Difference between Equity shares and Preference shares

Posted by Mehul Kothari | Published on 19 Jun 2019
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Difference between Equity shares and Preference shares

The financial world consists of both the debt market as well as the equity market and every corporate needs to raise capital by issuing shares, which could be in the form of equity shares, preference shares, etc. However, the prime reason for one to invest in the volatile share market over its debt counterparts is the sheer joy of overperformance.

So, when you consider long-term investment, equity investments turn out to be one of the most profitable ones. Sure, there is the risk of prices going high enough to bring an ear-to-ear smile and low enough to make you regret your decisions at times. But over a considerable period, you could walk away with good returns.

When we discuss shares, there are two types of shares that one can choose between, equity shares and preference shares. But before you can start investing, the most obvious question to ask would be what are equity shares and preference shares.


The Definition

Equity shares and preference shares are quite similar, yet different in the way they function and offer you returns. When you own equity shares of a company, the dividends are subject to how the company is performing. And at times, you might not even receive any dividends.
This is one major difference between equity shares and preference shares. With preference shares, the company is bound to pay you dividends, since the amount is fixed but not with equity shares.

- Equity Shares

When you hear the word shares, people almost always refer to equity shares or ordinary shares. With equity shares, a company offers you partial ownership and thus, involves a lot of business risk.
The members, who own equity shares, also acquire the right to vote for critical decisions in the company. These decisions may include electing a new leader, acquisition, merger, etc. And they play a crucial role in raising capital for the company. Equity capital forms the basic foundation of the company and its creditworthiness.

The dividends or payouts to equity shareholders predominantly depend on the earnings of the company. Once the company has settled all other claims and expenses, it will pay its equity shareholders.

- Preference Shares

Between equity shares and preference shares, it is the latter that offers a certain source of income. With preference shares, a company promises its shareholders a fixed amount as dividend. And the preference shares take precedence over ordinary shares or equity shares.

They also have an edge over equity shareholders when it comes to repaying of capital. Since the rate of dividends is fixed, it is usually compared with debentures.


Salient Differences between equity shares and preference shares

Now that we are aware of the definition of equity shares and preference shares, we can delve into the major differences. Here are some of the key differences when it comes down to equity shares vs preference shares.

- Preference shares have specific rights over ordinary shares or equity shares of a company.

- Preference shareholders do not have any rights when it comes to voting, whereas equity shareholders do. However, under a few circumstances, preference shareholders can gain the right to vote. For instance, if there hasn’t been dividend payment in over two years.

- Preference shareholders do not reserve any claims to bonus shares, while one of the biggest merits of equity shares includes them having access to bonuses.

- Preference shareholders have the right to receive dividends, but equity shareholders do not have any such rights. A dividend is paid out only if the company makes a profit to distribute.

- Also, in a given year, if a dividend is not paid out to preference shareholders, the same would be accumulated and needs to be paid out later. However, the same is not true for equity shareholders. If a dividend is not declared for equity shareholders, the same does not accrue.

- One of the limitations of preference shares is that shareholders do not have any claims in the management of the company, whereas equity shareholders do.

- Preference shareholders can convert their shares to equity shares, but the reverse is not possible.

Other than the salient differences, there is some outright difference between equity shares and preference shares which are worth mentioning. Here are some additional equity shares vs preference shares pointers that you should be aware of.

- The basic description

One crucial equity shares and preference shares’ difference is that equity shares are the foundation of a company, while preference shares give shareholders an edge over ordinary shares. It is offered to banks or large corporates when the company needs funds.
It is one of the biggest merits of preference shares that a company receives funds whenever additional capital is required.

- The rate of dividend

The dividend paying rates of equity shares and preference shares may differ a bit. While there isn’t any fixed rate for paying dividends to equity shareholders, preference shareholders do receive dividends at a fixed rate, which is predefined and can be a nominal value of the share price.The rate of dividend for equity shareholders is decided by the Board of Directors after evaluating the company’s performance in the previous financial year.

- Issuance of shares

It is mandatory to issue equity shares of a company to go public while issuing preference shares is not mandatory under the Company’s Act 2013.

