Skip to main content

You must know the risks before making investment call

 

Equity investments are fraught with various forms of risks. To be successful, an investor must identify these risks and understand their implication


   TWO planes colliding into two towers half-way across the world brought down financial markets all across the world. A fortnight-long dry spell is enough for share prices of some companies to tank. Markets are meant to react to external events. Some traders make a killing by betting on such events, but a majority of retail investors emerge losers.


   Equities, by their very nature, are susceptible to all kinds of risks. The reaction of the domestic market to the financial crisis in Greece is the most recent instance of how globalisation has increased linkages between Indian and overseas markets even if there is no direct connection between the economies.


   Broadly, investors have to contend with two sets of risks — one pertaining to the markets or systemic risk, and the other specific to the company. Here is a look at how the risks impact returns and how to handle them.

Market Risks

You cannot ignore market risks while building a portfolio. There are instances, where all the company specific factors are in place but the price is not right, making it a risky bet. During a market rally, a boom phase creates a situation where an investor buys shares at a price far higher than what the company is worth. In a downturn it is the other way round where irrespective of a company's performance the price declines. Price volatility arising out of broad market movements is attributable to systematic risk. There is no one solution to this risk and diversification does not help. If you can keep your calm and pick stocks at lower levels then you are likely to face limited loss when the markets fall, as there is enough margin of safety. Some investors prefer to buy put options if they are worried about market health and have a huge portfolio.

Management Risk

Lending money to a dishonest person brings with it the risk that he may default. The same holds true for dishonest managements. There are instances where companies keep coming out with announcements of new projects followed by pump and dump operations. Despite the regulatory crackdown, investors lose their money as they are forced to exit at near-zero value. It makes sense to ask about those you are getting into business with. Track record of the management is a must check point. It makes sense to let go an opportunity from an unknown entity and instead invest in well-managed company with a good investor-friendly track record.

Business Environment

This comprises economic environment and regulatory framework. Corporate earnings grow along with the growth in the real economy. It makes sense to keep a track of the growth in real economy. But if the regulators decide to change the rules of the game, such changes could impact the fortunes of companies. Especially in highly-regulated businesses it is imperative that you keep a track of regulatory changes, as it may have its repercussions on margins and volumes.


Risks Related To Business Models


Not all companies in a sector work in the same manner. They may have focus on certain markets, certain geographies and certain customers. A pharmaceutical company engaged in contract manufacturing will have different risk-reward than that of a research driven company.


   To gauge the possible impact of any variable on a company's earnings, investors must have a good understanding of the business model of a company. This can be acquired by visiting company website and reading annual report of the company. If you are bullish about a sector, it makes sense to diversify your holding across business models within that sector to ensure that there is less risk involved in a concentrated portfolio.

Gearing Risks

In a rising interest scenario, a company with high level of debt faces increased risks. As the interest rates rise, the interest burden also increases, taking its toll on the bottom line and adversely impacts shareholder returns. The worst scenario happens if the existing debt of the company matures in times of credit crunch, leading to terrible situation for the company.


   It makes sense to go for companies with net positive cash flows. One can also look at zero debt or nominal debt companies. If you are keen to go for a debt ridden company, ensure that the valuations are really low to ensure that you have some margin to fall back.

Geo-Political Risks

Though the companies you invest are listed on Indian stock exchanges, they need not earn all their revenue in India. There are many companies that earn their revenue overseas. It is better to understand the geo-political framework of the countries. Especially in countries where democratic governments do not exist the risk is high. Recent issue of volcanic ash in European skies grounded airline shares. This underlined the risk associated with such 'low probability high impact' black swan events. Diversification is the only way out here. It makes sense to have some meaning full diversification by investing in markets sharing low correlation with each other.

Foreign Exchange Risks

Companies earning their revenue or paying for their raw materials in foreign currency run the risk of fluctuations in foreign exchange. At a time when the global markets are turning more integrated, it is imperative to have a close look at the foreign exchange movements. A weak local currency is helpful for an exporting company, but makes the life miserable for a company that imports its raw material but cannot Risks associated with equity markets. The only solution to this problem is to identify earning's sensitivity at various level of cross currency rates and accordingly take positions, other things remaining the same.


   The reward of investing in stocks depends on how well you steer clear of risks or manage the risks that you really cannot avoid. If you find it difficult, you will be better off allowing entities such as mutual funds to manage your money.

