Financial Market

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DERIVATIVE MARKET

2009-03-09T13:10:00.013+05:30

DERIVATIVE Market is the most powerful tool in INDIAN Capital Market.
If You Want to gather knowledge about INDIAN DERIVATIVE MARKET
then you must follow these information which is taken from SEBI website.

What are Derivatives?

The term "Derivative" indicates that it has no independent value, i.e. its value is entirely "derived" from the value of the underlying asset. The underlying asset can be securities, commodities, bullion, currency, live stock or anything else. In other words, Derivative means a forward, future, option or any other hybrid contract of pre determined fixed duration, linked for the purpose of contract fulfillment to the value of a specified real or financial asset or to an index of securities.

With Securities Laws (Second Amendment) Act,1999, Derivatives has been included in the definition of Securities. The term Derivative has been defined in Securities Contracts (Regulations) Act, as:-

A Derivative includes: -

a security derived from a debt instrument, share, loan, whether secured or unsecured, risk instrument or contract for differences or any other form of security;
a contract which derives its value from the prices, or index of prices, of underlying securities;

What is a Futures Contract?

Futures Contract means a legally binding agreement to buy or sell the underlying security on a future date. Future contracts are the organized/standardized contracts in terms of quantity, quality (in case of commodities), delivery time and place for settlement on any date in future. The contract expires on a pre-specified date which is called the expiry date of the contract. On expiry, futures can be settled by delivery of the underlying asset or cash. Cash settlement enables the settlement of obligations arising out of the future/option contract in cash.

What is an Option contract?

Options Contract is a type of Derivatives Contract which gives the buyer/holder of the contract the right (but not the obligation) to buy/sell the underlying asset at a predetermined price within or at end of a specified period. The buyer / holder of the option purchases the right from the seller/writer for a consideration which is called the premium. The seller/writer of an option is obligated to settle the option as per the terms of the contract when the buyer/holder exercises his right. The underlying asset could include securities, an index of prices of securities etc.

Under Securities Contracts (Regulations) Act,1956 options on securities has been defined as "option in securities" meaning a contract for the purchase or sale of a right to buy or sell, or a right to buy and sell, securities in future, and includes a teji, a mandi, a teji mandi, a galli, a put, a call or a put and call in securities.

An Option to buy is called Call option and option to sell is called Put option. Further, if an option that is exercisable on or before the expiry date is called American option and one that is exercisable only on expiry date, is called European option. The price at which the option is to be exercised is called Strike price or Exercise price.

Therefore, in the case of American options the buyer has the right to exercise the option at anytime on or before the expiry date. This request for exercise is submitted to the Exchange, which randomly assigns the exercise request to the sellers of the options, who are obligated to settle the terms of the contract within a specified time frame.

As in the case of futures contracts, option contracts can be also be settled by delivery of the underlying asset or cash. However, unlike futures cash settlement in option contract entails paying/receiving the difference between the strike price/exercise price and the price of the underlying asset either at the time of expiry of the contract or at the time of exercise / assignment of the option contract.

What are Index Futures and Index Option Contracts?

Futures contract based on an index i.e. the underlying asset is the index, are known as Index Futures Contracts. For example, futures contract on NIFTY Index and BSE-30 Index. These contracts derive their value from the value of the underlying index.

Similarly, the options contracts, which are based on some index, are known as Index options contract. However, unlike Index Futures, the buyer of Index Option Contracts has only the right but not the obligation to buy / sell the underlying index on expiry. Index Option Contracts are generally European Style options i.e. they can be exercised / assigned only on the expiry date.

An index, in turn derives its value from the prices of securities that constitute the index and is created to represent the sentiments of the market as a whole or of a particular sector of the economy. Indices that represent the whole market are broad based indices and those that represent a particular sector are sectoral indices.

In the beginning futures and options were permitted only on S&P Nifty and BSE Sensex. Subsequently, sectoral indices were also permitted for derivatives trading subject to fulfilling the eligibility criteria. Derivative contracts may be permitted on an index if 80% of the index constituents are individually eligible for derivatives trading. However, no single ineligible stock in the index shall have a weightage of more than 5% in the index. The index is required to fulfill the eligibility criteria even after derivatives trading on the index has begun. If the index does not fulfill the criteria for 3 consecutive months, then derivative contracts on such index would be discontinued.

By its very nature, index cannot be delivered on maturity of the Index futures or Index option contracts therefore, these contracts are essentially cash settled on Expiry.

· Why mini derivative contract?

The minimum contract size for the mini derivative contract on Index (Sensex and Nifty) is Rs. 1 lakh at the time of its introduction in the market. The lower minimum contract size means that smaller investors are able to hedge their portfolio using these contracts with a lower capital outlay. This means a better hedge for portfolio, and also results in more liquidity in the market.

· Why longer dated index options?

Longer dated derivatives products are useful for those investors who want to have a long term hedge or long term exposure in derivative market. The premiums for longer term derivatives products are higher than for standard options in the same stock because the increased expiration date gives the underlying asset more time to make a substantial move and for the investor to make a healthy profit. Presently, longer dated options on Sensex and Nifty with tenure of upto 3 years are available for the investors.

· What is Bond Index?

A bond index is used to measure the performance of bond markets. The index is used as a benchmark against which investment managers measure their performance. It is also used as a measure to compare the performance of different asset classes. The government bond market is the most liquid segment of the bond market.

· What is Volatility Index?

Volatility Index is a measure of expected stock market volatility, over a specified time period, conveyed by the prices of stock / index options. It depicts the collective sentiment of the market on the implied future volatility.

What is the structure of Derivative Markets in India?

Derivative trading in India takes can place either on a separate and independent Derivative Exchange or on a separate segment of an existing Stock Exchange. Derivative Exchange/Segment function as a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) and SEBI acts as the oversight regulator. The clearing & settlement of all trades on the Derivative Exchange/Segment would have to be through a Clearing Corporation/House, which is independent in governance and membership from the Derivative Exchange/Segment.

What are the various membership categories in the equity derivatives market?

The various types of membership in the derivatives market are as follows:

Trading Member (TM) – A TM is a member of the derivatives exchange and can trade on his own behalf and on behalf of his clients.
Clearing Member (CM) –These members are permitted to settle their own trades as well as the trades of the other non-clearing members known as Trading Members who have agreed to settle the trades through them.
Self-clearing Member (SCM) – A SCM are those clearing members who can clear and settle their own trades only.

What are the requirements to be a member of the equity derivatives exchange/ clearing corporation?

Balance Sheet Networth Requirements: SEBI has prescribed a networth requirement of Rs. 3 crores for clearing members. The clearing members are required to furnish an auditor's certificate for the networth every 6 months to the exchange. The networth requirement is Rs. 1 crore for a self-clearing member. SEBI has not specified any networth requirement for a trading member.
Liquid Networth Requirements: Every clearing member (both clearing members and self-clearing members) has to maintain atleast Rs. 50 lakhs as Liquid Networth with the exchange / clearing corporation.
Certification requirements: The Members are required to pass the certification programme approved by SEBI. Further, every trading member is required to appoint atleast two approved users who have passed the certification programme. Only the approved users are permitted to operate the derivatives trading terminal.

What are requirements for a Member with regard to the conduct of his business?

The derivatives member is required to adhere to the code of conduct specified under the SEBI Broker Sub-Broker regulations. The following conditions stipulations have been laid by SEBI on the regulation of sales practices:

Sales Personnel: The derivatives exchange recognizes the persons recommended by the Trading Member and only such persons are authorized to act as sales personnel of the TM. These persons who represent the TM are known as Authorised Persons.
Know-your-client: The member is required to get the Know-your-client form filled by every one of client.
Risk disclosure document: The derivatives member must educate his client on the risks of derivatives by providing a copy of the Risk disclosure document to the client.
Member-client agreement: The Member is also required to enter into the Member-client agreement with all his clients.

Which derivative contracts are permitted by SEBI?

Derivative products have been introduced in a phased manner starting with Index Futures Contracts in June 2000. Index Options and Stock Options were introduced in June 2001 and July 2001 followed by Stock Futures in November 2001. Sectoral indices were permitted for derivatives trading in December 2002. Interest Rate Futures on a notional bond and T-bill priced off ZCYC have been introduced in June 2003 and exchange traded interest rate futures on a notional bond priced off a basket of Government Securities were permitted for trading in January 2004. During December 2007 SEBI permitted mini derivative (F&O) contract on Index (Sensex and Nifty). Further, in January 2008, longer tenure Index options contracts and Volatility Index and in April 2008, Bond Index was introduced. In addition to the above, during August 2008, SEBI permitted Exchange traded Currency Derivatives.

What is the eligibility criteria for stocks on which derivatives trading may be permitted?

A stock on which stock option and single stock future contracts are proposed to be introduced is required to fulfill the following broad eligibility criteria:-

The stock shall be chosen from amongst the top 500 stock in terms of average daily market capitalisation and average daily traded value in the previous six month on a rolling basis.
The stock’s median quarter-sigma order size over the last six months shall be not less than Rs.1 Lakh. A stock’s quarter-sigma order size is the mean order size (in value terms) required to cause a change in the stock price equal to one-quarter of a standard deviation.
The market wide position limit in the stock shall not be less than Rs.50 crores.

A stock can be included for derivatives trading as soon as it becomes eligible. However, if the stock does not fulfill the eligibility criteria for 3 consecutive months after being admitted to derivatives trading, then derivative contracts on such a stock would be discontinued.

What is the lot size of contract in the equity derivatives market?

Lot size refers to number of underlying securities in one contract. The lot size is determined keeping in mind the minimum contract size requirement at the time of introduction of derivative contracts on a particular underlying.

For example, if shares of XYZ Ltd are quoted at Rs.1000 each and the minimum contract size is Rs.2 lacs, then the lot size for that particular scrips stands to be 200000/1000 = 200 shares i.e. one contract in XYZ Ltd. covers 200 shares.

What is corporate adjustment?

The basis for any adjustment for corporate action is such that the value of the position of the market participant on cum and ex-date for corporate action continues to remain the same as far as possible. This will facilitate in retaining the relative status of positions viz. in-the-money, at-the-money and out-of-the-money. Any adjustment for corporate actions is carried out on the last day on which a security is traded on a cum basis in the underlying cash market. Adjustments mean modifications to positions and/or contract specifications as listed below:

Strike price
Position
Market/Lot/ Multiplier

The adjustments are carried out on any or all of the above based on the nature of the corporate action. The adjustments for corporate action are carried out on all open, exercised as well as assigned positions.