- Trading

You can easily trade equity shares in the capital market, whereas you cannot trade preference shares. This makes them less liquid as compared to equity shares. Thus, the preference shares do not see any price appreciation or depreciation as the equity shares do. Investors do have the option to sell back the preference shares to the company.

- Categories

Another equity shares and preference shares difference come in the form of types. Since equity shares do not have any type, they are normally known as ordinary shares. On the other hand, the different types of Preference Shares include non-participatory or participatory, cumulative or non-cumulative, convertible or non-convertible and so on.

- Cost

The low cost of the equity shares makes them accessible by small investors. On the contrary, the higher price tags on the preference shares make them ideal for medium to large investors.

- Liquidation

In the event of liquidation, the preference shareholders will have the first right to receive any kind of payment after the company’s creditors are paid. While equity shareholders have rights on the assets of the company once all the pending payments are complete.

- Repayment

One of the limitations of equity shares is that a company is not liable to repay the equity shares to its holders, whereas they must repay their preference shareholders.


As discussed in the beginning, equity shares and preference shares are similar yet quite different. Equity shares and preference shares both allow you to own a piece of the company but in various other aspects. So, preference shares are a mix of equity shares and debentures.

The crux of the story is that there are many choices available to invest. However, investing should be done after understanding the instruments and, as per your goals. At IndiaNivesh, we use extensive research to help you achieve your financial goals. Equity investing requires in-depth understanding, analysis, and periodic reviewing. Our team uses one of the best proprietary equity research to make your investment a fruitful one.

 

 


Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.

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What is SIP & How does SIP Investment Work in India?

