Seldom we see steepish shifts in careers. I have heard that peole who get them have made it to great heights (cross-fingered:-)). So far my experience shares the same view, that any steep shift is great and works simple because, "Fortune favors the brave".
Being an chemical engg (academically) i started my career with chemical industry and some months later, Ahoy !! got an opportunity to work as brand manager with a financial services company (steep shift)(dont think how i got it, im still amused).
But, i took this opportunity and plunged. Years later, i was working with huge asset management company and then, investment banker(wealth managment dept) in a similar capacity. You see, all the odd bets that i took of leaving chemical industrty paid off well. Now this time around (again a steepish shift)i am getting an opportunity to work with a big inter-dealer broker (What ??) B2B segment. propably closer route to IB. So this time it is Equity ==>> debt and from Retail ==>> Corporate and far fetched Marketing & Branding ==>> Broker.
Lets see how it works out. I am sure destiny has got something bigger for me.
Signing off from equity, marketing & retail.
Keeping my fingers crossed
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, November 16, 2009
2012
Every now and then we come across the term - "2012". And now a movie. I have my own opinion of interpreting on 2012. But before i jump to my opinion let me take you through various other theories.
- Mayan calendar: Mayan, basically a culture or say civilization that existed in south america and is evident in houduras, guatmela, el salvador. Mayans were intelligent lot and involved language, mathematics and astronomy in their in their evolution to highly civilized breed. Acording to the calendar developed by mayan the last date in their calendar is DEC 2012. Now, because they had last date or year as 2012, certain sect has drawn conclusion that it is the end of the world.
- NASA prediction: NASA according to its reading and ststistical calculation has derive the year 2012 as the year when there will be high radiations from sun and due to planetary alignment earth will be exposed to high radiation creating tremendous heat and resulting in to catastrophe. Ocean bed rising, earthquake, hurricane etc..
- BIble, Nostradamus and einstein: All three also indicate something big going to happen in 2012.
Now out of all these i believe....all is crap. Lets understand that everything around us has changed, is changing and will always change. The only thing or cult or substance or incident that is constant is change. CHANGE in us, in society, in economies, in ocean, in bateria, in mammals, in plants, in molecule, in landmass in air, in esther everything changes. Just everything...Yes i do agree that for a long time some major reshuffling of earth is pending whch may result in emergence of new land mass and submergence of landmass due to oceanic movements, we might see some volcanoes becoming active, earthquake but we need to understand these all are cycles changes happening just like us. iam ready for these changes....
- Mayan calendar: Mayan, basically a culture or say civilization that existed in south america and is evident in houduras, guatmela, el salvador. Mayans were intelligent lot and involved language, mathematics and astronomy in their in their evolution to highly civilized breed. Acording to the calendar developed by mayan the last date in their calendar is DEC 2012. Now, because they had last date or year as 2012, certain sect has drawn conclusion that it is the end of the world.
- NASA prediction: NASA according to its reading and ststistical calculation has derive the year 2012 as the year when there will be high radiations from sun and due to planetary alignment earth will be exposed to high radiation creating tremendous heat and resulting in to catastrophe. Ocean bed rising, earthquake, hurricane etc..
- BIble, Nostradamus and einstein: All three also indicate something big going to happen in 2012.
Now out of all these i believe....all is crap. Lets understand that everything around us has changed, is changing and will always change. The only thing or cult or substance or incident that is constant is change. CHANGE in us, in society, in economies, in ocean, in bateria, in mammals, in plants, in molecule, in landmass in air, in esther everything changes. Just everything...Yes i do agree that for a long time some major reshuffling of earth is pending whch may result in emergence of new land mass and submergence of landmass due to oceanic movements, we might see some volcanoes becoming active, earthquake but we need to understand these all are cycles changes happening just like us. iam ready for these changes....
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Media Buyers will slowly fade out
It is quite often that the budget has to be trimmed by 8 to 10% before making a media plan or going for media buying. I guess now marketers have better option of enhancing brand visibility or increasing the campaign periodicity with much better rates. Dentsu, has come up with this unique idea (although it was attempted by few others like Madison and exchange4media but failed) of selling the last minute inventory of TV spots and Newspapers. Historically, study suggests that 15% of ad inventory in TV remains unsold. Just like brokers being disintermediated from MF business, Similarly, Media Buying agencies are being disintermediated. Guess Media Buyers have to find alternative source of incomce.