 


Popular posts from this blog

Am you Required to E-file Tax Return?

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Buy Gold Mutual Funds Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300   Am I Required to 'E-file' My Return? Yes, under the law you are required to e-file your return if your income for the year is Rs. 500,000 or more. Even if you are not required to e-file your return, it is advisable to do so for the following benefits: i) E-filing is environment friendly. ii) E-filing ensures certain validations before the return is filed. Therefore, e-returns are more accurate than the paper returns. iii) E-returns are processed faster than the paper returns. iv) E-filing can be done from the comfort of home/office and you do not have to stand in queue to e-file. v) E-returns can be accessed anytime from the tax department's e-filing portal. For further information contact Prajna Capit...

IDFC - Long term infrastructure bonds - Tranche 2

IDFC - Long term infrastructure bonds What are infrastructure bonds? In 2010, the government introduced a new section 80CCF under the Income Tax Act, 1961 (" Income Tax Act ") to provide for income tax deductions for subscription to long-term infrastructure bonds and pursuant to that the Central Board of Direct Taxes passed Notification No. 48/2010/F.No.149/84/2010-SO(TPL) dated July 9, 2010. These long term infrastructure bonds offer an additional window of tax deduction of investments up to Rs. 20,000 for the financial year 2010-11. This deduction is over and above the Rs 1 lakh deduction available under sections 80C, 80CCC and 80CCD read with section 80CCE of the Income Tax Act. Infrastructure bonds help in intermediating the retail investor's savings into infrastructure sector directly. Long term infrastructure Bonds by IDFC IDFC issued an earlier tranche of these long term infrastructure bonds on November 12, 2010. This is the second public issue of long-te...

Section 80CCD

Top SIP Funds Online   Income tax deduction under section 80CCD Under Income Tax, TaxPayers have the benefit of claiming several deductions. Out of the deduction avenues, Section 80CCD provides t axpayer deductions against investments made in specific sector s. Under Section 80CCD, an assessee is eligible to claim deductions against the contributions made to the National Pension Scheme or Atal Pension Yojana. Contributions made by an employer to National Pension Scheme are also eligible for deductions under the provisions of Section 80 CCD. In this article, we will take a look at the primary features of this section, the terms and conditions for claiming deductions, the eligibility to claim such deductions, and some of the commonly asked questions in this regard. There are two parts of Section 80CCD. Subsection 1 of this section refers to tax deductions for all assesses who are central government or state government employees, or self-employed or employed by any other employers. In...

ULIP Review: ProGrowth Super II

  If you are interested in a death cover that's just big enough, HDFC SL ProGrowth Super II is something worth a try. The beauty is it has something for everybody — you name the risk profile, the category is right up there. But do a SWOT analysis of the basket, and the gloss fades     HDFC SL ProGrowth Super II is a type-II unit-linked insurance plan ( ULIP ). Launched in September 2010, this is a small ticket-size scheme with multiple rider options and adequate death cover. It offers five investment options (funds) — one in each category of large-cap equity, mid-cap equity, balanced, debt and money market fund. COST STRUCTURE: ProGrowth Super II is reasonably priced, with the premium allocation charge lower than most others in the category. However, the scheme's mortality charge is almost 60% that of LIC mortality table for those investing early in life. This charge reduces with age. BENEFITS: Investors can choose a sum assured between 10-40 times the annualised premium...

EPFO can pay 8.5% interest in 2009-10

THE Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation can comfortably offer 8.5% interest rate to its 4.41 crore depositors during 2009-10 and still record a surplus contrary to Rs 139-crore losses suffered by it for giving the same benefit during the current fiscal. The issue of return to the depositors would be discussed at a meeting of the ‘finance and investment committee’ (FIC) on Thursday, agenda for which lists that maintaining an 8.5% interest could still give the fund a surplus of Rs 6.4 crore on the investment made by the fund. If EPFO maintains the interest rate of 8.5% on PF deposits, there will be a surplus of Rs 6.4 crore at an estimated income of Rs 12,994 crore in 2009-10. In case the interest is raised to 8.75%, the fund would suffer a loss of Rs 366.77 crore and the deficit would be still higher at Rs 739.94 crore if the rate of interest is fixed at 9%. FIC gives recommendations on financial matters to the apex EPFO body Central Board of Trustees (CBT), which takes the final ...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now