Posted by Mehul Kothari | Published on 18 Jun 2019

What is SIP?Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is a simple and convenient method for investing in mutual funds. It provides a way of investing a fixed amount of money in any particular scheme of mutual fund at a pre-defined regular interval of time. If you still wonder what is SIP or what is sip in mutual fund; it can be simply explained as a planned tool for investment in which a particular amount is deducted from the account of the investor and is invested in the mutual fund scheme chosen by the investor. The time interval at which the money is being invested in the mutual funds can be daily, monthly, quarterly or half-yearly.Among the mutual fund investors, SIP has become very popular gradually because of the investing discipline it instills in an investor. Moreover, you do not need to worry about the volatility in the market and the timing the market when you are investing through SIP mode. You can make an easy entry into the investment market by starting a SIP. It is always advisable to start your SIP investment at an early age to reap the benefit of power of compounding. Perks of SIPNow that you know what is SIP or what is SIP in mutual fund, let us have a look at the few perks of an SIP investment. Rupee Cost Averaging This is one of the best features of SIP investment. SIP is a “way” of investing in a mutual fund in a disciplined manner such that irrespective of the market situation, one keeps investing a particular amount of money at a predefined date. So, if the market is high, you would get lesser number of units and vice versa. In this way, you eliminate the concept of timing the market and keep investing irrespective of the market situation. Thus, the average cost of investing becomes lower than bulk investing at any point in time, because you invest when the market is high as well as low and thus the average cost of units gets spread over time. This helps in smoothening out the short-term fluctuations in the market for the portfolio. Power of compounding If you continue your SIP investment for a longer period, you will start earning returns on the returns of your investments. This can help you accumulate a healthy corpus over the long term Time- saving investment option SIP investment is a time- saving option and if you are choosing to carry out all the procedure online, it is even more time saving and convenient. Stress- free Since the market fluctuations do not hamper SIP investment it is a stress- free option for the investors. Flexible and affordable SIP is a flexible and affordable investment option as the minimum amount to start a SIP is Rs.500 and you can go on increasing your investment as your income increases with time. Also, there are no charges for starting or stopping a SIP investment. Now since we have discussed in length about what is sip investment, let’s take a real-life example to see how SIP can be used to achieve different financial goals: Rohit, a 33-year-old software engineer by profession who lives with his wife and a son. The two most important goals for Rohit are: to save for his son’s higher education and retirement. Rohit has been investing in conventional products like Bank Fixed Deposits in order to achieve these financial goals. But somehow, Rohit realized that his earnings from the FDs may not be enough for him to achieve his financial goals. The major cause of this shortfall is inflation. The real return he gets on his investments after deducting the inflation rate is very low. So, what should be Rohit’s approach in order to get high returns but without being affected by the fluctuations in the market? One of the good options here is to invest in an equity mutual fund through a SIP. This will help him in achieving his long-term financial goals and will also induce financial discipline into his life. Now, let us have a look at how does mutual fund SIP work and how does SIP work in India. How does SIP work? As said earlier, SIP functions on the principle of regular investments. Now the question arises how does SIP work in India? By starting a SIP, you are investing a defined quantity of money into mutual funds at pre-defined intervals. Your savings account will be debited with that particular amount of money for your SIP on your instruction. After the payment of the SIP is done, the AMC, Asset Management Company or the Mutual Fund house shall assign you with a particular number of units from the selected mutual fund scheme of yours. This assignment of units depends on the NAV or the Net Asset Value for that particular day of the scheme which you have chosen. As you go on paying the installment amount for SIP, you go on adding more units of your scheme. When the market fluctuates, i.e. when the market is up you get less units for your money paid for SIP whereas more amounts of units can be purchased when the market is down. A major feature of SIP is rupee cost averaging. With help of a SIP, you can lower down your investment’s average cost and risk reduction for your investment can be possible by wisely spreading the price of your purchase over time. How to start SIP investment? We have answered what is SIP and what is SIP investment. But, before you actually start investing in SIP, you need to ascertain important things like your financial goals, tenure of your investment, your risk appetite, etc. First, you have to decide about your long-term financial goals. The next important step is to decide on the timeline i.e. by when you would need money to achieve these goals. This timeline once decided will be the tenure for which you will be investing in a SIP. Then, the next vital step is to decide on the amount of money to be invested. You can use a SIP calculator available online to find out the amount of money you need to invest regularly to achieve your goals. Finally, when the amount and tenure are all decided, you can go ahead and consult financial experts to know about the various mutual fund schemes available and choose an appropriate one for you. In the next step, you need to submit your KYC. If the online method of submission is being selected then you can submit the details digitally as well. Mandatory documents like PAN card, address proof, and an identity proof need to be submitted along with the KYC (Know your Client) form. Post this, you will have to complete the IPV procedure i.e. In-person verification. You can again do this in two ways i.e. by visiting the office and submitting the necessary documents or by attending a video conference call using a webcam. This is a part of the KYC process for authentication. Once your KYC is complete, you need to submit the mutual fund application form along with the cheque of your investment amount and the SIP form at the nearest office of a mutual fund house, distributor or an agent. Moreover, you can start your own SIP online as well. You can get details on all plans and schemes on websites like IndiaNivesh and you can easily start the SIP online, provided your KYC is already done. Else, it needs to be completed first, before starting to invest. SIP is a great and extremely convenient way to start investments in mutual funds. Once you completely understand the basics, you can easily realize your different financial goals with help of SIPs.     Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.

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Liquid Funds – Best Liquid Funds to Invest in 2019

