Understand Sens*x
The BSE Sens*x or Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index is a value-weighted index composed of 30 stocks started in April, 1984. It consists of the 30 largest and most actively traded stocks, representative of various sectors, on the Bombay Stock Exchange. These companies account for around one-fifth of the market capitalization of the BSE.
The base value of the sens*x is 100 on April 1, 1979, and the base year of BSE-SENSEX is 1978-79.
At irregular intervals, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) authorities review and modify its composition to make sure it reflects current market conditions. The index is calculated based on a free-float capitalization method; a variation of the market cap method. Instead of using a company’s outstanding shares it uses its float, or shares that are readily available for trading. The free-float method, therefore, does not include restricted stocks, such as those held by company insiders.
The index has increased by over ten times from June 1990 to the present. Using information from April 1979 onwards, the long-run rate of return on the BSE Sens*x works out to be 18.6% per annum, which translates to roughly 9% per annum after compensating for inflation.
Understand Nifty
The S&P CNX Nifty is the leading index for large companies on the National Stock Exchange of India. It consists of 50 companiesrepresenting 24 sectors of the economy, and representing approximately 47% ofthe traded value of all stocks on the National Stock Exchange of India.
Nifty Fifty was an informal term used to refer to 50 popular large cap stockson the New York Stock Exchange in the 1960s and 1970s that were widelyregarded as solid buy and hold growth stocks. Nifty Index is basically an indicator giving you a general idea about whether most of the stocks have gone up or most of the stocks have gone down.
Understand Futures Contracts
A Futures Contract is a standardized contract, traded on a futures exchange, to buy or sell a standardized quantity of a specified commodity of standardized quality (which, in many cases, may be such non-traditional “commodities” as foreign currencies, commercial or government paper [e.g., bonds], or “baskets” of corporate equity ["stock indices"] or other financial instruments) at a certain date in the future, at a price (the futures price) determined by the instantaneous equilibrium between the forces of supply and demand among competing buy and sell orders on the exchange at the time of the purchase or sale of the contract. The future date is called the delivery date or final settlement date. The official price of the futures contract at the end of a day’s trading session on the exchange is called the settlement price for that day of business on the exchange.
A futures contract gives the holder the obligation to make or take delivery under the terms of the contract, whereas an option grants the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to establish a position previously held by the seller of the option. In other words, the owner of an options contract may exercise the contract, but both parties of a “futures contract” must fulfill the contract on the settlement date. The seller delivers the underlying asset to the buyer, or, if it is a cash-settled futures contract, then cash is transferred from the futures trader who sustained a loss to the one who made a profit. To exit the commitment prior to the settlement date, the holder of a futures position has to offset his/her position by either selling a long position or buying back (covering) a short position, effectively closing out the futures position and its contract obligations.
Futures contracts, or simply futures, (but not future or future contract) are exchange traded derivatives. The exchange’s clearing house acts as counterparty on all contracts, sets margin requirements, and crucially also provides a mechanism for settlement.
Options Trade
An Option Strategy is implemented by combining one or more option positions and possibly an underlying stock position. Options are financial instruments that give the buyer the right to buy (for a call option) or sell (for a put option) the underlying security at some specific point of time in the future (European Option) or until some specific point of time in the future (American Option) for a price (strike price), which is fixed in advance (when the option is bought).
Calls increase in value as the underlying stock increases in value. Likewise puts increase in value as the underlying stock decreases in value. Buying both a call and a put means that if the underlying stock moves up the call increases in value and likewise if the underlying stock moves down the put increases in value. The combined position can increase in value if the stock moves significantly in either direction. (The position loses money if the stock stays at the same price or within a range of the price when the position was established.) This strategy is called a straddle. It is one of many options strategies that investors can employ.
Options strategies can favor movements in the underlying stock that are bullish, bearish or neutral. In the case of neutral strategies, they can be further classified into those that are bullish on volatility and those that are bearish on volatility. The option positions used can be long and/or short positions in calls and/or puts at various strikes.
Margin Money
To minimize credit risk to the exchange, traders must post a margin or a performance bond, typically 5%-15% of the contract’s value.Margin requirements are waived or reduced in some cases for hedgers who have physical ownership of the covered commodity or spread traders who have offsetting contracts balancing the position.
Clearing margin are financial safeguards to ensure that companies or corporations perform on their customers’ open futures and options contracts. Clearing margins are distinct from customer margins that individual buyers and sellers of futures and options contracts are required to deposit with brokers.
Customer margin Within the futures industry, financial guarantees required of both buyers and sellers of futures contracts and sellers of options contracts to ensure fulfillment of contract obligations.
Futures Commission Merchants are responsible for overseeing customer margin accounts. Margins are determined on the basis of market risk and contract value. Also referred to as performance bond margin.
Initial margin is the money required to open a derivatives position (in futures, forex or CFDs) It is a security deposit to ensure that traders have sufficient funds to meet any potential loss from a trade.
If a position involves an exchange-traded product, the amount or percentage of initial margin is set by the exchange concerned.
In case of loss or if the value of the initial margin is being eroded, the broker will make a margin call in order to restore the amount of initial margin available. Often referred to as “variation margin”, margin called for this reason is usually done on a daily basis, however, in times of high volatility a broker can make a margin call or calls intra-day.
