The Indian stock exchanges are represented by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which are one of the most dynamic stock exchanges in the world. Mainly understanding the timing of the stock market is a very important thing to the traders and investors which helps in making informed trading decisions.Here’s detailed information on stock market timings in India.Stock Market Timings in IndiaThe Indian stock market follows a fixed schedule on every trading day for both the exchanges NSE and BSE.Opening Time: 9:15 AM (IST)Closing Time: 3:30 PM (IST)Trading Days : Monday to Friday except market holidaysTiming Segments in the Indian Stock MarketUnderstanding the different market segments can help you plan your trading strategies betterPre-market Session (9:00 AM - 9:15 AM)The pre-market session opens from 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM is the period when traders can place orders before the market opens, orders get matched, but no trades are executed. The main purpose of the pre-market session is to calculate the opening price for the market based on overnight developments and global cues.Pre-market prices are determined based on the demand and supply basis of stocks before the market opens. This helps investors get a clearer picture of the day’s expected market movement.Normal Market Session (9:15 AM - 3:30 PM)The normal market session is open from 09:15 – 03:30. This is when active trading or investors takes place.

The Portfolio Turnover Ratio (PTR) is a critical metric financial ratio that reveals how often the assets in a mutual fund are being bought or sold within a year. Simply the PTR shows the percentage of the fund’s holdings that were adjusted during that year, offering insights into the fund manager’s trading style whether it’s more passive or active.What is Portfolio Turnover Ratio?Portfolio turnover ratio indicates the frequency with which the fund’s holdings have changed over the past year. In other words, you may perceive it as turning over of asset under management. It is expressed in percentage terms. PTR provides insights about a lot of things. It gives an idea about the fund manager’s overall investment strategy.

Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is a consistent investment plan where an investor contributes a fixed amount of money at regular intervals into a mutual fund. This method of investment helps investors accumulate wealth over time by spreading out the investment, thus mitigating the risks of market volatility. SIP’s are particularly useful when you invest particularly in small-cap funds, which has high volatility in overall mutual funds. By investing a fixed amount regularly, you can capitalize on the fluctuating prices of small-cap stocks, buying more units when markets are experienced down fall and fewer the units when market boomed. This approach helps you in mitigating the short-term risks and enhances the long-term growth potential of the investment.How Does SIP in small cap funds Work?In SIP, you are investing a fixed amount in your selected mutual fund monthly. The same amount is invested every month, regardless of market conditions. This leads to consistently ensures you are building wealth over the time.

Many Indians migrate abroad in search of better opportunities in terms of job growth, lifestyle. Unsurprisingly, they having a dream of coming back home in India one day. They invest in Indian mutual funds to benefit from the growing Indian economy by compiling with the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Most of these Non-Resident Indians have dependents in India, in such a scenario, making investments in India seems a smart option for them. Can NRIs invest in mutual funds in India?Obviously Yes, as per the terms of regulation 2 of Foreign Exchange Management Act 2000, NRIs have been allowed to invest mutual funds in India if they adhere to meet the certain criteria’s of the income tax act 1961, as a person should be stayed in India for minimum of 120 days or more during a financial year or 365 days or above during the preceding 4 financial years, and at least 60 days in that financial year However, This amendment was brought in the previous financial year. Earlier, the 120-day threshold was 182 days. now if the total Indian income, that accruing in India during the financial year, is more than Rs 15 lakh, then only the 120 days rule will be applied.

Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) is a way to measure that how well a company is using its money to make a profit in business. It clearly shows if the company is good at turning the money which invests into making more money.People who are looking to invest in the company, like fund managers or investors pr other market participants, use this ratio to help them decide if it’s a smart investment or not. Basically, it helps answer the question "Is the company making good use of the money which it has?" Let’s understand deeper about ROCE and its formulae along with calculation, significance and limitations.What is meant by Return on Capital Employed?ROCE stands for Return on Capital Employed, it shows how efficiently an organization generates profit and measures its profitability after factoring in the capital used to achieve that profitability. It is likely an indicator that calculates the profitability ratio, which determines how efficiently an organization uses its capital to generate profits over time. ROCE is considered one of several profitability ratios investors use when analysing an organization for investment purposes. It includes equity and debt capital but does not evaluate short-term debt.ROCE calculation formulaInvestors check a company’s ROCE to determine whether they should invest in its shares or not.

An IPO (Initial Public Offering) is when a company offers its shares to the public for the first time, becoming publicly traded on a stock exchange. In contrast, an FPO (Follow-on Public Offering) occurs when a company that is already listed issues additional shares to raise more capital. While an IPO introduces a company to the public market, an FPO helps an established company expand its capital.What is an IPO (Initial Public Offering)?An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is a process by which a privately held company offers its shares to the public for the first time to get listed in the secondary market. This transition from a private to a public entity allows the company to raise capital from investors by selling its existing stake and offering new issues.Types of IPOsFixed Price IPO: In the fixed IPO process the company sets a specific price for their shares, and investors need to purchase those shares at that fixed price.Book-Building Process: In the book-building process, the company fixes a price band, and investors should bid within that range in multiple lots. The listing price is determined based on demand and supply dynamics.Hybrid Offering: Hybrid offering comes with the Combination of elements of both fixed price and book building methods.Segments of IPOMain Board IPOs and SME IPOs refer to two distinct segments of the IPO segment, which differ in terms of the company size that list their shares and the scale of the offering.

