Skip to main content

Indian Government announces fiscal stimulus package

The government on Sunday unveiled a Rs 300,000 crore ($60 b) package to pump the economy with specific measures for various sectors,to contain the impact of the global financial crisis on India.

The amount is to be spent over the next four months on a host of areas,such as exporters, housing, infrastructure and textiles. A 4% cut in Value Added Tax has also been announced to help the corporate sector in general.The measures for exporters include an interest support of two percent for labor intensive sectors like textiles and handicraft.

This apart, import duty on naphtha for use by the power sector is being reduced to zero, while export duty on iron ore fines will be eliminated, and reduced to five percent for lumps.

In a push to the automobile sector, government departments have been allowed to replace vehicles within the allowed budget, with a major relaxation in the time-consuming procedures.

Instructions have also been given to state-run banks to unveil a scheme under which borrowers for houses under two categories - up to Rs 500,000 and up to Rs 2 million will get special incentives.

Popular posts from this blog

Historical Sensex Returns Updated - 2024

Historically Sensex has given returns of about 15% per year, despite volatility and price fluctuations of about -20% to +60%. The following table shows S&P BSE Sensex historical data - start  & close values and the yearly returns of the sensex from 2000 to 2024. So far during the year the   index has hit an all-time high of  75,124   and despite markets hitting all time highs not all stocks make all-time highs. There are many stocks still below their highs. Stocks like HDFC Bank, ITC, Asian paints are still well below their highs and some of them have given low returns over last 3-5 years. Individual or Retail investors can achieve consistent returns through investing via mutual funds , whether it be active or passive. Chasing returns from individual stocks is futile. Be a wise investor !

Tracking Difference in ETFs and Index Funds

 As we all know, an index fund is a type of mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) with a portfolio constructed to match or track the components of a financial market index, such as the Nifty 50 Index. Tracking difference is the discrepancy between Index Fund/ ETF performance and index performance. Below is the ETFs and Index funds with high tracking error.  The above tracking error is since inception. ETFs and Index funds are considered to be low cost, but in here in India, the tracking difference are quite high and add to that expense ratio, the total works out to over 1-3% and higher in certain cases.  These ETFs and Index funds are no longer low-cost as one would expect them to be.