Check this website:
http://www.lastminuteinventory.com/
Check this website:
http://www.lastminuteinventory.com/
Thursday, March 5, 2009
China's every move has some strategic plan. Right from tiananmese square massacre to
China and not Pakistan is a bigger threat to India simply because it does not have enough water.
Unlike India, which has 9.56% of its surface area covered with water, China has just 2.8%. This did not matter in the past. China’s land mass is so huge that, despite its larger population, it has one-sixth the density of people per km compared with India.
But water consumption increases exponentially with industrialization.
Power plants, chemical factories, mining, steel and urban sanitation require huge quantities of water. Hence, China’s water needs have increased dramatically.
That could be one reason why annexing Tibet was crucial to China’s plans. It now controls 1,700km of the Yarlung Zangbo river, the Tibetan part of the Brahmaputra. The remaining 2,900km of the river winds into India through Arunachal Pradesh, and then, through Bangladesh. That, say experts, could be one more reason behind China eyeing parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
More worrisome is the fact that China has already completed feasibility studies for a major hydropower dam at the Tsongpo gorge to generate at least 40,000MW a year, more than twice the output of Three Gorges hydroelectric project. Construction is expected to start this year and the residual waters are expected to be diverted to China’s lands. It would starve India and Bangladesh of their share of the river’s waters.
Moreover, with Left parties winning Nepal’s elections, and China’s proposal last week for no-visa travel between Nepal and China, there are fears that the waters which flow into the Ganga (primarily Kosi), too, may get diverted, because many of India’s northern rivers begin in Nepal. That could parch northern India.
At risk will be India’s agriculture and hydroelectric dams on these rivers. It could revive the saying that the next wars will be fought for water, not land.
C hina—and not Pakistan—is a big- ger threat to India simply because it does not have enough water. Unlike India, which has 9.56% of its surface area covered with water, China has just 2.8%. This did not matter in the past. China’s land mass is so huge that, despite its larger population, it has one-sixth the density of people per km compared with India. But water consumption increases exponentially with industrialization. Power plants, chemical factories, min- ing, steel and urban sanitation require huge quantities of water. Hence, China’s water needs have increased dramatically. That could be one reason why annexing Tibet was crucial to China’s plans. It now controls 1,700km of the Yarlung Zangbo river, the Tibetan part of the Brahmaputra. The remaining 2,900km of the river winds into India through Arunachal Pradesh, and then, through Bangladesh. That, say experts, could be one more reason behind China eyeing parts of Arunachal Pradesh. More worrisome is the fact that China has already completed feasibility studies for a major hydropower dam at the Tsongpo gorge to generate at least 40,000MW a year, more than twice the output of Three Gorges hydroelec- tric project. Construction is expected to start this year and the residual waters are expected to be diverted to China’s lands. It would starve India and Bangla- desh of their share of the river’s waters. Moreover, with Left parties winning Nepal’s elections, and China’s proposal last week for no-visa travel between Nepal and China, there are fears that the waters which flow into the Ganga (primarily Kosi), too, may get diverted, because many of India’s northern rivers begin in Nepal. That could parch north- ern India. At risk will be India’s agriculture and hydroelectric dams on these rivers. It could revive the saying that the next wars will be fought for water, not land.
Unlike India, which has 9.56% of its surface area covered with water, China has just 2.8%. This did not matter in the past. China’s land mass is so huge that, despite its larger population, it has one-sixth the density of people per km compared with India.
But water consumption increases exponentially with industrialization.
Power plants, chemical factories, mining, steel and urban sanitation require huge quantities of water. Hence, China’s water needs have increased dramatically.
That could be one reason why annexing Tibet was crucial to China’s plans. It now controls 1,700km of the Yarlung Zangbo river, the Tibetan part of the Brahmaputra. The remaining 2,900km of the river winds into India through Arunachal Pradesh, and then, through Bangladesh. That, say experts, could be one more reason behind China eyeing parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
More worrisome is the fact that China has already completed feasibility studies for a major hydropower dam at the Tsongpo gorge to generate at least 40,000MW a year, more than twice the output of Three Gorges hydroelectric project. Construction is expected to start this year and the residual waters are expected to be diverted to China’s lands. It would starve India and Bangladesh of their share of the river’s waters.
