UncategorizedFebruary 4, 2017by Monika Halan0Budget 2017-18
My writing and speaking on Budget 2017-18
UncategorizedSeptember 13, 2016by Monika Halan04%
What is the new inflation target for India and what does it mean.
Expense AccountSeptember 11, 2013by Monika Halan0What slowing growth has to do with why we’re feeling so low
Expense Account, Mint Have you been feeling low lately? Generally pessimistic and grumpy? I met a colleague in the lift bay and swapped stories. A fund manager drops by to meet me and we discuss how everybody feels much older than before. That the last 10 years feel like 20. Many conversations over the past...
Expense AccountFebruary 16, 2011by Monika Halan0The link between GDP growth and the broad market index
Expense Account, Mint As I breezily recommend an index fund to anybody who is risk averse and still wants “better” return than a bank deposit, I forget to take into account a slice of the reader and viewer segment which does not know the assumptions or the formulae behind this sweeping prediction of the future...
Expense AccountJanuary 12, 2011by Monika Halan0Ants and ignoring bad news
Expense Account, Mint The news gets worse every day. Food inflation is in double digits and the base effect argument is now wearing thin. The forecast for prices does not look good, never mind what the periodic calming statements by those in the government say. Interest rates are rising and another rate hike is imminent....
Expense AccountAugust 18, 2010by Monika Halan0Do what governments do: use inflation to reduce your loan
Expense Account, Mint So you read the headlines on Tuesday about the hike in the home loan rates and are wondering what to do: prepay that home loan or let it run on and allow investments to continue. I call it the classic “prepay or invest” fork in the road that the urban mass affluent...
Expense Account, Mint Would you like to buy a bond that not just gave you guaranteed interest at an increasing rate but also doubled your principal in 20 years? If I were about to retire, I’d queue up to buy this product. And maybe even pay a transaction fee on it. One of the biggest...
Expense Account, Mint Food prices are seriously out of control. Vegetables that would cost me Rs300 for a week are now at least double that budget. The grocery bill is significantly higher, too. Therefore, I think we need to give raises to household help, driver, car cleaner, press-wallah, the kid who brings the takeaway and...
Expense AccountMarch 11, 2009by Monika Halan0How an arranged marriage is so much like a financial product
Expense Account, Mint Buying a financial product in India is a bit like an arranged marriage: you don’t know what you are getting into. And once in, divorce is a costly affair. The matrimonial ads describe the prospective brides and grooms in detail: gori(fair), very beautiful; tall, large income, own house. And of course, a religious...