The corporate actions are broadly classified under stock benefits and cash benefits. The various stock benefits declared by the issuer of capital are:

Bonus
Rights
Merger/ demerger
Amalgamation

Splits
Consolidations
Hive-off
Warrants, and
Secured Premium Notes (SPNs) among others

The cash benefit declared by the issuer of capital is cash dividend.

What is the margining system in the equity derivatives market?

Two type of margins have been specified -

Initial Margin - Based on 99% VaR and worst case loss over a specified horizon, which depends on the time in which Mark to Market margin is collected.
Mark to Market Margin (MTM) - collected in cash for all Futures contracts and adjusted against the available Liquid Networth for option positions. In the case of Futures Contracts MTM may be considered as Mark to Market Settlement.

Dr. L.C Gupta Committee had recommended that the level of initial margin required on a position should be related to the risk of loss on the position. The concept of value-at-risk should be used in calculating required level of initial margins. The initial margins should be large enough to cover the one day loss that can be encountered on the position on 99% of the days. The recommendations of the Dr. L.C Gupta Committee have been a guiding principle for SEBI in prescribing the margin computation & collection methodology to the Exchanges. With the introduction of various derivative products in the Indian securities Markets, the margin computation methodology, especially for initial margin, has been modified to address the specific risk characteristics of the product. The margining methodology specified is consistent with the margining system used in developed financial & commodity derivative markets worldwide. The exchanges were given the freedom to either develop their own margin computation system or adapt the systems available internationally to the requirements of SEBI.

A portfolio based margining approach which takes an integrated view of the risk involved in the portfolio of each individual client comprising of his positions in all Derivative Contracts i.e. Index Futures, Index Option, Stock Options and Single Stock Futures, has been prescribed. The initial margin requirements are required to be based on the worst case loss of a portfolio of an individual client to cover 99% VaR over a specified time horizon.

The Initial Margin is Higher of

(Worst Scenario Loss +Calendar Spread Charges)

Short Option Minimum Charge

The worst scenario loss are required to be computed for a portfolio of a client and is calculated by valuing the portfolio under 16 scenarios of probable changes in the value and the volatility of the Index/ Individual Stocks. The options and futures positions in a client’s portfolio are required to be valued by predicting the price and the volatility of the underlying over a specified horizon so that 99% of times the price and volatility so predicted does not exceed the maximum and minimum price or volatility scenario. In this manner initial margin of 99% VaR is achieved. The specified horizon is dependent on the time of collection of mark to market margin by the exchange.

The probable change in the price of the underlying over the specified horizon i.e. ‘price scan range’, in the case of Index futures and Index option contracts are based on three standard deviation (3σ ) where ‘σ ’ is the volatility estimate of the Index. The volatility estimate ‘σ ’, is computed as per the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average methodology. This methodology has been prescribed by SEBI. In case of option and futures on individual stocks the price scan range is based on three and a half standard deviation (3.5 σ) where ‘σ’ is the daily volatility estimate of individual stock.

If the mean value (taking order book snapshots for past six months) of the impact cost, for an order size of Rs. 0.5 million, exceeds 1%, the price scan range would be scaled up by square root three times to cover the close out risk. This means that stocks with impact cost greater than 1% would now have a price scan range of - Sqrt (3) * 3.5σ or approx. 6.06σ. For stocks with impact cost of 1% or less, the price scan range would remain at 3.5σ.

For Index Futures and Stock futures it is specified that a minimum margin of 5% and 7.5% would be charged. This means if for stock futures the 3.5 σ value falls below 7.5% then a minimum of 7.5% should be charged. This could be achieved by adjusting the price scan range.

The probable change in the volatility of the underlying i.e. ‘volatility scan range’ is fixed at 4% for Index options and is fixed at 10% for options on Individual stocks. The volatility scan range is applicable only for option products.

Calendar spreads are offsetting positions in two contracts in the same underlying across different expiry. In a portfolio based margining approach all calendar-spread positions automatically get a margin offset. However, risk arising due to difference in cost of carry or the ‘basis risk’ needs to be addressed. It is therefore specified that a calendar spread charge would be added to the worst scenario loss for arriving at the initial margin. For computing calendar spread charge, the system first identifies spread positions and then the spread charge which is 0.5% per month on the far leg of the spread with a minimum of 1% and maximum of 3%. Presently, calendar spread position on Exchange traded equity derivatives has been granted calendar spread treatment till the expiry of the near month contract.

In a portfolio of futures and options, the non-linear nature of options make short option positions most risky. Especially, short deep out of the money options, which are highly susceptible to, changes in prices of the underlying. Therefore a short option minimum charge has been specified. The short option minimum charge is 3%

and 7.5 % of the notional value of all short Index option and stock option contracts respectively. The short option minimum charge is the initial margin if the sum of the worst –scenario loss and calendar spread charge is lower than the short option minimum charge.

To calculate volatility estimates the exchange are required to uses the methodology specified in the Prof J.R Varma Committee Report on Risk Containment Measures for Index Futures. Further, to calculate the option value the exchanges can use standard option pricing models - Black-Scholes, Binomial, Merton, Adesi-Whaley.

The initial margin is required to be computed on a real time basis and has two components:-

The first is creation of risk arrays taking prices at discreet times taking latest prices and volatility estimates at the discreet times, which have been specified.
The second is the application of the risk arrays on the actual portfolio positions to compute the portfolio values and the initial margin on a real time basis.

The initial margin so computed is deducted from the available Liquid Networth on a real time basis.

CONDITIONS FOR LIQUID NETWORTH

Liquid net worth means the total liquid assets deposited with the clearing house towards initial margin and capital adequacy; LESS initial margin applicable to the total gross open position at any given point of time of all trades cleared through the clearing member.

The following conditions are specified for liquid net worth:

Liquid net worth of the clearing member should not be less than Rs 50 lacs at any point of time.
Mark to market value of gross open positions at any point of time of all trades cleared through the clearing member should not exceed the specified exposure limit for each product.

Liquid Assets

At least 50% of the liquid assets should be in the form of cash equivalents viz. cash, fixed deposits, bank guarantees, T bills, units of money market mutual funds, units of gilt funds and dated government securities. Liquid assets will include cash, fixed deposits, bank guarantees, T bills, units of mutual funds, dated government securities or Group I equity securities which are to be pledged in favor of the exchange.

Collateral Management

Collateral Management consists of managing, maintaining and valuing the collateral in the form of cash, cash equivalents and securities deposited with the exchange. The

following stipulations have been laid down to the clearing corporation on the valuation and management of collateral:

At least weekly marking to market is required to be carried out on all securities.
Debt securities of only investment grade can be accepted.10% haircut with weekly mark to market will be applied on debt securities.
Total exposure of clearing corporation to the debt or equity of any company not to exceed 75% of the Trade Guarantee Fund or 15% of its total liquid assets whichever is lower.
Units of money market mutual funds and gilt funds shall be valued on the basis of its Net Asset Value after applying a hair cut of 10% on the NAV and any exit load charged by the mutual fund.
Units of all other mutual funds shall be valued on the basis of its NAV after applying a hair cut equivalent to the VAR of the units NAV and any exit load charged by the mutual fund.
Equity securities to be in demat form. Only Group I securities would be accepted. The securities are required to be valued / marked to market on a daily basis after applying a haircut equivalent to the respective VAR of the equity security.

Mark to Market Margin

Options – The value of the option are calculated as the theoretical value of the option times the number of option contracts (positive for long options and negative for short options). This Net Option Value is added to the Liquid Networth of the Clearing member. Thus MTM gains and losses on options are adjusted against the available liquid networth. The net option value is computed using the closing price of the option and are applied the next day.

Futures – The system computes the closing price of each series, which is used for computing mark to market settlement for cumulative net position. If this margin is collected on T+1 in cash, then the exchange charges a higher initial margin by multiplying the price scan range of 3 σ & 3.5 σ with square root of 2, so that the initial margin is adequate to cover 99% VaR over a two days horizon. Otherwise if the Member arranges to pay the Mark to Market margins by the end of T day itself, then the initial margins would not be scaled up. Therefore, the Member has the option to pay the MTM margins either at the end of T day or on T+1 day.

Summary of parameters specified for Initial Margin Computation

	Index Options	Index Futures	Stock Options	Stock Futures	Interest Rate Futures
Price Scan Range	3 sigma	3 sigma	3.5 sigma	For order size of Rs.5 Lakh, if mean value of impact cost > 1%, the Price Scan Range be scaled up by √3(in addition to look ahead days)	3.5 sigma For order size of Rs.5 Lakh, if mean value of impact cost > 1%, the Price Scan Range be scaled up by √3(in addition to look ahead days) For long bond futures, 3.5 sigma and for notional T-Bill futures, 3.5 sigma.
Volatility Scan Range	4%		10%
Minimum margin requirement		5%		7.5%	For long bond futures, minimum margin is 2%. For notional T-Bill futures minimum margin is 0.2%.
Short option minimum charge	3%		7.5%
Calendar Spread	0.5% per month on the far month contract (min of 1% and max of 3%)				0.125% per month on the far month contract (min of 0.25% and max of 0.75%)
Mark to Market	Net Option Value (positive for long positions and negative for short positions) to be adjusted from the liquid networth on a real time basis. The daily closing price of Futures Contract for Mark to Market settlement would be calculated on the basis of the last half an hour weighted average price of the contract.

MARGIN COLLECTION

Initial Margin - is adjusted from the available Liquid Networth of the Clearing Member on an online real time basis.

Mark to Market Margins-

Futures contracts: The open positions (gross against clients and net of proprietary / self trading) in the futures contracts for each member are marked to market to the daily settlement price of the Futures contracts at the end of each trading day. The daily settlement price at the end of each day is the weighted average price of the last half an hour of the futures contract. The profits / losses arising from the difference between the trading price and the settlement price are collected / given to all the clearing members.

Option Contracts: The marked to market for Option contracts is computed and collected as part of the SPAN Margin in the form of Net Option Value. The SPAN Margin is collected on an online real time basis based on the data feeds given to the system at discrete time intervals.

Client Margins

Clearing Members and Trading Members are required to collect initial margins from all their clients. The collection of margins at client level in the derivative markets is essential as derivatives are leveraged products and non-collection of margins at the

client level would provide zero cost leverage. In the derivative markets all money paid by the client towards margins is kept in trust with the Clearing House / Clearing

Corporation and in the event of default of the Trading or Clearing Member the amounts paid by the client towards margins are segregated and not utilised towards the dues of the defaulting member.