Moreover, with Left parties winning Nepal’s elections, and China’s proposal last week for no-visa travel between Nepal and China, there are fears that the waters which flow into the Ganga (primarily Kosi), too, may get diverted, because many of India’s northern rivers begin in Nepal. That could parch northern India.
At risk will be India’s agriculture and hydroelectric dams on these rivers. It could revive the saying that the next wars will be fought for water, not land.
C hina—and not Pakistan—is a big- ger threat to India simply because it does not have enough water. Unlike India, which has 9.56% of its surface area covered with water, China has just 2.8%. This did not matter in the past. China’s land mass is so huge that, despite its larger population, it has one-sixth the density of people per km compared with India. But water consumption increases exponentially with industrialization. Power plants, chemical factories, min- ing, steel and urban sanitation require huge quantities of water. Hence, China’s water needs have increased dramatically. That could be one reason why annexing Tibet was crucial to China’s plans. It now controls 1,700km of the Yarlung Zangbo river, the Tibetan part of the Brahmaputra. The remaining 2,900km of the river winds into India through Arunachal Pradesh, and then, through Bangladesh. That, say experts, could be one more reason behind China eyeing parts of Arunachal Pradesh. More worrisome is the fact that China has already completed feasibility studies for a major hydropower dam at the Tsongpo gorge to generate at least 40,000MW a year, more than twice the output of Three Gorges hydroelec- tric project. Construction is expected to start this year and the residual waters are expected to be diverted to China’s lands. It would starve India and Bangla- desh of their share of the river’s waters. Moreover, with Left parties winning Nepal’s elections, and China’s proposal last week for no-visa travel between Nepal and China, there are fears that the waters which flow into the Ganga (primarily Kosi), too, may get diverted, because many of India’s northern rivers begin in Nepal. That could parch north- ern India. At risk will be India’s agriculture and hydroelectric dams on these rivers. It could revive the saying that the next wars will be fought for water, not land.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Where to investment during bear market??
Real life and stock markets seems to be ironic. In real life you are wary of a raging bull. YOu cannot imagine sight of a raging bull. IN stock market, everyody loves a raging bull market. What about bears?? Its an any ones guess that stock markets hate bear. But, is it that bad??. I guess not!!!
Bear Market is where you
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Karma and the Economics
Engineers view III
Lets get back to the basics (Provided the karma basics appeal you. Even if it doesn't, please spare a thought for this post.)
Karma: Reincarnation!! naa, rebirth!!! naa, By karma, i mean what you sow so shall you reap. There is an old saying, " Babool ke beej bo-o gay to aam nahi babool he paongay". Lets draw this analogy of karma with economics or rather i should say lending banks. Long time ago, there was a growth economy. Every thing was hunky-dory lush green clients, apple red yields. Ahoy!! awesome time to make money. Then came the demon greed. Bankers with ample of liquid money started to lend money to clients. There was no harm in doing so cause, that's what their business model is. Money flows in to bank through deposits, savings, other accounts, they in turn lends money at higher interest rates to borrowers. That's the simple business.
In greed banks and their associates started lending money to everyone without checking if they deserve the money. And since they didn't deserve to borrow money they charged higher interest rates. A man/women (no gender bias :-)) earning Rs.100/- was given a loan Rs.200/- that too at an interest rate of 15-20%. It was some thing like pumping in forcefully 100 litres of water in a, water tight, 50 litre tank. What would happen then, is any ones guess.
Similarly, bad karma of banks, of lending money (to non deserving) in expectations of higher yield on loans, resulted in explosion of client. Since, a low earner couldn't afford to pay such a high interest rate he/she defaulted (exploded) and forget about the interest payment he couldn't even afford to payback principal. Hence he/she went kaput and so did the asset(explained later), to possess which, he borrowed the money. Since there was mass default, banks stopped lending money even to the credit-worthy one, as it lost confident in everyone. As the credit dipped, there were no buyers to buy this assets. Hence, the assets lost its real value to such an extent that borrowed money was higher then the current asset value. Again resulting in foreclosure of loans. Or defaults on loan. Or closure of loans and handover of assets. At the end banks incurred heavy losses as their greed took over their ideal business model of lend to the credit-worthy one.
In short, Bad karma's of bank ricochet in bad debts. It sowed bad money (bad creditors) and in turn got a tree of bad debt. Taking us back to the karma,"Babool ke beej bo-o gay to aam nahi babool he paongay". Moral of the story,"No matter how complicated is economics, rocket-science, or any other sci-fi technology but their basics is - THE KARMA PRINCIPLE".