Posted by Mehul Kothari | Published on 20 Jun 2019

‘Are mutual funds meant only for long term equity investing? Or Where should I invest my money for secure and steady returns?’These are a few questions that many investors seek answers to. A quick search online for the right fund to invest can make things a bit worse. The presence of numerous categories and funds to choose from can be overwhelming for new investors or sometimes even the seasoned ones. So where should you invest for the short haul? Have you heard about Investing in Liquid Funds? What are they?Liquid funds are open-ended mutual fund schemes that invest in debt market instruments with maturities up to 90 days. Liquid funds are usually associated with lower risks and thus deliver relatively safer returns. Liquid funds primarily invest in instruments such as Treasury bills, commercial papers, government securities and so on.Liquid funds India has a slightly different NAV calculation structure when compared with other mutual funds. The NAV or the net asset value of liquid funds is calculated for 365 days at the same time. Unlike other debt funds where the NAV is calculated at the end of a business day. There is no lock-in period in liquid funds.As is the case with any other mutual funds, you can place a request to redeem NAVs of liquid funds at any point in time. The order to redeem the units will be placed by 2 pm on the current day or the next business day if you miss the time slot. In such cases, the NAV for the previous business day would be considered.Why you should invest in liquid funds?Liquid funds have one of the lowest risks associated as compared to other mutual fund schemes. This makes them ideal for investors who are not willing to take a lot of risks on their investments. And unlike some other funds, liquid funds do not have any exit loads.Even if you invest in the best liquid funds, you may not receive returns like the equity mutual funds. Instead, you will receive a steady stream of income without taking many risks. Liquid funds are ideal for individuals who have some spare cash and are looking for a way to park it.Redemption of mutual fund NAVs usually takes 24 hours to process. If you were to place an order to redeem your units, the earliest it would be done is the next business day. The best performing liquid funds can offer returns anywhere between 6% - 8%, which is much higher than the standard interest rates that banks offer. The low-risk factor along with comparatively handsome returns is what makes liquid funds an interesting proposition. Liquid funds in IndiaAs an investor, you must carry out your due diligence before investing in any mutual fund for that matter. The following are some of the parameters that you must consider before investing in liquid funds.- Fund ObjectivesMost of the instruments that are a part of liquid funds mature within 60 to 90 days. This ensures that there isn’t much fluctuation when it comes to the NAVs. This also prevents major variations in the NAVs. If a rating agency down rates a company, the NAV of even the best liquid funds can take a beating. Though they are not risk-averse, when compared to other mutual funds, you can rely on their stability.- Potential returnsKnowing the kind of returns that you can expect will help you decide with more conviction whether you want to invest in liquid funds India or not. When you consider historic data, liquid funds are known to return between 6% - 8% annually. Now if you look at the interest rates on offer by banks (on an average 4% annually) the liquid funds perform quite well. Though one cannot guarantee returns in mutual funds, in most cases you will be able to redeem your units in the green.How should one evaluate liquid funds?It should not come as a surprise that you would need to do some background work to get your hands on the best performing liquid funds. The following parameters should help you zero down on the top performing liquid funds.- Fund expense ratioMutual funds also require administrative work to be completed in the background. Asset management companies usually charge them via expense ratios. In other words, it shows the operating efficiency of a fund. A lower expense ratio ensures that you will walk away with a higher return percentage.- Returns of the fundIt must be noted that the past performance of even the top performing liquid funds is in no way an indication of the future returns. However, looking into history will help you better assess a fund. Top 8 Liquid funds for 2019The following is a list of the best liquid funds to invest in 2019. Here is a glimpse of the funds and their details briefly. The above list contains some of the best liquid funds 2019 has on offer. You can consider the above funds and take a final call on which fund suits your investment profile. ConclusionThere are a few strong reasons why liquid funds have garnered so much interest in recent years and a place in the portfolio of various investors. Their shorter maturity dates ensure that fund managers are not in a constant tussle to manage redemptions.If you are considering parking your money for a short period, then just take a pick from the best liquid funds. It would offer you stable returns while allowing you to forget about the fund, until any short-term goal demands your attention. The low risk and steady returns make liquid funds, an ideal investment for short to mid-term goals. Investors who have been in the habit of investing in fixed deposits and savings accounts will find the best liquid funds an interesting option to invest in. If you were to receive any dividends on these funds, you need not worry about taxes, since they are tax-free in your hands. To sum up, if you are someone who wants to make their money work hard, then you should definitely not let go of the Liquid Fund option. Our team at IndiaNivesh constantly encourages customers to take advantage of this instrument. Our expert yet friendly team can hand-hold you to getting started and suggest you the best liquid funds to consider.Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.

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  • What is a Unit Linked Insurance Plan, Types & Benefits
    Posted by Rushabh H. Mehta | Published on 06 Mar 2020