Therefore, Clearing members are required to report on a daily basis details in respect of such margin amounts due and collected from their Trading members / clients clearing and settling through them. Trading members are also required to report on a daily basis details of the amount due and collected from their clients. The reporting of the collection of the margins by the clients is done electronically through the system at the end of each trading day. The reporting of collection of client level margins plays a crucial role not only in ensuring that members collect margin from clients but it also provides the clearing corporation with a record of the quantum of funds it has to keep in trust for the clients.

What are the exposure limits in equity derivatives market?

It has been prescribed that the notional value of gross open positions at any point in time in the case of Index Futures and all Short Index Option Contracts shall not exceed 33 1/3 (thirty three one by three) times the available liquid networth of a member, and in the case of Stock Option and Stock Futures Contracts, the exposure limit shall be higher of 5% or 1.5 sigma of the notional value of gross open position.

In the case of interest rate futures, the following exposure limit is specified:

The notional value of gross open positions at any point in time in futures contracts on the notional 10 year bond should not exceed 100 times the available liquid networth of a member.
The notional value of gross open positions at any point in time in futures contracts on the notional T-Bill should not exceed 1000 times the available liquid networth of a member.

What are the position limits in equity derivatives market?

The position limits specified are as under-

Client / Customer level position limits:

For index based products there is a disclosure requirement for clients whose position exceeds 15% of the open interest of the market in index products.

For stock specific products the gross open position across all derivative contracts on a particular underlying of a customer/client should not exceed the higher of –

1% of the free float market capitalisation (in terms of number of shares).

5% of the open interest in the derivative contracts on a particular underlying stock (in terms of number of contracts).

This position limits are applicable on the combine position in all derivative contracts on an underlying stock at an exchange. The exchanges are required to achieve client level position monitoring in stages.

The client level position limit for interest rate futures contracts is specified at Rs.100 crore or 15% of the open interest, whichever is higher.

Trading Member Level Position Limits:

For Index options the Trading Member position limits are Rs. 250 cr or 15% of the total open interest in Index Options whichever is higher and for Index futures the Trading Member position limits are Rs. 250 cr or 15% of the total open interest in Index Futures whichever is higher.

For stocks specific products, the trading member position limit is 20% of the market wide limit subject to a ceiling of Rs. 50 crore. In Interest rate futures the Trading member position limit is Rs. 500 Cr or 15% of open interest whichever is higher.

It is also specified that once a member reaches the position limit in a particular underlying then the member shall be permitted to take only offsetting positions (which result in lowering the open position of the member) in derivative contracts on that underlying. In the event that the position limit is breached due to the reduction in the overall open interest in the market, the member are required to take only offsetting positions (which result in lowering the open position of the member) in derivative contract in that underlying and fresh positions shall not be permitted. The position limit at trading member level is required to be computed on a gross basis across all clients of the Trading member.

Market wide limits:

There are no market wide limits for index products. For stock specific products the market wide limit of open positions (in terms of the number of underlying stock) on an option and futures contract on a particular underlying stock would be lower of –

30 times the average number of shares traded daily, during the previous calendar month, in the cash segment of the Exchange,

20% of the number of shares held by non-promoters i.e. 20% of the free float, in terms of number of shares of a company.

Summary of Position Limits

	Index Options	Index Futures	Stock Options	Stock Futures	Interest Rate Futures
Client level	Disclosure requirement for any person or persons acting in concert holding 15% or more of the open interest of all derivative contracts on a particular underlying index	Disclosure requirement for any person or persons acting in concert holding 15% or more of the open interest of all derivative contracts on a particular underlying index	1% of free float or 5% of open interest whichever is higher	1% of free float or 5% of open interest whichever is higher	Rs.100 crore or 15% of the open interest, whichever is higher.
Trading Member level	15% of the total Open Interest of the market or Rs. 250 crores, whichever is higher	15% of the total Open Interest of the market or Rs. 250 crores, whichever is higher	20% of Market Wide Limit subject to a ceiling of Rs.50 cr.	20% of Market Wide Limit subject to a ceiling of Rs.50 cr.	Rs. 500 Cr or 15% of open interest whichever is higher.
Marketwide			30 times the average number of shares traded daily, during the previous calendar month, in the relevant underlying security in the underlying segment or, - 20% of the number of shares held by non-promoters in the relevant underlying security, whichever is lower	30 times the average number of shares traded daily, during the previous calendar month, in the relevant underlying security in the underlying segment or, - 20% of the number of shares held by non-promoters in the relevant underlying security, whichever is lower

What are the requirements for a FII and its sub-account to invest in equity derivatives market?

A SEBI registered FIIs and its sub-account are required to pay initial margins, exposure margins and mark to market settlements in the derivatives market as required by any other investor. Further, the FII and its sub-account are also subject to position limits for trading in derivative contracts. The FII and sub-account position limits for the various derivative products are as under:

Index Options

Index Futures

Stock Options

Single stock Futures

Interest rate futures

FII Level

Rs. 250 crores or 15% of the OI in Index options, whichever is higher.

In addition, hedge positions are permitted.

Rs. 250 crores or 15% of the OI in Index futures, whichever is higher.

In addition, hedge positions are permitted.

20% of Market Wide Limit subject to a ceiling of Rs. 50 crores.

Rs. USD 100 million.

In addition to the above, the FII may take exposure in exchange traded in interest rate derivative contracts to the extent of the book value of their cash market exposure in Government Securities.

Sub-account level

Disclosure requirement for any person or persons acting in concert holding 15% or more of the open interest of all derivative contracts on a particular underlying index

1% of free float market capitalization or 5% of open interest on a particular underlying whichever is higher

Rs. 100 Cr or 15% of total open interest in the market in exchange traded interest rate derivative contracts, whichever is higher.

· What are the requirements for a NRI to invest in equity derivatives market?

NRIs are permitted in invest in exchange traded derivative contracts subject to the margin and other requirements which are in place for other investors. In addition, a NRI is subject to the following position limits:

	Index Options	Index Futures	Stock Options	Single stock Futures	Interest rate futures
NRI level	Disclosure requirement for any person or persons acting in concert holding 15% or more of the open interest of all derivative contracts on a particular underlying index	Disclosure requirement for any person or persons acting in concert holding 15% or more of the open interest of all derivative contracts on a particular underlying index	1% of free float market capitalization or 5% of open interest on a particular underlying whichever is higher	1% of free float market capitalization or 5% of open interest on a particular underlying whichever is higher	Rs. 100 Cr or 15% of total open interest in the market in exchange traded interest rate derivative contracts, whichever is higher.

· What are Currency Futures?

Currency futures are contracts to buy or sell a specific underlying currency at a specific time in the future, for a specific price. Currency futures are exchange-traded contracts and they are standardized in terms of delivery date, amount and contract terms.

Currency future contracts allow investors to hedge against foreign exchange risk. Since these contracts are marked-to-market daily, investors can--by closing out their position--exit from their obligation to buy or sell the currency prior to the contract's delivery date.

· What are the parameters for initial margin, exposure margin and what are the position limits specified for exchange traded currency futures?

Currency Futures	Price scan Range	Minimum Margin Requirement	Calendar spread
Initial Margin Computation	3.5 Sigma	1%	Rs. 250 per month on the far month contract
Exposure Margin	I% of gross open positions
	Client level	Trading Member level (Non-Bank)	Trading Member level (Bank)
Position limits	6% of open interest or 5 million USD whichever is higher	15% of total open interest or 25 million USD whichever is higher	15% of total open interest or 100 million USD whichever is higher

· What are the eligibility criteria for members of the currency futures segment?

The trading member is subject to a balance sheet networth requirement of Rs. 1 crore while the clearing member is subject to a balance sheet networth requirement of Rs. 10 crores. The clearing member is subject to a liquid networth requirement of Rs. 50 lakhs.

· What are the eligibility criteria for setting up of currency futures segment in a recognized stock exchange?

A recognized stock exchange having nationwide terminals or a new exchange recognized by SEBI may set up currency futures segment after obtaining SEBI’s approval. The currency futures segment should fulfill the following eligibility conditions for approval:

i The trading should take place through an online screen-based trading system, which also has a disaster recovery site.

ii The clearing of the currency derivatives market should be done by an independent Clearing Corporation, which satisfies the eligibility for a clearing corporation.

iii The exchange must have an online surveillance capability which monitors positions, prices and volumes in real time so as to deter market manipulation.

iv The exchange shall have a balance sheet networth of atleast Rs. 100 crores.

v Information about trades, quantities, and quotes should be disseminated by the exchange in real time to at least two information vending networks which are accessible to investors in the country.

vi The per-half-hour capacity of the computers and the network should be at least 4 to 5 times of the anticipated peak load in any half hour, or of the actual peak load seen in any half-hour during the preceding six months, whichever is higher. This shall be reviewed from time to time on the basis of experience.

vii The segment should have at least 50 members to start currency derivatives trading.

viii The exchange should have arbitration and investor grievances redressal mechanism operative from all the four areas/regions of the country.

ix The exchange should have adequate inspection capability.

x If already existing, the exchange should have a satisfactory record of monitoring its members, handling investor complaints and preventing irregularities in trading.

What measures have been specified by SEBI to protect the rights of investor in Derivatives Market?

The measures specified by SEBI include:

Investor's money has to be kept separate at all levels and is permitted to be used only against the liability of the Investor and is not available to the trading member or clearing member or even any other investor.
The Trading Member is required to provide every investor with a risk disclosure document which will disclose the risks associated with the derivatives trading so that investors can take a conscious decision to trade in derivatives.
Investor would get the contract note duly time stamped for receipt of the order and execution of the order. The order will be executed with the identity of the client and without client ID order will not be accepted by the system. The investor could also demand the trade confirmation slip with his ID in support of the contract note. This will protect him from the risk of price favour, if any, extended by the Member.
In the derivative markets all money paid by the Investor towards margins on all open positions is kept in trust with the Clearing House/Clearing corporation and in the event of default of the Trading or Clearing Member the amounts paid by the client towards margins are segregated and not utilized towards the default of the member. However, in the event of a default of a member, losses suffered by the Investor, if any, on settled / closed out position are compensated from the Investor Protection Fund, as per the rules, bye-laws and regulations of the derivative segment of the exchanges.
The Exchanges are required to set up arbitration and investor grievances redressal mechanism operative from all the four areas / regions of the country.

Understanding Financial Market.

2009-03-09T12:59:00.005+05:30

In India Financial Market are basically divided in two part.
1> CAPITAL MARKET 2> MONEY MARKET.
Now if you want to know about basic fundamentals of these
two market then I am posting some information regarding
this from the website of SEBI.

You can directly see the information from SEBI website.
http://www.sebi.gov.in/Index.jsp?contentDisp=Section&sec_id=4

1. What are the various types of financial markets?

The financial markets can broadly be divided into money and capital market.

