Finance as a Career

Finance has been one of the most preferred options for candidates pursuing MBA from top business schools worldwide. The finance field has been glamorized by the high pay packages given for the investment banking and other such profiles at B Schools. Due to this, many MBA aspirants these days expect to take finance as a major, only to know that it is not what they had expected it to be. This post tries to give a basic understanding to the amateur about what Finance exactly is and the various career options available.

What is Finance?

Wikipedia defines Finance simply as the management of Money or funds. If it is the funds of individuals, it becomes personal finance. Fund management of Corporates is corporate finance and for public institutions, it is public finance. Finance is one of the most important aspects of business management and it includes decisions related to use and acquisition of funds for the enterprise. It involves managing the financial risk return match for any entity.

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RBI Monetary Policy Review Jan 24th 2012

Facts:

• CRR: 6% -> 5.5% (w.e.f. 28-1-2012)

• CRR cut will infuse Rs. 32,000 Cr liquidity in system

• Repo rate: 8.5% (unchanged)

• FY12 Growth projections revised from 7.6% to 7%

• Food inflation has come in control

Current policy stance is the result of contracting growth, fiscal fear and expected easing off of inflation in December.

RBI now identified that even after its anti-inflationary stance of increasing repo rates the inflation has not come in their comfort levels; it has now taken a route of adding liquidity action by cutting down the CRR from 6% to 5.5% as it saw that their prior steps curbed the growth of the country. This was expected and it will bring in good liquidity for banks and in turn in the economy. Some believe that RBI has done this with a view that Banks will be able to meet their Basel III standard’s tier I capital. So, its in favor of Banking sector.

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Rural Insurance in India the untapped waters

The real source of marketing promise is not wealthy few in the developing world, or even the emerging middle income consumers. It is the billions of aspiring poor who are joining the market economy for the first time.

                                                                                                                                            ---C.K.Prahlad

Rural India is where the next ‘big’ opportunity is. Indian rural market constitutes approximately 72% of total Indian population even as of date. The diverse customers spread through 638,635 villages across the states and union territories of India present a great untapped opportunity. More than half of the Indian population residing in these areas has seasonal income while the other part of the population draws irregular income.

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Food Inflation a historical perspective

 Food inflation has been a major issue for quite some time. India, post-independence, has witnessed food prices spiking in almost every decade. Food inflation was high in 1970s and early 1980s.  Due to severe drought conditions in 1987, it lasted for a year and half. The issues were addressed and inflation was minimal in 90s and early 2000s.It was thought that food inflation is a thing of past. But of late, in 2007, food prices rose drastically. This was thought to be due to increase in food prices in the global markets. But in 2008, the food prices in India did not plummet even after a drop in food prices globally. In 2009 weak monsoons played a spoil sport. Though 2010 and 2011 were good monsoon years, there was no respite. “Is food inflation going to be persistent?” is the question that flashes in one’s mind.

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RUSSIA: The Most Volatile Country amongst BRIC’s

Volatility is an inherent part of any stock market. An increase in the volatility causes the risk involved in the investment to rise and consequently the investors shift their funds to other less risky financial assets.

Post 2008 crisis, while there was a recovery in the equities market in 2009-10, 2011 again has been a disappointment. In 2011, Stock Markets across the world have been under pressure due to global factors such as downgrading of the U.S. economy, fears of recession in the developed countries and the Euro zone Sovereign Debt Crisis. Apart from the global factors, the “SENSEX” - leading stock market indicator of the Indian Economy, has been under pressure due to domestic factors such as Scams (2G and Mining), sharp rise in the prices of commodities(gold and silver), high rate of inflation and the tight monetary policy of RBI.

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Yet another quiz by FINATIX

A Quiz was conducted by Mehul Bardia, Ravi Chandra and Sushuma Namasani, (FINATIX members) on 9th January, 2012  for all the students of Indian Institute of Management Raipur.
The topics covered in the quiz are as diverse as

• Accounting
• Banking & Finance
• Foreign Exchange Market
• General Business
• Investment Management
• International Finance
• Macroeconomics
• Stock Market

Team FINATIX  is pleased to announce the winners of the competition “Harish Dasa and Jagadeesh” of “Quasar” House from the batch PGP 2011-13.

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