As an investor who is navigating the evolving landscape of Indian financial markets, understanding the key differences between exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and Mutual Funds is a very crucial thing. Both investment vehicles offer a diverse portfolio, while they have various significant differences in structure, costs, taxation, and how they are traded. Let’s understand the essential factors to consider when choosing between ETFs and Mutual Funds.What Are ETFs and Mutual Funds?Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): ETFs are passive investment funds that are traded in the exchange NSE & BSE like individual stocks. ETFs replicate the performance of their underlying indices within sectors, by providing diversified exposure to a wide range of assets. They can be bought and sold throughout the trading day during market hours, and their prices fluctuate based on market fluctuations.Mutual Funds: Mutual Funds pool money from different investors to create a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, with other financial products.

Mutual funds (MF) and Portfolio Management Services (PMS) both are Professionally Managed investment products available for the investors. In India, investors have the option to invest in equities through Mutual Funds (MFs) or Portfolio Management Services (PMS). While both MFs and PMS may involve similar stocks, the implementation and management approaches differ significantly, as do the portfolio construction strategies. Mutual Funds, though managed by professionals, are not customized to individual preferences. In contrast, PMS offers a more personalized approach, where fund managers work collaboratively with clients to create bespoke portfolios tailored to their specific needs. Additionally, the minimum investment requirement for a Mutual Fund scheme is as low as Rs 100, making it accessible to a wider range of investors, whereas the minimum investment for PMS is Rs 50 lakh, which restricts its availability primarily to high-net-worth individuals.To make an informed decision, you need to have a clear idea of PMS vs mutual funds. Here’s more:How PMS and mutual funds differ?Mutual funds : A mutual fund is an investment Product  that pool capital from multiple investors to create a diversified investment portfolio with combination of stocks, bonds, or other securities, in accordance with the fund's stated strategy and guidelines. This structure enables individual investors to access their funds in a professionally managed portfolio via AMC which benefiting from economies of scale and potentially spreading risk across a wide range of investments.PMS :  Portfolio Management Service (PMS) is a professionally managed financial product where experienced portfolio managers, supported by a dedicated research team, manage your equity portfolio.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investment (FII) are two different kinds of foreign investors who invest in India to capture the country’s economic growth. Both forms of investment bring in capital inflows from outside of India, but they have different significance in their investing style, nature, objectives, investing style, and impact on the economy.What is FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)?FDI stands for Foreign Direct Investments and refers to an investment made by a company or individual in one country in business interests or assets in another country. This investment involves a long-term interest in the business, and typically it means owning a significant stake of 10% or more in a company or establishing a subsidiary, joint venture, or acquiring assets in India.Features of Foreign Direct InvestmentLong-term Investment: FDI is generally looking for long-term investment aimed at establishing a lasting presence in the foreign market, to capture the consistent growth in the markets over the period.Control: Investors often have significant control over the foreign business by owning a stake of more than 10% to utilize their voting rights of the company in the FDI category.Transfer of Technology and Expertise: FDI helps in the transfer of technology, skills, and managerial expertise to the country. Helping to improve the country’s development toward economic growth and improving the efficiency of allocation of the resources Infrastructure Development: FDI often leads to the development of infrastructure in the host country which leads to an increase in the employment count by creating jobs via the expansion of multinational companies.Job Creation: It can lead to the creation of jobs and boost economic activity. Also helps while giving employment to the local people in their expansion of new businesses which increases the per-capita income of the country.Risk: Due to long-term commitment, FDI typically faces more risk in terms of fluctuations of currency, changes in tax rates, government policies, political changes, and changes in FEMA policies.What is FII (Foreign Institutional Investment)?Foreign institutional investments refer to investments made by foreign institutions, in Indian financial products such as Stocks, mutual funds, pension funds, and hedge funds, debentures in the primary and secondary markets.

Options are the two derivatives contracts traded on the stock exchanges (NSE, BSE), Which is a contract whose value is derived from another asset known as underlying. These options are classified as stock options and index options, these option contracts are again divided into two types put option and Call option. An Option contract gives the right, but not an obligation, to buy or sell the underlying on or before a predetermined price within a specified period. While the buyer of the option pays the premium and buys the right, and while seller of the option receives the premium with the obligation to sell or buy the underlying asset if the buyer exercises his right.Call Options: Provides the right to buy the underlying asset.Put Options: Provide the right to sell the underlying asset.These options are mostly used for hedging, speculation, and Arbitrage purposes offering flexibility and leverage to investors.What is a Call Option?A call option is a contract with a fixed expiry date, which gives the holder of right to purchase the underlying asset at a specified strike price within a set timeframe. The call option price increases if the underlying asset increases and decreases when the underlying asset decreases.ExampleAn investor buys a call option for Stock XYZ with a strike price of ₹100, expiring in one month, for a premium of ₹5.