Money Market: Money market is a market for debt securities that pay off in the short term usually less than one year, for example the market for 90-days treasury bills. This market encompasses the trading and issuance of short term non equity debt instruments including treasury bills, commercial papers, bankers acceptance, certificates of deposits, etc.

Capital Market: Capital market is a market for long-term debt and equity shares. In this market, the capital funds comprising of both equity and debt are issued and traded. This also includes private placement sources of debt and equity as well as organized markets like stock exchanges. Capital market can be further divided into primary and secondary markets.

2. What is meant by Secondary Market?

Secondary Market refers to a market where securities are traded after being initially offered to the public in the primary market and/or listed on the Stock Exchange. Majority of the trading is done in the secondary market. Secondary market comprises of equity markets and the debt markets.

For the general investor, the secondary market provides an efficient platform for trading of his securities. For the management of the company, Secondary equity markets serve as a monitoring and control conduit—by facilitating value-enhancing control activities, enabling implementation of incentive-based management contracts, and aggregating information (via price discovery) that guides management decisions.

3. What is the difference between the primary market and the secondary market?

In the primary market, securities are offered to public for subscription for the purpose of raising capital or fund. Secondary market is an equity trading avenue in which already existing/pre- issued securities are traded amongst investors. Secondary market could be either auction or dealer market. While stock exchange is the part of an auction market, Over-the-Counter (OTC) is a part of the dealer market.

SEBI and its Role in the Secondary Market

4. What is SEBI and what is its role?

The SEBI is the regulatory authority established under Section 3 of SEBI Act 1992 to protect the interests of the investors in securities and to promote the development of, and to regulate, the securities market and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

5. What are the various departments of SEBI regulating trading in the secondary market?

The following departments of SEBI take care of the activities in the secondary market.

Sr.No.	Name of the Department	Major Activities
1.	Market Intermediaries Registration and Supervision department (MIRSD)	Registration, supervision, compliance monitoring and inspections of all market intermediaries in respect of all segments of the markets viz. equity, equity derivatives, debt and debt related derivatives.
2.	Market Regulation Department (MRD)	Formulating new policies and supervising the functioning and operations (except relating to derivatives) of securities exchanges, their subsidiaries, and market institutions such as Clearing and settlement organizations and Depositories (Collectively referred to as ‘Market SROs’.)
3.	Derivatives and New Products Departments (DNPD)	Supervising trading at derivatives segments of stock exchanges, introducing new products to be traded, and consequent policy changes

Products available in the Secondary Market

6. What are the products dealt in the secondary markets?

Following are the main financial products/instruments dealt in the secondary market:

Equity: The ownership interest in a company of holders of its common and preferred stock. The various kinds of equity shares are as follows:-

Equity Shares:

An equity share, commonly referred to as ordinary share also represents the form of fractional ownership in which a shareholder, as a fractional owner, undertakes the maximum entrepreneurial risk associated with a business venture. The holders of such shares are members of the company and have voting rights.

Rights Issue / Rights Shares: The issue of new securities to existing shareholders at a ratio to those already held.

Bonus Shares: Shares issued by the companies to their shareholders free of cost by capitalization of accumulated reserves from the profits earned in the earlier years.

Preferred Stock / Preference shares: Owners of these kinds of shares are entitled to a fixed dividend or dividend calculated at a fixed rate to be paid regularly before dividend can be paid in respect of equity share. They also enjoy priority over the equity shareholders in payment of surplus. But in the event of liquidation, their claims rank below the claims of the company’s creditors, bondholders / debenture holders.

Cumulative Preference Shares: A type of preference shares on which dividend accumulates if remains unpaid. All arrears of preference dividend have to be paid out before paying dividend on equity shares.

Cumulative Convertible Preference Shares: A type of preference shares where the dividend payable on the same accumulates, if not paid. After a specified date, these shares will be converted into equity capital of the company.

Participating Preference Share: The right of certain preference shareholders to participate in profits after a specified fixed dividend contracted for is paid. Participation right is linked with the quantum of dividend paid on the equity shares over and above a particular specified level.

Security Receipts: Security receipt means a receipt or other security, issued by a securitisation company or reconstruction company to any qualified institutional buyer pursuant to a scheme, evidencing the purchase or acquisition by the holder thereof, of an undivided right, title or interest in the financial asset involved in securitisation.

Government securities (G-Secs): These are sovereign (credit risk-free) coupon bearing instruments which are issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of Government of India, in lieu of the Central Government's market borrowing programme. These securities have a fixed coupon that is paid on specific dates on half-yearly basis. These securities are available in wide range of maturity dates, from short dated (less than one year) to long dated (up to twenty years).

Debentures: Bonds issued by a company bearing a fixed rate of interest usually payable half yearly on specific dates and principal amount repayable on particular date on redemption of the debentures. Debentures are normally secured / charged against the asset of the company in favour of debenture holder.

Bond: A negotiable certificate evidencing indebtedness. It is normally unsecured. A debt security is generally issued by a company, municipality or government agency. A bond investor lends money to the issuer and in exchange, the issuer promises to repay the loan amount on a specified maturity date. The issuer usually pays the bond holder periodic interest payments over the life of the loan. The various types of Bonds are as follows-

Ø Zero Coupon Bond: Bond issued at a discount and repaid at a face value. No periodic interest is paid. The difference between the issue price and redemption price represents the return to the holder. The buyer of these bonds receives only one payment, at the maturity of the bond.

Ø Convertible Bond: A bond giving the investor the option to convert the bond into equity at a fixed conversion price.

Commercial Paper: A short term promise to repay a fixed amount that is placed on the market either directly or through a specialized intermediary. It is usually issued by companies with a high credit standing in the form of a promissory note redeemable at par to the holder on maturity and therefore, doesn’t require any guarantee. Commercial paper is a money market instrument issued normally for tenure of 90 days.

Treasury Bills: Short-term (up to 91 days) bearer discount security issued by the Government as a means of financing its cash requirements.

7. What are the regulatory requirements specified by SEBI for corporate debt securities?

The term Corporate Bonds referred here includes all debt securities issued by institutions such as Banks, Public Sector Undertakings, Municipal Corporations, bodies corporate and companies having a tenure of more than 365 days. Such an issue of bonds, if offered to the public shall be required to comply with the SEBI (Disclosure and Investor Protection Guidelines), 2000. Also, a private placement of corporate bonds made by a listed company shall be required to comply with provisions contained in SEBI Circulars in this regard.

The SEBI Circulars dated September 30, 2003 and December 22, 2003 have laid out norms pertaining to the disclosure norms on issuance of such securities, which include compliance with Chapter VI of the SEBI (Disclosure and Investor Protection) Guidelines, 2000, Companies Act, 1956, listing agreement for debentures with the stock exchanges, rating to be obtained from a Credit Rating Agency registered with SEBI, requirement for appointing a debenture trustee registered with SEBI, mandatory trading in dematerialized form, etc.

In order to develop an exchange traded market for corporate bonds SEBI vide circulars dated December 12, 2006 and March 01, 2007 has authorized BSE and NSE to set up and maintain corporate bond reporting platforms to capture all information related to trading in corporate bonds as accurately and as close to execution as possible. Subsequently, FIMMDA has also been permitted to operate a reporting platform. As per the circulars, all issuers, intermediaries and contracting parties are granted access to the reporting platform for the purpose and transactions shall be reported within 30 minutes of closing the deal. The data reported on the platform is disseminated on websites of BSE, NSE and FIMMDA.

As a second phase of development, SEBI vide Circular dated April 13, 2007 has permitted BSE and NSE to have in place corporate bond trading platforms to enable efficient price discovery and reliable clearing and settlement in a gradual manner. To begin with, BSE and NSE have launched an order driven trade matching platform which retains essential features of OTC market where trades are executed through brokers. OTC trades however continue to be reported on the exchange reporting platforms. In order to encourage wider participation, the lot size for trading in bonds has been reduced to Rs.1lakh. Subsequently BSE and NSE may move towards anonymous order matching with clearing and settlement.

Role of Broker and Sub-broker in the Secondary Market

8. Whom should I contact for my Stock Market related transactions?

You can contact a broker or a sub broker registered with SEBI for carrying out your transactions pertaining to the capital market.

9. Who is a broker?

A broker is a member of a recognized stock exchange, who is permitted to do trades on the screen-based trading system of different stock exchanges. He is enrolled as a member with the concerned exchange and is registered with SEBI.

10. Who is a sub broker?

A sub broker is a person who is registered with SEBI as such and is affiliated to a member of a recognized stock exchange.

11. How do I know if the broker or sub broker is registered?

You can confirm it by verifying the registration certificate issued by SEBI. A broker's registration number begins with the letters "INB" and that of a sub broker with the letters “INS". For the brokers of derivatives segment, the registration number begins with the letters “INF”. There is no sub-broker in the derivatives segment.

12. Am I required to sign any agreement with the broker or sub-broker?

Yes. For the purpose of engaging a broker to execute trades on your behalf from time to time and furnish details relating to yourself for enabling the broker to maintain client registration form you have to sign the “Member - Client agreement” if you are dealing directly with a broker. In case you are dealing through a sub-broker then you have to sign a ”Broker - Sub broker - Client Tripartite Agreement”. Model Tripartite Agreement between Broker-Sub broker and Clients is applicable only for the cash segment. The Model Agreement has to be executed on the non-judicial stamp paper. The Agreement contains clauses defining the rights and responsibility of Client vis-à-vis broker/ sub broker. The documents prescribed are model formats. The stock exchanges/stock broker may incorporate any additional clauses in these documents provided these are not in conflict with any of the clauses in the model document, as also the Rules, Regulations, Articles, Byelaws, circulars, directives and guidelines.

13. What is Member –Client Agreement Form?

This form is an agreement entered between client and broker in the presence of witness where the client agrees (is desirous) to trade/invest in the securities listed on the concerned Exchange through the broker after being satisfied of brokers capabilities to deal in securities. The member, on the other hand agrees to be satisfied by the genuineness and financial soundness of the client and making client aware of his (broker’s) liability for the business to be conducted.

14. What kind of details do I have to provide in Client Registration form?

The brokers have to maintain a database of their clients, for which you have to fill client registration form. In case of individual client registration, you have to broadly provide following information:

· Permanent Account Number (PAN), which has been made mandatory for all the investors participating in the securities market.

Your name, date of birth, photograph, address, educational qualifications, occupation, residential status(Resident Indian/ NRI/others)
Bank and depository account details
If you are registered with any other broker, then the name of broker and concerned Stock exchange and Client Code Number.