Calls for margin are usually expected to be paid and received on the same day. If not, the broker has the right to close sufficient positions to meet the amount called by way of margin. After the position is closed-out the client is liable for any resulting deficit in the client’s account.
Some US Exchanges also use the term “maintenance margin”, which in effect defines by how much the value of the initial margin can reduce before a margin call is made. However, most non-US brokers only use the term “initial margin” and “variation margin”.
The Initial Margin requirement is established by the Futures exchange, in contrast to other securities Initial Margin which is set by the Federal Reserve in the U.S. Markets.A futures account is marked to market daily. If the margin drops below the margin maintenance requirement established by the exchange listing the futures, a margin call will be issued to bring the account back up to the required level.
Maintenance margin A set minimum margin per outstanding futures contract that a customer must maintain in his margin account.
Bankruptcy/Petetion
Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor (”involuntary bankruptcy”) in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring. In the majority of cases, however, bankruptcy is initiated by the debtor (a “voluntary bankruptcy” that is filed by the bankrupt individual or organization).
Bankruptcy fraud is a crime. While difficult to generalize across jurisdictions, common criminal acts under bankruptcy statutes typically involve concealment of assets, concealment or destruction of documents, conflicts of interest, fraudulent claims, false statements or declarations, and fee fixing or redistribution arrangements. Falsifications on bankruptcy forms often constitute perjury. Multiple filings are not in and of themselves criminal, but they may violate provisions of bankruptcy law. In the U.S., bankruptcy fraud statutes are particularly focused on the mental state of particular actions.
Bankruptcy fraud should be distinguished from strategic bankruptcy, which is not a criminal act, but may work against the filer.
Public Issue or IPO
Initial public offering (IPO), also referred to simply as a “public offering”, is when a company issues common stock or shares to the public for the first time. They are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately-owned companies looking to become publicly traded. In an IPO, the issuer may obtain the assistance of an underwriting firm, which helps it determine what type of security to issue (common or preferred), best offering price and time to bring it to market. IPOs can be a risky investment. For the individual investor, it is tough to predict what the stock or shares will do on its initial day of trading and in the near future since there is often little historical data with which to analyze the company. Also, most IPOs are of companies going through a transitory growth period, and they are therefore subject to additional uncertainty regarding their future value.
Short Selling
Short Selling or “shorting” is the practice of selling a financial instrument that the seller does not own at the time of the sale. Short selling is done with intent of later purchasing the financial instrument at a lower price. Short-sellers attempt to profit from an expected decline in the price of a financial instrument. Short selling or “going short” is contrasted with the more conventional practice of “going long”, which typically occurs when a financial instrument is purchased with the expectation that its price will rise. Thus, being “long” is just a way of saying that you own a positive number of the securities; being “short” is just a way of saying that you own a negative number of the securities.
Typically, the short-seller will “borrow” the securities to be sold, and later repurchase identical securities for return to the lender. If the security price falls, the short-seller profits from having sold the borrowed securities for more than he later pays for them. However, if the security price rises, the short seller loses by having sold them for less than the price at which he later has to buy them. The practice is risky in that prices may rise without bound, even beyond the net worth of the short seller. The act of repurchasing a shorted security is known as closing a position.
Currency Futures
A Currency Future, also FX future or foreign exchange future, is a futures contract to exchange one currency for another at a specified date in the future at a price (exchange rate) that is fixed on the purchase date. Typically, one of the currencies is the INDIAN NATIONAL RUPPEE(INR). The price of a future is then in terms of INR per unit of other currency. This can be different from the standard way of quoting in the spot foreign exchange markets. The trade unit of each contract is then a certain amount of other currency, for instance 1000 Units. Most contracts have physical delivery, so for those held at the end of the last trading day, actual payments are made in each currency. However, most contracts are closed out before that. Investors can close out the contract at any time prior to the contract’s delivery date.Trading in Currency is the slowest way but the safest & easiest way to earn money. It requires a reasonable amount of speculation.
Trading in INR.
You have to buy a Future Contract of 1000 Units & the margin money is very less. You need to have just 5% of margin money of the entire contract value. For instance, if the dollar rate is say 48.00, then you should have the margin of just Rs.2400 [(48*1000units)*5%].
So, trading in Currency Futures is the investment tool for a comman man who does not carry more speculation activities. Just by keeping the margin money of Rs.2400 you can get the Currency Future worth Rs.48000.
Hedge Trade
A Hedge is a position established in one market in an attempt to offset exposure to the price risk of an equal but opposite obligation or position in another market — usually, but not always, in the context of one’s commercial activity. Hedging is a strategy designed to minimize exposure to such business risks as a sharp contraction in demand for one’s stock, while still allowing the business to profit from producing and maintaining that stock. In simple terms, If u buy a stock & u fear that markets will come down due to some bad news, then u will short sell an stock which will move down with index. If market falls, u will earn in Short sell n loose in ur long position, & if the market goes up u will loose in short sell n earn in long positions. This is the most affective tool used to cover ur risks in markets when volatility is at high.
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