, is now a liability. When people can’t buy as much, the market is more likely to get out of balance because the demand for foreign currency drops. When people’s ability to buy things goes down, inflation is more likely to start.

    This is true for both stock markets and FX markets. If you planned to open a demat account because you wanted to make money on the stock market and inflation is taken into account, the same no longer holds true. Some people think that the current situation in the world is just a sign of an upcoming recession. This is backed up by how investors act all over the world, not just in India. Most investors are told to put their money in “safe” things like gold and oil.

    Events around the world and money

    Not only is inflation making things worse, but there are wars happening all over the world, which makes it harder for global currency markets to recover. Investors are more worried than ever because of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and, more recently, China’s recent military actions on Taiwanese soil that are seen as a provocation. So, fear of a recession caused by events around the world is a big reason why prices are going up. Recently, investors were looking forward to starting online currency trading as a result of the end of a global health crisis. However, more problems came up, and investors stopped trading again. Because everyone is worried about inflation, the expected boom in IPOs has also died down.

    How Inflation Affects Foreign Exchange

    Online forex trading has suffered a lot, just like many other types of business. Forex is an “over-the-counter” digital market where currencies are bought and sold. Since forex is traded in pairs, the value of each currency is judged in relation to the other currency in the pair. The value of a currency is based on how well the economy of the country whose currency it is is doing. When you buy a country’s currency, you are actually buying a piece of that country’s economy. If you think a currency has good prospects, you are more likely to buy it. You won’t invest in a country’s currency if it has inflation, which has happened in a lot of countries in the past few months.

    Various Investments

    Inflation can make it hard to do any kind of financial business, like trading currencies. Even if you can’t trade on Forex right now, you can still open a demat account with Zebu and invest in the stock market, which seems like a good idea.

  • Top Forex Trading Mistakes To Avoid

    India has recently become a popular destination to trade currencies online. More and more people want to profit from changes in currency prices, so they are getting into the currency market. If you want to start doing intraday trading in forex, this post is for you. Here are some of the most common mistakes that both beginners and experts make, along with suggestions for how to avoid them.

    1. Relying on leverage a lot

    There are two things to know about trading with leverage. You may be able to open a big position with a small amount of the transaction’s value. If the deal goes well, using a lot of leverage can help you win a lot more. But if the deal doesn’t go as planned, you could also lose a lot of money.

    To avoid making this mistake, you should always be careful about how much leverage you use. You should only use leverage if you can afford to lose it. In this way, you can protect yourself from large losses a lot.

    2. Ignoring technical indicators of trading

    The daily price changes on the currency market are affected by technical factors. Online forex trading is a sure way to lose money if you don’t know about or pay attention to technical trading indicators.

    To avoid this mistake, base your trades on technical indicators like MACD and candlestick patterns. This will help you predict how prices will move and make the right changes to your holdings.

    3. Trading for revenge

    Losses are a part of investing online that can’t be avoided. This is true even when it comes to the currency market. But when they lose money, a lot of traders give into revenge trading. Revenge trading is the act of trying to make up for losses by increasing trading capital.

    But this is not a good idea. If you give in to your feelings when trading, you will make bad decisions. To avoid this, you should always take a few days off after a loss to heal. In the meantime, think about and reevaluate your losing trade to figure out where you went wrong. Because of this activity, you will get better at trading.

    4. Taking positions before the news comes out

    This is a mistake that a lot of traders, especially new ones, tend to make. They make trades right before important news comes out so they can make money off of the volatility. Most of the time, though, that kind of move doesn’t work.

    During times of high volatility, when you trade forex online, the price changes may come as a surprise. Even if the news is good, the changes in the price of the currency pair might not be right.

    The best way to avoid making this mistake is to avoid trading before any news comes out. Wait until the news event is over and the market has calmed down before making any trades.

    Conclusion

    Before you start a forex transaction, you should always make a plan and stick to it. Put in place the right stop losses as well to lower risks. So, if you want to learn more about FX online trading, you should contact Zebu right away. For forex trading, you need a demat account and a trading account. Both of these can be opened online in just a few minutes.

  • When Should You Move To Debt Funds?

    In October 2021, the NIFTY reached its all-time high. The price of stocks was going up. Because of easy monetary policy, low interest rates, and FPI, the world stock market reached all-time highs. Some mutual funds, such as SBI Small Cap and Union Small Cap, had 100% returns.

    How should you invest when the market is very unstable and the NIFTY has dropped more than 25%? Do you have to put all of your money into debt funds?

    What are debt funds?
    Debt funds are types of mutual funds in which the money is invested in different debt securities. The debt funds also buy government and corporate bonds.

    Companies put out debt instruments in order to get money from the market. So, lending is the same as putting money into debt funds. The main reason to invest in debt funds is to get a steady stream of income. The issuers give returns based on a fixed interest rate that everyone agrees on. Because of this, debt instruments are sometimes called “fixed income securities.”