For proof of address (any one of the following):

Passport
Voter ID
Driving license
Bank Passbook
Rent Agreement
Ration Card
Flat Maintenance Bill
Telephone Bill
Electricity Bill
Insurance Policy

Each client has to use one registration form. In case of joint names /family members, a separate form has to be submitted for each person.

In case of Corporate Client, following information has to be provided:

· Name, address of the Company/Firm

Date of incorporation and date of commencement of business.
Registration number(with ROC, SEBI or any government authority)
Details of PAN
Details of Promoters/Partners/Key managerial Personnel of the Company/Firm in specified format.
Bank and Depository Account Details
Copies of the balance sheet for the last 2 financial years (copies of annual balance sheet to be submitted every year)
Copy of latest share holding pattern including list of all those holding more than 5% in the share capital of the company, duly certified by the Company Secretary / Whole time Director/MD. (copy of updated shareholding pattern to be submitted every year)
Copies of the Memorandum and Articles of Association in case of a company / body corporate, partnership deed in case of a partnership firm
Copy of the Resolution of board of directors' approving participation in equity / derivatives / debt trading and naming authorized persons for dealing in securities.
Photographs of Partners/Whole time directors, individual promoters holding 5% or more, either directly or indirectly, in the shareholding of the company and of persons authorized to deal in securities.
If registered with any other broker, then the name of broker and concerned Stock exchange and Client Code Number.

15. What is meant by Unique Client Code?

In order to facilitate maintaining database of their clients and to strengthen the know your client (KYC) norms; all brokers have been mandated to use unique client code linked to the PAN details of the respective client which will act as an exclusive identification for the client.

16. What is MAPIN?

MAPIN (Market Participant Identification Number) is the Market Participants and Investors Integrated Database. The SEBI (Central Database of Market Participants) Regulations, 2003 were notified on November 20, 2003 under which, all the participants in the Indian Securities Market viz., SEBI registered intermediaries, listed companies and their associates and the investors were required to obtain a Unique Identification Number (UIN) in order to enable the regulator to establish the identity of person(s).

In the light of SEBI’s order of making PAN the sole identification number for all participants transacting in the securities market, irrespective of the amount of transaction, it has been decided to discontinue with the requirement of Unique Identification Number (UIN) under the SEBI (Central Database of market Participants Regulations), 2005 (MAPIN regulations)/circulars. Accordingly, acceptance of MAPIN card as one of the documents for the purpose of Proof of Identity (POI) has been withdrawn.

17. What is a risk disclosure document?

In order to acquaint the investors in the markets of the various risks involved in trading in the stock market, the members of the exchange have been required to sign a risk disclosure document with their clients, informing them of the various risks like risk of volatility, risks of lower liquidity, risks of higher spreads, risks of new announcements, risks of rumours etc.

18. How do I place my orders with the broker or sub broker?

You can either go to the broker’s / sub broker’s office or place an order over the phone / internet or as defined in the Model Agreement given above.

19. How do I know whether my order is placed?

The Stock Exchanges assign a Unique Order Code Number to each transaction, which is intimated by broker to his client and once the order is executed, this order code number is printed on the contract note. The broker member has also to maintain the record of time when the client has placed order and reflect the same in the contract note along with the time of execution of the order.

20. What documents should be obtained from broker on execution of trade?

You have to ensure receipt of the following documents for any trade executed on the Exchange:

a. Contract note in Form A to be given within stipulated time.

b. In the case of electronic issuance of contract notes by the brokers, the clients shall ensure that the same is digitally signed and in case of inability to view the same, shall communicate the same to the broker, upon which the broker shall ensure that the physical contract note reaches the client within the stipulated time.

It is the contract note that gives rise to contractual rights and obligations of parties of the trade. Hence, you should insist on contract note from stock broker.

21. What details are required to be mentioned on the Contract note issued by the Stock Broker?

A broker has to issue a contract note to clients for all transactions in the form specified by the stock exchange. The contract note inter-alia should have following:

· Name, address and SEBI Registration number of the Member broker.

Name of partner /proprietor /Authorised Signatory.
Dealing Office Address/Tel No/Fax no, Code number of the member given by the Exchange.
Unique Identification Number
Contract number, date of issue of contract note, settlement number and time period for settlement.
Constituent (Client) name/Code Number.
Order number and order time corresponding to the trades.
Trade number and Trade time.
Quantity and Kind of Security brought/sold by the client.
Brokerage and Purchase /Sale rate are given separately.
Service tax rates and any other charges levied by the broker.
Securities Transaction Tax (STT) as applicable.
Appropriate stamps have to be affixed on the original contract note or it is mentioned that the consolidated stamp duty is paid.
Signature of the Stock broker/Authorized Signatory.

Contract note provides for the recourse to the system of arbitrators for settlement of disputes arising out of transactions. Only the broker can issue contract notes.

22. What is the maximum brokerage that a broker can charge?

The maximum brokerage that can be charged by a broker has been specified in the Stock Exchange Regulations and hence, it may differ from across various exchanges. As per the BSE & NSE Bye Laws, a broker cannot charge more than 2.5% brokerage from his clients.

23. What are the charges that can be levied on the investor by a stock broker?

The trading member can charge:

1. Brokerage charged by member broker.

2. Penalties arising on specific default on behalf of client (investor)

3. Service tax as stipulated.

4. Securities Transaction Tax (STT) as applicable.

The brokerage, service tax and STT are indicated separately in the contract note.

24. What is STT?

Securities Transaction Tax (STT) is a tax being levied on all transactions done on the stock exchanges at rates prescribed by the Central Government from time to time. Pursuant to the enactment of the Finance (No.2) Act, 2004, the Government of India notified the Securities Transaction Tax Rules, 2004 and STT came into effect from October 1, 2004.

25. What is an Account Period Settlement?

An account period settlement is a settlement where the trades pertaining to a period stretching over more than one day are settled. For example, trades for the period Monday to Friday are settled together. The obligations for the account period are settled on a net basis. Account period settlement has been discontinued since January 1, 2002, pursuant to SEBI directives.

26. What is a Rolling Settlement?

In a Rolling Settlement, trades executed during the day are settled based on the net obligations for the day.

Presently the trades pertaining to the rolling settlement are settled on a T+2 day basis where T stands for the trade day. Hence, trades executed on a Monday are typically settled on the following Wednesday (considering 2 working days from the trade day).

The funds and securities pay-in and pay-out are carried out on T+2 day.

27. What is the pay-in day and pay- out day?

Pay in day is the day when the brokers shall make payment or delivery of securities to the exchange. Pay out day is the day when the exchange makes payment or delivery of securities to the broker. Settlement cycle is on T+2 rolling settlement basis w.e.f. April 01, 2003. The exchanges have to ensure that the pay out of funds and securities to the clients is done by the broker within 24 hours of the payout. The Exchanges will have to issue press release immediately after pay out.

28. What are the prescribed pay-in and pay-out days for funds and securities for Normal Settlement?

The pay-in and pay-out days for funds and securities are prescribed as per the Settlement Cycle. A typical Settlement Cycle of Normal Settlement is given below:

	Activity	Day
Trading	Rolling Settlement Trading	T
Clearing	Custodial Confirmation	T+1 working days
	Delivery Generation	T+1 working days
Settlement	Securities and Funds pay in	T+2 working days
	Securities and Funds pay out	T+2 working days
Post Settlement	Valuation Debit	T+2 working days
	Auction	T+3 working days
	Bad Delivery Reporting	T+4 working days
	Auction settlement	T+5 working days
	Close out	T+5 working days
	Rectified bad delivery pay-in and pay-out	T+6 working days
	Re-bad delivery reporting and pickup	T+8 working days
	Close out of re-bad delivery	T+9 working days

Note: The above is a typical settlement cycle for normal (regular) market segment. The days prescribed for the above activities may change in case of factors like holidays, bank closing etc. You may refer to scheduled dates of pay-in/pay-out notified by the Exchange for each settlement from time-to-time.

29. In case of purchase of shares, when do I make payment to the broker?

The payment for the shares purchased is required to be done prior to the pay in date for the relevant settlement or as otherwise provided in the Rules and Regulations of the Exchange.

30. In case of sale of shares, when should the shares be given to the broker?

The delivery of shares has to be done prior to the pay in date for the relevant settlement or as otherwise provided in the Rules and Regulations of the Exchange and agreed with the broker/sub broker in writing.

31. How long it takes to receive my money for a sale transaction and my shares for a buy transaction?

Brokers were required to make payment or give delivery within two working days of the pay - out day. However, as settlement cycle has been reduced fromT+3 rolling settlement to T+2 w.e.f. April 01, 2003, the pay out of funds and securities to the clients by the broker will be within 24 hours of the payout.

32. Is there any provision where I can get faster delivery of shares in my account?

The investors/clients can get direct delivery of shares in their beneficial owner accounts. To avail this facility, you have to give details of your beneficial owner account and the DP-ID of your DP to your broker along with the Standing Instructions for ‘Delivery-In’ to your Depository Participant for accepting shares in your beneficial owner account. Given these details, the Clearing Corporation/Clearing House shall send pay out instructions to the depositories so that you receive pay out of securities directly into your beneficial owner account.

33. What is an Auction?

The Exchange purchases the requisite quantity in the Auction Market and gives them to the buying trading member. The shortages are met through auction process and the difference in price indicated in contract note and price received through auction is paid by member to the Exchange, which is then liable to be recovered from the client.

34. What happens if the shares are not bought in the auction?

If the shares could not be bought in the auction i.e. if shares are not offered for sale in the auction, the transactions are closed out as per SEBI guidelines.

The guidelines stipulate that “the close out Price will be the highest price recorded in that scrip on the exchange in the settlement in which the concerned contract was entered into and up to the date of auction/close out OR 20% above the official closing price on the exchange on the day on which auction offers are called for (and in the event of there being no such closing price on that day, then the official closing price on the immediately preceding trading day on which there was an official closing price), whichever is higher.

Since, in the rolling settlement the auction and the close out takes place during trading hours, the reference price in the rolling settlement for close out procedures would be taken as the previous day’s closing price.

35. What is Margin Trading Facility?

Margin Trading is trading with borrowed funds/securities. It is essentially a leveraging mechanism which enables investors to take exposure in the market over and above what is possible with their own resources. SEBI has been prescribing eligibility conditions and procedural details for allowing the Margin Trading Facility from time to time.

Corporate brokers with net worth of at least Rs.3 crore are eligible for providing Margin trading facility to their clients subject to their entering into an agreement to that effect. Before providing margin trading facility to a client, the member and the client have been mandated to sign an agreement for this purpose in the format specified by SEBI. It has also been specified that the client shall not avail the facility from more than one broker at any time.