    What is ULIP? Insurance plans are meant to provide financial security to you so that in case of premature demise, your family does not face any financial trouble. Though insurance plans provide unmatched financial security, many individuals also seek good investment returns on their premiums. Keeping this sentiment in mind, ULIPs were launched in the year 2000 when private life insurers were also allowed to operate in the insurance domain. Today, ULIPs have become quite popular, and insurance companies are offering different types of ULIPs to their customers. Let’s understand ULIP meaning in detail and its benefits – What is a ULIP plan? ULIP’s full form is Unit Linked Insurance Plan. A ULIP is an investment-oriented life insurance plan. The plan gives you the dual benefits of investment returns and insurance coverage. The premiums that you pay for the plan are invested in market-linked investment funds, which offer attractive growth. Returns under ULIPs are, therefore, not guaranteed but can be attractive if given time. How do ULIPs work? ULIPs are considered to be a transparent insurance plan as the premiums you pay, and the growth can be easily monitored. When you buy a ULIP, you can decide the amount of premium you wish to pay (provided it is at least the minimum required premium under the plan). The sum assured is then calculated based on the amount of premium paid. ULIPs have different kinds of investment funds which include the following – Equity fund wherein at least 65% of the portfolio is invested in equity-oriented securities Debt fund wherein at least 65% of the portfolio is invested in debt-oriented securities Balanced fund which combines both equity and debt investments for moderate risks and moderate returns You can choose one or more of these investment funds as per your risk appetite. After that, relevant charges are deducted from the premium, and the premium is directed towards the selected fund. As the value of the underlying assets grows, the value of the fund grows. Your investment in the fund also grows, and you get market-linked returns. ULIPs also provide you with various flexible benefits which are as follows – Switching – under switching, you can change the investment funds if your investment preference has changed Partial withdrawal – you are allowed the flexibility of withdrawing from your fund value partially after the first five years of the policy have expired Top-ups – additional investments can be done towards the plan through top-up premiums Premium redirection – you can choose to redirect your subsequent premiums to another fund from the next policy year under this facility Surrender of the plan – if the first five years of the policy have been completed, you can surrender your policy to terminate the coverage before the chosen term. When the policy is surrendered, the available fund value is paid as surrender value, and the plan is terminated. Benefits payable under ULIPs Under most unit-linked plans, you get either a death benefit or a maturity benefit. These benefits are as follows – Death benefit – the death benefit is higher of the available fund value as on the date of death or the sum assured. If the fund value is higher than the sum assured, the fund value is paid otherwise, the sum assured is paid. Maturity benefit – when the term of the plan comes to an end, the fund value is paid as maturity benefit. The maturity benefit can be taken in a lump sum, or you can also avail the benefit in instalments over the next five years through the settlement option feature, which is available under most unit-linked plans. Types of ULIPs Though ULIPs are aimed at creating wealth, there are different types of ULIPs based on the financial goal that they fulfil. These types include the following – Investment ULIPs Investment ULIPs are the most common unit-linked plans which aim to create wealth over the term of the policy. Child ULIPs Child ULIPs are especially designed unit-linked plans for the financial security of the child if the parent is not around. Under these plans, the parent is insured while the child is the beneficiary. These plans have an inbuilt premium waiver rider. If the parent dies during the policy tenure, the death benefit is paid. However, the plan does not terminate. The policy continues, and future premiums are paid by the company on behalf of the insured parent. On maturity of the policy, the fund value is again paid as the maturity benefit which provides the child with the financial corpus needed to pursue his/her dreams. Pension ULIPs These are other specific unit-linked plans which help in creating a retirement fund. Pension ULIPs are deferred annuity plans wherein you pay premiums during the policy tenure to build up a retirement corpus. In case of death, the death benefit is paid. However, if the policy matures, pension ULIPs allow you to receive annuity pay-outs from the corpus created or defer the vesting age from which you would receive an annuity, or withdraw 1/3rd of the corpus in cash and use the remaining fund value to receive annuity payments. Thus, pension ULIPs create a source of income after retirement and are suitable for individuals looking to fulfil their retirement planning needs. Benefits of ULIP A ULIP is popular because of the following benefits it provides – It allows you to avail insurance coverage as well as investment returns in a single product The premiums paid and the benefits received under ULIPs are completely tax-free in nature helping you save tax The flexible benefits of ULIPs allow you to manage your investments as per your investment strategy The different types of ULIPs help you fulfil the various financial goals that you might have Switching and partial withdrawals do not attract any tax making ULIPs tax efficient Since the returns are market-linked, you get inflation-adjusted returns from ULIP ULIPs are attractive insurance policies that give you coverage as well as returns. Now that you understand ULIP meaning, its types and advantages, use our IndiaNivesh platform to invest in a plan as per your insurance and investment needs and enjoy all the benefits that the plan has to offer.   Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.