    When your portfolio is losing money is not the best time to invest in debt funds. Instead, the best time is when the stock market is hitting new highs. You can lock in your earnings by putting the money in safe, low-risk debt funds.

    When the interest rate is going up is yet another case. Since the interest rate goes up when the stock market goes down, and vice versa, this often happens when there is a lot of chaos in the stock market.

    It shows the way things are right now in the economy. The market is in a very bad place right now, and NIFTY has lost a lot of its value. In order to stop inflation from getting worse, governments are tightening their monetary policies. One way they are doing this is by raising bank interest rates. Because FD interest rates are going up right now, you might decide to put some of your money into debt funds.

    If you want to invest for the short term, you should invest in debt mutual funds to reduce risk. For short-term capital needs, you might want to think about liquid, ultra-short, low duration, and money market funds. These funds are given out over a six- to twelve-month period.

    Debt funds have low-risk returns and may be good for certain types of investors. There are many different ways to put money into debt mutual funds.

    Bond funds that are managed dynamically move money as interest rates change, which is what the name suggests.

    Income funds are safer than dynamic funds because the fund manager will invest in long-term funds.

    A very short-term fund’s life span is between one and three years. With a short-term investment goal, ultra short-term funds offer stable returns and a lot of cash.

    Conclusion
    If you were thinking of sending money to a debt fund, you should think again! You should buy more stocks when the market is unstable and going down. Debt mutual funds may make your portfolio less risky, but they also make it less likely that it will make money. Debt funds, or FDs, are good investments for short-term investments or for people who are retired and depend on income from investments.

  • What You Should Know About Loans Against Securities

    There are many benefits to investing in the stock market in India. You can get a loan against the securities in your Demat account, which is one of the many benefits. You can basically use the stocks you own as collateral with your stock broker or a financial institution to get a loan to pay for unexpected expenses.

    Before we get into understanding loans against securities, it is important to understand that trading requires a powerful online trading platform and at Zebu, as share market brokers we understand that. Along with the tool we also offer the lowest brokerage for intraday trading.

    Still, there are a few things you should know before you go ahead with this. Here’s a quick look at the top 5 things you’d have to think about if you used this service.

    Financial Institution

    The first thing you should know about getting a loan against the stock is that not all banks or stock brokers offer this service. So, it is very important to find and pick the right institution. When looking for loans, you should try to get them from places that have low-interest rates. This will help you pay the least amount of money you have to.

    2. Check if you’re eligible

    Before deciding on a financial institution where you want to use this service, it is a good idea to look at their requirements to see if you meet them. Different institutions have different requirements, so it’s important to know if you meet them before you apply. This will help make sure that everything goes smoothly and without any problems.

    Loan Amount

    The next thing you should know about a loan against security is how much you can borrow. Since the value of securities like stocks and bonds tends to change every day, most lenders will only loan a portion of the securities that have been pledged. Most of the time, the amount of a loan from a financial institution is between 60% and 80% of the value of the securities pledged.

    A list of stocks

    Not every place that lends money will take every kind of security as collateral. For example, some lenders may be willing to take mutual fund units as collateral while others may not. So, the list of accepted securities may be different based on where you apply. So, if you want to get a loan against stocks, you should first check with your preferred financial institution to see if the stocks you own can be used as collateral.

    Fees and charges that must be paid

    Lastly, most lending institutions charge fees and interest rates for loans against securities. Fees can be for anything, from processing to making a pledge. Some financial institutions even charge fees if the loan is paid off early. So, before you move forward with the process, you should be aware of the different fees and charges that come with such a service. So, you can make a good choice.

    Conclusion

    With this information, we hope you now know what you should think about when using this service. On the other hand, if you want to invest in the stock market today, you must have a Demat account in your name. Contact Zebu right away to set up a free Demat account in just a few minutes.

    At Zebu, as share market brokers we understand that trading requires a powerful online trading platform, and we offer just that. Along with the tool, we also offer the lowest brokerage for intraday tradingWhat are you waiting for? Download the Zebu app now.

  • Factors That Decide An Option’s Premium

    Factors That Decide An Option’s Premium
    Any trader will tell you that in order to be successful, you have to understand and, more importantly, master the concept of option pricing and how to figure out its correct value.

    When you look at all the things that affect an option’s price, you can figure out what its real price is. Let’s look at oil as an example. The final prices of petroleum depend on consumer demand, the price of crude oil, the time of year, local and state taxes, refinery output, etc. If you want to know or figure out the price of an option before you buy or sell it, you can use a mathematical model like the Black Scholes model. You only need to think about the different parts of the model to figure out the right price.

    Being a successful trader depends on several things, but most importantly it depends on the kind of platform you use to trade. As a stock broker, we understand this and offer the best trading platform to our users that provides them with the best trading accounts.

    Putting a price on an option depends on a number of things.

    The stock’s current price: If you’re interested in a call option that lets you buy shares of X company for, say, Rs 350 each, you’d probably be willing to pay more for that call when the stock is trading at Rs 320 instead of Rs 350. This is because the call option gets much closer to being ITM at Rs 49 than it would have been if it traded at Rs 40. Put options, on the other hand, do the opposite.