The facility of margin trading is available for Group 1 securities and those securities which are offered in the initial public offers and meet the conditions for inclusion in the derivatives segment of the stock exchanges.

For providing the margin trading facility, a broker may use his own funds or borrow from scheduled commercial banks or NBFCs regulated by the RBI. A broker is not allowed to borrow funds from any other source.

The "total exposure" of the broker towards the margin trading facility should not exceed the borrowed funds and 50 per cent of his "net worth". While providing the margin trading facility, the broker has to ensure that the exposure to a single client does not exceed 10 per cent of the "total exposure" of the broker.

Initial margin has been prescribed as 50% and the maintenance margin has been prescribed as 40%.

In addition, a broker has to disclose to the stock exchange details on gross exposure including name of the client, unique identification number under the SEBI (Central Database of Market Participants) Regulations, 2003, and name of the scrip.

If the broker has borrowed funds for the purpose of providing margin trading facility, the name of the lender and amount borrowed should be disclosed latest by the next day.

The stock exchange, in turn, has to disclose the scrip-wise gross outstanding in margin accounts with all brokers to the market. Such disclosure regarding margin-trading done on any day shall be made available after the trading hours on the following day.

The arbitration mechanism of the exchange would not be available for settlement of disputes, if any, between the client and broker, arising out of the margin trading facility. However, all transactions done on the exchange, whether normal or through margin trading facility, shall be covered under the arbitration mechanism of the exchange.

36. What is SEBI Risk Management System?

The primary focus of risk management by SEBI has been to address the market risks, operational risks and systemic risks. To this effect, SEBI has been continuously reviewing its policies and drafting risk management policies to mitigate these risks, thereby enhancing the level of investor protection and catalyzing market development. The key risk management measures initiated by SEBI include:-

Ø Categorization of securities into groups 1, 2 and 3 for imposition of margins based on their liquidity and volatility.

Ø VaR based margining system.

Ø Specification of mark to Market margins

Ø Specification of Intra-day trading limits and Gross Exposure Limits

Ø Real time monitoring of the Intra-day trading limits and Gross Exposure Limits by the Stock Exchanges

Ø Specification of time limits of payment of margins

Ø Collection of margins on upfront basis

Ø Index based market wide circuit breakers

Ø Automatic de-activation of trading terminals in case of breach of exposure limits

Ø VaR based margining system has been put in place based on the categorization of stocks based on the liquidity of stocks depending on its impact cost and volatility. It addresses 99% of the risks in the market.

Ø Additional margins have also been specified to address the balance 1% cases.

Ø Collection of margins from institutional clients on T+1 basis

The liquid assets deposited by the broker with the exchange should be sufficient to cover upfront VaR margins, Extreme Loss Margin, MTM (Mark to Market Losses) and the prescribed BMC. The Mark to Market margin would be payable before the start of the next day’s trading. The Margin would be calculated based on gross open position of the member. The gross open position for this purpose would mean the gross of all net positions across all the clients of a member including his proprietary position. The exchanges would monitor the position of the brokers’ online real time basis and there would be automatic deactivation of terminal on any shortfall of margin.

37. What is Short Selling and Securities Lending & Borrowing?

Short Selling means selling of a stock that the seller does not own at the time of trade. Short selling can be done by borrowing the stock through Clearing Corporation/Clearing House of a stock exchange which is registered as Approved Intermediaries (AIs). Short selling can be done by retail as well as institutional investors. Naked short sale is not permitted in India, all short sales must result in delivery, and information on short sale has to be disclosed to the exchange by end of day by retail investors, and at the time of trade for institutional investors. The Securities Lending and Borrowing mechanism allows short sellers to borrow securities for making delivery. Securities in the F&O segment are eligible for short selling.

Securities Lending and Borrowing (SLB) is a scheme that has been launched to enable settlement of securities sold short. SLB enables lending of idle securities by the investors through the clearing corporation/clearing house of stock exchanges to earn a return through the same. For securities lending and borrowing system, clearing corporations/clearing house of the stock exchange would be the nodal agency and would be registered as the “Approved Intermediaries”(AIs) under the Securities Lending Scheme, 1997.

Under SLB, securities can be borrowed for a period of 7 days through a screen based order matching mechanism. Securities in the F&O segment are eligible for SLB.

38. What happens if I do not get my money or share on the due date?

In case a broker fails to deliver the securities or make payment on time, or if you have complaint against conduct of the stock broker, you can file a complaint with the respective stock exchange. The exchange is required to resolve all the complaints. To resolve the dispute, the complainant can also resort to arbitration as provided on the reverse of contract note /purchase or sale note. However, if the complaint is not addressed by the Stock Exchanges or is unduly delayed, then the complaints along with supporting documents may be forwarded to SEBI. Your complaint would be followed up with the exchanges for expeditious redressal.

In case of complaint against a sub broker, the complaint may be forwarded to the concerned broker with whom the sub broker is affiliated for redressal.

39.What recourses are available to me for redressing my grievances?

You have following recourses available:

· Office of Investor Assistance and Education (OIAE) : You can lodge a complaint with OIAE Department of SEBI against companies for delay, non-receipt of shares, refund orders, etc., and with Stock Exchanges against brokers on certain trade disputes or non receipt of payment/securities.

· Arbitration: If no amicable settlement could be reached, then you can make application for reference to Arbitration under the Bye Laws of concerned Stock Exchange.

· Court of Law

40. What is Arbitration?

Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism provided by a stock exchange for resolving disputes between the trading members and their clients in respect of trades done on the exchange.

41. What is the process for preferring arbitration?

The byelaws of the exchange provide the procedure for Arbitration. You can procure a form for filing arbitration from the concerned stock exchange. The arbitral tribunal has to make the arbitral award within 3 months from the date of entering upon the reference. The time taken to make an award cannot be extended beyond a maximum period of 6 months from the date of entering upon the reference.

42. Who appoints the arbitrators?

Every exchange maintains a panel of arbitrators. Investors may choose the arbitrator of their choice from the panel. The broker also has an option to choose an arbitrator. The name(s) would be forwarded to the member for acceptance. In case of disagreement, the exchange shall decide upon the name of arbitrators.

43. What happens if I am aggrieved by the award of the arbitrator?

In case you are aggrieved by the arbitration award, you can take recourse to the appeal provisions as given in the bye-laws of the Exchange.

44. What is Investor Protection Fund (IPF) / Customer Protection Fund (CPF) at Stock Exchanges?

Investor Protection Fund is the fund set up by the Stock Exchanges to meet the legitimate investment claims of the clients of the defaulting members that are not of speculative nature. SEBI has prescribed guidelines for utilisation of IPF at the Stock Exchanges. The Stock Exchanges have been permitted to fix suitable compensation limits, in consultation with the IPF/CPF Trust. It has been provided that the amount of compensation available against a single claim of an investor arising out of default by a member broker of a Stock Exchange shall not be less than Rs. 1 lakh in case of major Stock Exchanges viz., BSE and NSE, and Rs. 50,000/- in case of other Stock Exchanges.

45. What is BSE IndoNext?

Regional stock exchanges (RSEs) have registered negligible business during the last few years and thus small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) listed there find it difficult to raise fresh resources in the absence of price discovery of their securities in the secondary market. As a result, investors also do not find exit opportunity in case of such companies.

BSE IndoNext has been formed to benefit such small and medium size companies (SMEs), the investors in these companies and capital markets at large. It has been set up as a separate trading platform under the present BSE Online Trading (BOLT) system of the BSE. It is a joint initiative of BSE and the Federation of Indian Stock Exchanges (FISE).

INTERNAL AUDIT OF STOCK BROKERS/ TRADING MEMBERS /CLEARING MEMBERS

46. Whether internal audit is applicable to all the brokers/trading members/clearing members including the inactive members?

Internal audit is applicable to all the active brokers/trading members/clearing members. The in-active brokers/trading members/clearing members shall inform the respective stock exchange through a letter at the end of the respective inspection/audit period.

Definition of Active broker: A broker who had one or more trades during the inspection/audit period in the respective exchange is considered to be an active broker.

47. What is the time-limit to submit the report? Where to submit the report?

The internal auditor shall submit the report to the Proprietor / Partner / Board of the respective stockbroker/clearing member within 60 days from the end of the half year period.

The management of the respective stock broker/clearing member shall place the report before the board of directors / Proprietor / Partners who shall forward the same along with para-wise comments to the respective stock exchange within 3 months from the end of the half year period.

48. Whether statutory auditor can do the internal audit of the same firm?

Statutory auditor of the stock broker can not do the internal audit of the same stock broker/clearing member.

49. Whether an auditor can do the internal audit of particular stock broker on continuous basis?

Every 3 years the stock broker has to change the internal auditor. Further, where, in the opinion of the stock exchange, the quality of the report is not satisfactory or the audit has not been carried out as per the exchange guidelines, the stock exchange may advise the concerned member to change the auditor.

50. Is there any assistance for data from Stock Exchanges/Depositories?

Internal auditors are advised to collect all the required data from the respective stock broker/clearing members only.

51. Does exchange/SEBI plans to have CA/CS/CMA empanelment?

Currently, neither SEBI nor the exchanges have any plan to have CA/CS/CMA empanelment.

52. What should be the format of the report?

While no specific format is being prescribed, the internal auditor should cover all the areas mentioned in the scope/guidelines for the internal audit. Further the auditor should give a certificate of audit in the prescribed format.

Corporatisation and Demutualisation

53. What is the structure of the stock exchanges in India?

There are 19 recognised stock exchanges in India. Mangalore Stock Exchange, Saurashtra Kutch Stock Exchange, Magadh Stock Exchange and Hyderabad Stock Exchange have been derecognised by SEBI.

In terms of legal structure, the stock exchanges in India could be segregated into two broad groups – 16 stock exchanges which were set up as companies, either limited by guarantees or by shares, and 3 stock exchanges which were set up as association of persons and later converted into companies, viz. BSE, ASE and Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange. Apart from NSE, all stock exchanges whether established as corporate bodies or Association of Persons, were earlier non-profit making organizations. As per the demutualisation scheme mandated by SEBI, all stock exchanges other than Coimbatore stock exchange have completed their corporatisation and demutualisation process. Accordingly, out of 19 stock exchanges 18 are corporatised and demutualised and are functioning as for-profit companies, limited by shares.

54. What is meant by corporatisation of stock exchanges?

Corporatisation is the process of converting the organizational structure of the stock exchange from a non-corporate structure to a corporate structure.