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  • What is CAGR & How to Calculate it?
    Posted by Rushabh H. Mehta | Published on 06 Mar 2020

    There are different types of investment avenues in the market and each of these avenues promises you a compounded rate of growth if you remain invested. Compounding of return means earning a return on the return earlier generated. So, if you invest INR 100 and earn a return of 10% in the first year, the amount would become INR 110. Thereafter, in the second year, you would earn 10% on INR 110 giving you a return of INR 11. This compounding helps grow and multiply your wealth considerably over a period of time. In the case of market-linked investments, the rate of return is not guaranteed. It varies over the investment period. To know the average rate of return on your investments, the concept of CAGR is used. Let’s understand what CAGR is and how it helps you find the growth of your market-linked investments. What is CAGR? CAGR’s full-form is Compound Annual Growth Rate. The Compound Annual Growth Rate, in simple terms, is the average rate of return of an investment over a one year period. CAGR takes into account two important factors - the time period of the investment and the fluctuations in the return. Since the returns vary depending on the market fluctuation, finding the return over a specific time period becomes difficult. CAGR gives you the average growth rate offered by the investment over the said time period. CAGR shows the approximate growth rate considering that there is no market fluctuation and that the returns earned are reinvested into the investment. How to calculate CAGR? It is very easy to calculate CAGR. There is a CAGR formula which you can use to find the Compound Annual Growth Rate of your investment. The CAGR formula needs three important details which are as follows – Value of the investment made initially (VI) Term of investment (T) Value of the investment at the end of the term (VE) Using these three inputs, the CAGR formula becomes – CAGR = (VE / VI) ^ (1/T) – 1 Let’s understand with an example – Mr. A invested INR 10,000 in a market-linked investment avenue. After 3 years, the value of his investments stands at INR 13,500. The CAGR for Mr.A’s investment could be calculated as below – VI – INR 10,000 T = 3 years VE = INR 13,500 CAGR = (13500/10000) ^ (1/3) – 1 = 10.52% How CAGR helps understand the mutual fund growth rate? Mutual funds are market-linked investment avenues which do not offer a guaranteed rate of return. Since the returns are subject to market fluctuations, CAGR becomes an accurate tool to measure the performance of the fund over a specified period. Investors can check the annual CAGR of mutual fund schemes and use the rate to find out which scheme offers better returns than others. The fact sheet offered by the mutual fund house contains returns generated by the fund over different time frames. These returns can prove to be confusing and so CAGR is an easier alternative to understand the performance of the fund. CAGR acts as a ready reckoner for investors to assess returns from a mutual fund scheme and also highlights the compounding of returns on mutual fund investments. Important points to know about CAGR The investment risk inherent in the scheme is not highlighted by CAGR. CAGR is merely a yardstick to measure the growth rate CAGR proves to be a good measure of growth for a short-term period, i.e. up to 6 or 7 years. If you are considering long-term investments, the growth trends over a short-term period would be averaged out. In such cases, CAGR would give an average rate even if the fund performed excessively well in a two or three year period and then the returns fell in later years. CAGR changes every year since the investment period changes CAGR for two investment funds can match one another even if the funds are different. This might happen if one fund performed well initially and the other one performed well in the last few years. As a result, the performance is averaged out and the CAGR Other modes of calculating returns from investments Besides CAGR, there are other ways to calculate the returns generated by market-linked investments. These ways are as follows – Returns since launch Under this model, the return earned by the fund ever since it was launched and till the present date is calculated. Trailing returns Under the trailing returns approach, you measure the performance of your fund daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or annually. Annualised returns Annualised returns are calculated as the geometric average of the return yielded by the fund over a given period of time. CAGR v/s Absolute returns Absolute returns measure the total return yielded by an investment. The time period is not considered. CAGR, on the other hand, measures the return over a specific time period. For instance, in the previous example, INR 10,000 grew to INR 13,500 over a 3-year period. The absolute return would be 35% since it measures the total return earned on the investment. However, when CAGR is considered, the time period of investments is also taken into consideration thereby considering the time value of money. As such, CAGR comes to 10.52% which is a more realistic figure. While absolute returns show the returns generated, the time period is missing. You cannot figure out how many years it took the investment to generate this return. But CAGR shows you the annual return making it easier to make a judgement on the performance of the fund. The next time you invest in mutual funds, stocks or other market-linked investment avenues, consider their CAGR to choose the fund or investment which has better returns over its peers. So, visit IndiaNivesh and find out a mutual fund scheme of your choice and then compare the scheme’s CAGR with its peers to choose the best performing fund.   Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing. 