    The Strike Price: This is the price that a call owner has to pay to buy stock, while a put owner has to pay if he wants to sell his stock. This is like the example that was given above. Most of the time, it costs more to get the right to buy stock at Rs 350 than at Rs 380. The average investor would, of course, like to have the right to buy stocks at lower prices at any time of day. With the strike price going down, this makes calls cost more. In the same way, the value of puts goes up when the strike price goes up.

    Time before expiration: It’s important to remember that all options have a set amount of time they can be used and usually end on or after a certain date. Because of this, the value of an option goes down as time goes on. The more time there is until expiration, the more likely it is that you can make moves that will make you money.

    Interest rates: This is not a very important factor when figuring out the price of an option. When interest rates go up, so do the prices of call options. When the trader chooses the call option instead of the stock, any extra cash in his account should, at least in theory, earn him interest. This doesn’t really happen in the real world, but the basic idea makes sense.

    Dividends: When a stock trades but the owner doesn’t get any dividends, this is called “ex-dividend,” and the price of the stock goes down by the amount of the dividend that was due. When dividends go up, put values go up and call values go down.

    Volatility is thought to be the most important variable. In simple terms, volatility is the difference between the prices of stocks from one day to the next. It can also be called swings in the price of a stock. When compared to stocks that are less likely to change, volatile stocks are more likely to have a different strike price level. When investors make big moves, their chances of making money go up. So, options on stocks that change a lot are definitely more expensive than options on stocks that change less or not at all. So, it’s important to remember that even small changes in estimates of volatility have a big effect on the prices of options. Volatility is usually thought of as an estimate, and if you only have an estimate, especially of future volatility, it’s almost impossible to figure out the right option value.

    As we mentioned earlier being successful as a trader depends on several things, but most importantly it depends on the kind of platform you use to trade. As a stock broker, we understand this and offer the best trading platform to our users that provides them with the best trading accounts.



  • Here’s How Bond Yields Affect The Market

    On Wednesday, India’s benchmark 10-year government bond yields soared to a high of 6.66 per cent before falling to 6.60 per cent.

    What has caused this increase? Rising crude oil prices, inflationary threats, and earlier-than-expected interest rate hikes indicated by the US Federal Reserve have all contributed to bond yields hardening. Rising bond yields, logically, have sparked anticipation that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may eventually abandon its accommodative policy and begin increasing interest rates.

    What is the difference between a bond and a bond yield?

    Bonds are simply loans made to a firm or the government. Throughout the loan’s term, the interest payments are virtually unchanged. Furthermore, if the borrower does not default, the principle is returned after the loan term.

    Bond yield is the rate of return that an investor receives on a certain bond or government instrument.

    Bond yields and prices are linked.

    Bond prices rise and fall in response to changes in interest rates in an economy. Bond yields, on the other hand, fall/rise in response to this.

    Bond yields and inflation expectations

    As money moves from relatively safer investment bets to riskier equities, a stock market boom tends to raise yields. When inflationary pressures rise, however, investors tend to return to bond markets and sell shares.

    What impact do bonds have on stock markets?

    Before we get into how the share market is impacted by bonds and bond yields, you need one of the best trading accounts from a leading online stock broker like Zebu to capitalise on market changes. With a leading online trading platform, you can anticipate market moves and maximise your profits.

    More on how bond yields affect the stock markets:

    To calculate the expected rate of return, investors add the equity risk premium they seek to a risk-free rate when pricing equities. Defaulting to the long government bond yield is usually the simplest way to estimate the risk-free rate. Long bond yields are important to equities because of this.

    Given that the risk-free rate is the long bond yield, a higher bond yield is unfavourable for equities, and vice versa. However, it’s important to recognise why bond rates are changing, not just the direction in which they’re changing.

    Long bond yields reflect the economy’s growth and inflation mix. Bond yields normally rise when growth is robust. They also rise in response to rising inflation. However, the impact of these is different for stocks.

    When growth is strong, the positive impact of larger cash flows or, more accurately, dividends more than outweighs the negative impact of higher yields, resulting in higher equity share values.

    The difference between actual GDP growth and the 10-year bond yield corresponds well with stock prices. Indeed, share prices should be fine if GDP increases faster than bond yields in the next month.

    If growth accelerates from here equities are likely to break this range on the upside, in line with the fundamental relationship.

    How Should Investors Play It?

    In the scenario that growth accelerates, investors can opt for rate-sensitive instruments like mid- and small-cap stocks and funds. However, if inflation makes a rapid return, you can go with reliable companies in solid sectors like technology, healthcare and FMCG.

    Whatever your take is on bond yields and their correlation to the Indian markets, you need the best online trading platform to change your game plan. At Zebu, we have taken our expertise as one of the leading online stock brokers in India and created the best trading accounts and investment platform to seamlessly capitalise on any economic macro and invest in the best stocks and funds that you find reliable. To know more about our products and services, please get in touch with us.