Traditionally, some of the stock exchanges in India were established as “Association of persons”, e.g. the Stock Exchange, Mumbai (BSE), Ahmedabad Stock Exchange (ASE) and Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange (MPSE). Corporatisation of such exchanges is the process of converting them into incorporated Companies.

55. What is demutualisation of stock exchanges?

Demutualisation refers to the transition process of an exchange from a “mutually-owned” association to a company “owned by shareholders”. In other words, transforming the legal structure of an exchange from a mutual form to a business corporation form is referred to as demutualisation. The above, in effect means that after demutualisation, the ownership, the management and the trading rights at the exchange are segregated from one another.

56. How is a demutualised exchange different from a mutual exchange?

In a mutual exchange, the three functions of ownership, management and trading are intervened into a single Group. Here, the broker members of the exchange are both the owners and the traders on the exchange and they further manage the exchange as well. A demutualised exchange, on the other hand, has all these three functions clearly segregated, i.e. the ownership, management and trading are in separate hands.

57. Currently are there any demutualised stock exchanges in India?

18 stock Currently exchanges are demutualised in India, viz. BSE, NSE, Ahmedabad Stock Exchange, Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange, Madras Stock Exchange, Cochin Stock Exchange, Bhubhaneshwar Stock Exchange, Bangalore Stock Exchange, OTCEI, Inter-connected Stock Exchange, Ludhiana Stock Exchange, Guwahati Stock Exchange, Vadodara Stock Exchange, Delhi Stock Exchange, Calcutta Stock Exchange, Pune Stock Exchange, Jaipur Stock Exchange and Uttarpradesh Stock Exchange.

General Questions

58. What are the relevant Rules and Regulations and where can I find them?

You can browse through the “Legal Framework” section on the SEBI website http://www.sebi.gov.in/Index.jsp?contentDisp=Section&sec_id=1 for complete information relating to acts, rules, regulations, circulars, and guidelines relating to securities market.

59. What is day trading?

Day trading refers to buying and selling of securities within the same trading day such that all positions will be closed before the market close of the trading day. In the Indian securities market only retail investors are allowed to day trade.

60. What are the main things an investor should be aware of while dealing with a broker/sub-broker?

Good understanding of investment opportunities alone may not help the investor in the securities market to trade. It is also important that the investor understands the process of investing, such as finding an appropriate broker, handling buying and selling of securities and maintaining records.

Before choosing a broker/sub-broker the investor should be aware of the following things:-

Ø From where the broker/sub-broker has learnt the business?

Ø How long has he been serving the securities industry?

Ø Whether he has eligible qualifications as a broker?

Ø How many clients does he serve?

Ø What fees and expenses does he charge?

61. What are the major obligations and responsibilities of a broker?

a) Entering into an agreement with his client or with sub broker and client

b) Maintenance of separate books of accounts and records for clients

c) Maintenance of money of clients in a separate account and their own money in a separate account.

d) Issue of daily statement of collateral utilization to clients

e) Appointment of compliance officer

f) Issue of contract note to his client within 24hrs of the execution of the contract.

g) Delivery / Payment to be made to the client within 24 hrs of pay–out.

h) Other duties as specified in the SEBI (Stock Brokers and Sub-Brokers) Rules, 1992.

62. What are the major rights and obligations of an investor?

a) Before entering into a contract with the broker, ensure that he is registered with SEBI.

b) Satisfy yourself about the credentials of the broker by asking for information/documents supporting his claims.

c) Keep a documentary proof of having made deposit of money or securities with the broker.

d) Before activating your trading account, obtain clear idea from your broker about all brokerage, commissions, fees and other charges which will be levied on your trades.

e) Furnish details in full as are required by the broker as required in “know your client” (KYC) norms.

f) Ensure that a contract note is issued by the broker which contains complete records of every transaction within 24hrs of the execution of the contract.

g) In case pay-out of money and / or securities is not received on the next working day after date of pay-out, follow up with the concerned broker for its release. If it is not released within five working days, ensure to lodge a complaint immediately with the Investors’ Grievance Cell of the exchange.

h) Ensure to receive a complete ‘Statement of Accounts’ for both funds and securities settlement every quarter.

63. What are the various accounts an investor should have for trading in securities market?

Beneficial owner Account (B.O. account) / Demat Account: It is an account opened with a depository participant in the name of client for the purpose of holding and transferring securities.

Trading Account: An account which is opened by the broker in the name of the respective investor for the maintenance of transactions executed while buying and selling of securities.

Client Account / Bank Account: A bank account which is in the name of the respective client and is used for debiting or crediting money for trading in the securities market.

64. With whom should the investor file his complaint against an intermediary?

In case an investor feels that his issue/problem/grievance is not being sorted out by concerned intermediary then he may take up the matter with the immediate/next higher level authority/SRO for the concerned intermediary. If the investor is not satisfied with the resolution of his complaint then he can escalate the matter to SEBI. Example: for complaint against sub-broker/broker you may approach stock exchange. For complaints against DPs, you may approach Depository.

In order to expedite the process of redressel of complaints and to make the process of lodging a complaint easier for the complainants, all SEBI registered intermediaries have been mandated to designate an e-mail ID of the grievance redressel division/compliance officer exclusively for the purpose of registering complaints. The intermediaries have also been advised to display the email ID and other relevant details prominently on their websites.

65. Are all the investors mandated to comply with PAN requirement?

Yes. With effect from July 02, 2007, PAN has been made mandatory for all the investors participating in the securities market. In order to strengthen the Know Your Client (KYC) norms and identify every participant in the securities market with their respective PAN to ensure sound audit trail of all the transactions, SEBI has mandated PAN as the sole identification number for all persons transacting in the securities market, irrespective of the amount of transaction.

66. What is Trade for Trade Segment?

In a Trade for Trade segment, settlement of trades is done on the basis of gross obligations for the day. No netting is allowed and every trade is being settled separately.

67. How trading takes place and what is the process of trading?

The normal course of online trading in the Indian market context is placed below:

Step 1. Investor / trader decides to trade

Step 2. Places order with a broker to buy / sell the required quantity of respective securities

Step 3. Best priced order matches based on price-time priority

Step 4. Order execution is electronically communicated to the broker’s terminal

Step 5. Trade confirmation slip issued to the investor / trader by the broker

Step 6. Within 24 hours of trade execution, contract note is issued to the investor / trader by the broker

Step 7 Pay-in of funds and securities before T+2 day

Step 8. Pay-out of funds and securities on T+2 day

In case of short or bad delivery of funds / securities, the exchange orders for an auction to settle the delivery. If the shares could not be bought in the auction, the transaction is closed out as per SEBI guidelines.

68. What is Direct Market Access (DMA)?

Direct Market Access (DMA) is a facility which allows brokers to offer clients direct access to the exchange trading system through the broker’s infrastructure without manual intervention by the broker. Some of the advantages offered by DMA are direct control of clients over orders, faster execution of client orders, reduced risk of errors associated with manual order entry, greater transparency, increased liquidity, lower impact costs for large orders, better audit trails and better use of hedging and arbitrage opportunities through the use of decision support tools / algorithms for trading. Presently, DMA facility is available for institutional investors.

MUTUAL FUND

2009-03-09T12:39:00.012+05:30

Mutual Fund is one of the most active tool in the Indian Financial Market.
Here I am posting some information regarding Mutual Fund of India,which is
taken from SEBI website.

What is a Mutual Fund?

Mutual fund is a mechanism for pooling the resources by issuing units to the investors and investing funds in securities in accordance with objectives as disclosed in offer document.

Investments in securities are spread across a wide cross-section of industries and sectors and thus the risk is reduced. Diversification reduces the risk because all stocks may not move in the same direction in the same proportion at the same time. Mutual fund issues units to the investors in accordance with quantum of money invested by them. Investors of mutual funds are known as unitholders.

The profits or losses are shared by the investors in proportion to their investments. The mutual funds normally come out with a number of schemes with different investment objectives which are launched from time to time. A mutual fund is required to be registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) which regulates securities markets before it can collect funds from the public.

What is the history of Mutual Funds in India and role of SEBI in mutual funds industry?

Unit Trust of India was the first mutual fund set up in India in the year 1963. In early 1990s, Government allowed public sector banks and institutions to set up mutual funds.

In the year 1992, Securities and exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act was passed. The objectives of SEBI are – to protect the interest of investors in securities and to promote the development of and to regulate the securities market.

As far as mutual funds are concerned, SEBI formulates policies and regulates the mutual funds to protect the interest of the investors. SEBI notified regulations for the mutual funds in 1993. Thereafter, mutual funds sponsored by private sector entities were allowed to enter the capital market. The regulations were fully revised in 1996 and have been amended thereafter from time to time. SEBI has also issued guidelines to the mutual funds from time to time to protect the interests of investors.

All mutual funds whether promoted by public sector or private sector entities including those promoted by foreign entities are governed by the same set of Regulations. There is no distinction in regulatory requirements for these mutual funds and all are subject to monitoring and inspections by SEBI. The risks associated with the schemes launched by the mutual funds sponsored by these entities are of similar type.

How is a mutual fund set up?

A mutual fund is set up in the form of a trust, which has sponsor, trustees, asset management company (AMC) and custodian. The trust is established by a sponsor or more than one sponsor who is like promoter of a company. The trustees of the mutual fund hold its property for the benefit of the unitholders. Asset Management Company (AMC) approved by SEBI manages the funds by making investments in various types of securities. Custodian, who is registered with SEBI, holds the securities of various schemes of the fund in its custody. The trustees are vested with the general power of superintendence and direction over AMC. They monitor the performance and compliance of SEBI Regulations by the mutual fund.

SEBI Regulations require that at least two thirds of the directors of trustee company or board of trustees must be independent i.e. they should not be associated with the sponsors. Also, 50% of the directors of AMC must be independent. All mutual funds are required to be registered with SEBI before they launch any scheme.

What is Net Asset Value (NAV) of a scheme?

The performance of a particular scheme of a mutual fund is denoted by Net Asset Value (NAV).

Mutual funds invest the money collected from the investors in securities markets. In simple words, Net Asset Value is the market value of the securities held by the scheme. Since market value of securities changes every day, NAV of a scheme also varies on day to day basis. The NAV per unit is the market value of securities of a scheme divided by the total number of units of the scheme on any particular date. For example, if the market value of securities of a mutual fund scheme is Rs 200 lakhs and the mutual fund has issued 10 lakhs units of Rs. 10 each to the investors, then the NAV per unit of the fund is Rs.20. NAV is required to be disclosed by the mutual funds on a regular basis - daily or weekly - depending on the type of scheme.

What are the different types of mutual fund schemes?