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  • Capital Market – Meaning, Types & Functions of Capital Market
    Posted by Mehul Kothari | Published on 20 Nov 2019

    We all know how various companies and industries raise funds for their short term requirement through the money market. However, when they need funds for long term, capital market is their source. The capital market is just like the money market but with a difference that funds raised in the capital market can be used only for long term. In this article, you will learn about the concept of capital market in detail. Let us first understand what is the capital market? Understanding Capital Market Capital market in simple words means the market for long term investments. These investments have a lock-in period of more than one year. Here, the buyers and sellers transact in capital market instruments like bonds, debt instruments, debentures, shares, derivative market instruments like swaps, ETFs, futures, options, etc. Let us now understand the types of capital market. Types of Capital Market The capital market is of two types i.e. Primary Market and Secondary Market. Primary Market The primary market is also called “New Issue Market” where a company brings Initial Public Offer (IPO) to get itself listed on the stock exchange for the first time. In the primary market, the mobilisation of funds is done through right issue, private placement and prospectus. The funds collected by the company in the IPO is used for its future expansion and growth. Primary markets help the investors to put their savings into companies that are looking to expand their enterprises.  Secondary Market The secondary market is a type of capital market where the securities that are already listed on the exchange are traded. The trading done on the stock exchange and over the counter falls under the secondary market. Examples of secondary markets in India are National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). After learning about the types of capital market, let us now learn about the capital market instruments through which money is raised. Ways of Raising Funds Offer through Prospectus In the primary market, the prospectus is used to raise funds. The company invites the investors and the general public through an advertisement known as the prospectus to subscribe to the shares of the company. The shares or debentures are allotted to the public on the basis of subscription. If the company receives a high subscription then allotment is done to them on pro-rata basis. The company hires merchant bankers, brokers or underwriters to sell the shares to the public.  Private Placement Some companies try to avoid the IPO route to raise funds as it is very costly. Instead, they give investment opportunity to few individuals via private placement. Here the companies can offer their shares for sale to select individuals, financial institutions, insurance companies and banks. This way they can raise funds quickly and economically. Rights Issue The structure of capital market allows the companies in need of additional funds to first approach their current investors before looking at the other sources for finance. The right issue gives the current investors the first opportunity to make additional investments in the company. The allotment of right shares is done on pro-rata basis. However, if the current shareholders of the company do not want to exercise their rights, the shares can be offered to the public. e-IPO e-IPO means Electronic Initial Public Offer. e-IPO is an agreement between the stock exchange and the company to offer its shares to the public through online mode. It is a fast and speedy process. The company here needs to appoint registrar to the issue and brokers to accept the application received from the public. The above mentioned are the ways of raising funds through the capital market. Let us now learn about the various functions of the capital market. Functions of the Capital Market Helps in the movement of capital from the people who save money to the people who are in need of it. Assists in the financing of long term projects of the companies. Encourages investors to own the range of productive assets. Minimises the transaction cost. Helps in the faster valuation of financial securities like debentures and shares. Creates liquidity in the market by facilitating the trading of securities in the secondary market. Offers cover against price or market risks through the trading of derivative instruments. Helps in efficient capital allocation by way of competitive price mechanism. Helps in liquidity creation and regulation of funds. The above mentioned are the functions of the capital market. The capital market performs its functions with the help of buyers and sellers who interact and transact. The structure of the Indian capital market is well regulated and highly organised. The capital markets may be sometimes termed risky because they do not give fixed returns annually. But when looked from a long term perspective, their performance has always been good and rewarding for the investors. If you want to learn more about the capital market or put your savings in the capital market, you can contact IndiaNivesh Ltd.Disclaimer: "Investment in securities market and Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing."

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