Conundrum behind Reverse Mortgage
There is a lot of debate and discussion over reverse mortgages now. Various committees have been formed to develop a basic framework or guidelines for the government to consider the proposal. What is RM and how does it work? Who is it meant for? In a normal mortgage, a homebuyer borrows money to finance his/her home. In a Reverse Mortgage (RM), the home property owner surrenders the title of the property to a lender and raises money. Isn't it the same as loan against property (LAP)? Not quite. In LAP, the borrower gets 60-70% of the money upfront. In RM, the lender doesn't pay the entire amount, but pays out a regular sum each month for the agreed time. The owner along with his/her spouse gets to stay in the property for the rest of their lives. Thus, the owner can ensure a regular cash flow in times of need and enjoy the benefit of using the property. Usually after the death of the owner, the spouse can continue using the property. In case both die during the period of the RM scheme, the lender will sell the property, take its share and distribute the rest among the heirs.The reverse mortgage is named thus because the payment stream is “reversed.” Instead of making monthly payments to a lender, as with a regular mortgage, a lender makes payments to you.
Usually, RMs are available to those above a specific age, say 60 years. The aim is to convert an immovable asset, like property into an income-generating one while continuing to use it. The amount of income is predetermined as is the contract period. If the property-owner outlives the agreement period, the monthly payments will stop. How is the income for property-owner determined? There are three crucial factors property value, the period of the payout and the rate. The property is evaluated by professionals employed by the lender, and revalued after a period of time and the fixed income amounts are changed accordingly.
In countries where the geriatric population is rising (such as Japan and Western Europe), RMs are popular. However, while it looks simple, lenders expose themselves to certain risks thanks to a variety of factors such as mortality, interest rates and real estate price changes. For the property owner signing away the roof over his head creates fears of loss of asset, eviction and inability to bequeath property. Besides, the legal,
taxation and other regulatory aspects are still not clear. This is why even in the US, the actual volume of RM is very small.
For the idea to be applicable in India, we need reliable data that should include mortality, home ownership levels among the elderly, trends in appreciation in home value and long-term movement of interest rates. Unfortunately, all this is hard to get. In India there is no universal social security kind of benefits. Only about 9% of the active working population is covered by formal schemes. This means that the potential target market for
RM would be quite large. On the other hand, the RM market can be applied only to cases where the title deed is clear and the marketability of the property is assured. Also, in India, a large number of elders are living with their family members. That again the limits the scope for RM.
Advantages of RM
It helps you maintain your financial independence and standard of living
Allows you to remain in your home and retain ownership till you or your spouse is alive.
Disadvantages of RM
The options can be confusing.
They may be costlier than LAP
Usually, RMs are available to those above a specific age, say 60 years. The aim is to convert an immovable asset, like property into an income-generating one while continuing to use it. The amount of income is predetermined as is the contract period. If the property-owner outlives the agreement period, the monthly payments will stop. How is the income for property-owner determined? There are three crucial factors property value, the period of the payout and the rate. The property is evaluated by professionals employed by the lender, and revalued after a period of time and the fixed income amounts are changed accordingly.
In countries where the geriatric population is rising (such as Japan and Western Europe), RMs are popular. However, while it looks simple, lenders expose themselves to certain risks thanks to a variety of factors such as mortality, interest rates and real estate price changes. For the property owner signing away the roof over his head creates fears of loss of asset, eviction and inability to bequeath property. Besides, the legal,
taxation and other regulatory aspects are still not clear. This is why even in the US, the actual volume of RM is very small.
For the idea to be applicable in India, we need reliable data that should include mortality, home ownership levels among the elderly, trends in appreciation in home value and long-term movement of interest rates. Unfortunately, all this is hard to get. In India there is no universal social security kind of benefits. Only about 9% of the active working population is covered by formal schemes. This means that the potential target market for
RM would be quite large. On the other hand, the RM market can be applied only to cases where the title deed is clear and the marketability of the property is assured. Also, in India, a large number of elders are living with their family members. That again the limits the scope for RM.
Advantages of RM
It helps you maintain your financial independence and standard of living
Allows you to remain in your home and retain ownership till you or your spouse is alive.
Disadvantages of RM
The options can be confusing.
They may be costlier than LAP
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