Schemes according to Maturity Period:

A mutual fund scheme can be classified into open-ended scheme or close-ended scheme depending on its maturity period.

Open-ended Fund/ Scheme

An open-ended fund or scheme is one that is available for subscription and repurchase on a continuous basis. These schemes do not have a fixed maturity period. Investors can conveniently buy and sell units at Net Asset Value (NAV) related prices which are declared on a daily basis. The key feature of open-end schemes is liquidity.

Close-ended Fund/ Scheme

A close-ended fund or scheme has a stipulated maturity period e.g. 5-7 years. The fund is open for subscription only during a specified period at the time of launch of the scheme. Investors can invest in the scheme at the time of the initial public issue and thereafter they can buy or sell the units of the scheme on the stock exchanges where the units are listed. In order to provide an exit route to the investors, some close-ended funds give an option of selling back the units to the mutual fund through periodic repurchase at NAV related prices. SEBI Regulations stipulate that at least one of the two exit routes is provided to the investor i.e. either repurchase facility or through listing on stock exchanges. These mutual funds schemes disclose NAV generally on weekly basis.

Schemes according to Investment Objective:

A scheme can also be classified as growth scheme, income scheme, or balanced scheme considering its investment objective. Such schemes may be open-ended or close-ended schemes as described earlier. Such schemes may be classified mainly as follows:

Growth / Equity Oriented Scheme

The aim of growth funds is to provide capital appreciation over the medium to long- term. Such schemes normally invest a major part of their corpus in equities. Such funds have comparatively high risks. These schemes provide different options to the investors like dividend option, capital appreciation, etc. and the investors may choose an option depending on their preferences. The investors must indicate the option in the application form. The mutual funds also allow the investors to change the options at a later date. Growth schemes are good for investors having a long-term outlook seeking appreciation over a period of time.

Income / Debt Oriented Scheme

The aim of income funds is to provide regular and steady income to investors. Such schemes generally invest in fixed income securities such as bonds, corporate debentures, Government securities and money market instruments. Such funds are less risky compared to equity schemes. These funds are not affected because of fluctuations in equity markets. However, opportunities of capital appreciation are also limited in such funds. The NAVs of such funds are affected because of change in interest rates in the country. If the interest rates fall, NAVs of such funds are likely to increase in the short run and vice versa. However, long term investors may not bother about these fluctuations.

Balanced Fund

The aim of balanced funds is to provide both growth and regular income as such schemes invest both in equities and fixed income securities in the proportion indicated in their offer documents. These are appropriate for investors looking for moderate growth. They generally invest 40-60% in equity and debt instruments. These funds are also affected because of fluctuations in share prices in the stock markets. However, NAVs of such funds are likely to be less volatile compared to pure equity funds.

Money Market or Liquid Fund

These funds are also income funds and their aim is to provide easy liquidity, preservation of capital and moderate income. These schemes invest exclusively in safer short-term instruments such as treasury bills, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and inter-bank call money, government securities, etc. Returns on these schemes fluctuate much less compared to other funds. These funds are appropriate for corporate and individual investors as a means to park their surplus funds for short periods.

Gilt Fund

These funds invest exclusively in government securities. Government securities have no default risk. NAVs of these schemes also fluctuate due to change in interest rates and other economic factors as is the case with income or debt oriented schemes.

Index Funds

Index Funds replicate the portfolio of a particular index such as the BSE Sensitive index, S&P NSE 50 index (Nifty), etc These schemes invest in the securities in the same weightage comprising of an index. NAVs of such schemes would rise or fall in accordance with the rise or fall in the index, though not exactly by the same percentage due to some factors known as "tracking error" in technical terms. Necessary disclosures in this regard are made in the offer document of the mutual fund scheme.

There are also exchange traded index funds launched by the mutual funds which are traded on the stock exchanges.

What are sector specific funds/schemes?

These are the funds/schemes which invest in the securities of only those sectors or industries as specified in the offer documents. e.g. Pharmaceuticals, Software, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Petroleum stocks, etc. The returns in these funds are dependent on the performance of the respective sectors/industries. While these funds may give higher returns, they are more risky compared to diversified funds. Investors need to keep a watch on the performance of those sectors/industries and must exit at an appropriate time. They may also seek advice of an expert.

What are Tax Saving Schemes?

These schemes offer tax rebates to the investors under specific provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961 as the Government offers tax incentives for investment in specified avenues. e.g. Equity Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS). Pension schemes launched by the mutual funds also offer tax benefits. These schemes are growth oriented and invest pre-dominantly in equities. Their growth opportunities and risks associated are like any equity-oriented scheme.

What is a Fund of Funds (FoF) scheme?

A scheme that invests primarily in other schemes of the same mutual fund or other mutual funds is known as a FoF scheme. An FoF scheme enables the investors to achieve greater diversification through one scheme. It spreads risks across a greater universe.

What is a Load or no-load Fund?

A Load Fund is one that charges a percentage of NAV for entry or exit. That is, each time one buys or sells units in the fund, a charge will be payable. This charge is used by the mutual fund for marketing and distribution expenses. Suppose the NAV per unit is Rs.10. If the entry as well as exit load charged is 1%, then the investors who buy would be required to pay Rs.10.10 and those who offer their units for repurchase to the mutual fund will get only Rs.9.90 per unit. The investors should take the loads into consideration while making investment as these affect their yields/returns. However, the investors should also consider the performance track record and service standards of the mutual fund which are more important. Efficient funds may give higher returns in spite of loads.

A no-load fund is one that does not charge for entry or exit. It means the investors can enter the fund/scheme at NAV and no additional charges are payable on purchase or sale of units.

Can a mutual fund impose fresh load or increase the load beyond the level mentioned in the offer documents?

Mutual funds cannot increase the load beyond the level mentioned in the offer document. Any change in the load will be applicable only to prospective investments and not to the original investments. In case of imposition of fresh loads or increase in existing loads, the mutual funds are required to amend their offer documents so that the new investors are aware of loads at the time of investments.

What is a sales or repurchase/redemption price?

The price or NAV a unitholder is charged while investing in an open-ended scheme is called sales price. It may include sales load, if applicable.

Repurchase or redemption price is the price or NAV at which an open-ended scheme purchases or redeems its units from the unitholders. It may include exit load, if applicable.

What is an assured return scheme?

Assured return schemes are those schemes that assure a specific return to the unitholders irrespective of performance of the scheme.

A scheme cannot promise returns unless such returns are fully guaranteed by the sponsor or AMC and this is required to be disclosed in the offer document.

Investors should carefully read the offer document whether return is assured for the entire period of the scheme or only for a certain period. Some schemes assure returns one year at a time and they review and change it at the beginning of the next year.

Can a mutual fund change the asset allocation while deploying funds of investors?

Considering the market trends, any prudent fund managers can change the asset allocation i.e. he can invest higher or lower percentage of the fund in equity or debt instruments compared to what is disclosed in the offer document. It can be done on a short term basis on defensive considerations i.e. to protect the NAV. Hence the fund managers are allowed certain flexibility in altering the asset allocation considering the interest of the investors. In case the mutual fund wants to change the asset allocation on a permanent basis, they are required to inform the unitholders and giving them option to exit the scheme at prevailing NAV without any load.

How to invest in a scheme of a mutual fund?

Mutual funds normally come out with an advertisement in newspapers publishing the date of launch of the new schemes. Investors can also contact the agents and distributors of mutual funds who are spread all over the country for necessary information and application forms. Forms can be deposited with mutual funds through the agents and distributors who provide such services. Now a days, the post offices and banks also distribute the units of mutual funds. However, the investors may please note that the mutual funds schemes being marketed by banks and post offices should not be taken as their own schemes and no assurance of returns is given by them. The only role of banks and post offices is to help in distribution of mutual funds schemes to the investors.

Investors should not be carried away by commission/gifts given by agents/distributors for investing in a particular scheme. On the other hand they must consider the track record of the mutual fund and should take objective decisions.

Can non-resident Indians (NRIs) invest in mutual funds?

Yes, non-resident Indians can also invest in mutual funds. Necessary details in this respect are given in the offer documents of the schemes.

How much should one invest in debt or equity oriented schemes?

An investor should take into account his risk taking capacity, age factor, financial position, etc. As already mentioned, the schemes invest in different type of securities as disclosed in the offer documents and offer different returns and risks. Investors may also consult financial experts before taking decisions. Agents and distributors may also help in this regard.

How to fill up the application form of a mutual fund scheme?

An investor must mention clearly his name, address, number of units applied for and such other information as required in the application form. He must give his bank account number so as to avoid any fraudulent encashment of any cheque/draft issued by the mutual fund at a later date for the purpose of dividend or repurchase. Any changes in the address, bank account number, etc at a later date should be informed to the mutual fund immediately.

What should an investor look into an offer document?

An abridged offer document, which contains very useful information, is required to be given to the prospective investor by the mutual fund. The application form for subscription to a scheme is an integral part of the offer document. SEBI has prescribed minimum disclosures in the offer document. An investor, before investing in a scheme, should carefully read the offer document. Due care must be given to portions relating to main features of the scheme, risk factors, initial issue expenses and recurring expenses to be charged to the scheme, entry or exit loads, sponsor’s track record, educational qualification and work experience of key personnel including fund managers, performance of other schemes launched by the mutual fund in the past, pending litigations and penalties imposed, etc.

When will the investor get certificate or statement of account after investing in a mutual fund?

Mutual funds are required to despatch certificates or statements of accounts within six weeks from the date of closure of the initial subscription of the scheme. In case of close-ended schemes, the investors would get either a demat account statement or unit certificates as these are traded in the stock exchanges. In case of open-ended schemes, a statement of account is issued by the mutual fund within 30 days from the date of closure of initial public offer of the scheme. The procedure of repurchase is mentioned in the offer document.

How long will it take for transfer of units after purchase from stock markets in case of close-ended schemes?

According to SEBI Regulations, transfer of units is required to be done within thirty days from the date of lodgment of certificates with the mutual fund.

As a unitholder, how much time will it take to receive dividends/repurchase proceeds?

A mutual fund is required to despatch to the unitholders the dividend warrants within 30 days of the declaration of the dividend and the redemption or repurchase proceeds within 10 working days from the date of redemption or repurchase request made by the unitholder.

In case of failures to despatch the redemption/repurchase proceeds within the stipulated time period, Asset Management Company is liable to pay interest as specified by SEBI from time to time (15% at present).

Can a mutual fund change the nature of the scheme from the one specified in the offer document?

Yes. However, no change in the nature or terms of the scheme, known as fundamental attributes of the scheme e.g.structure, investment pattern, etc. can be carried out unless a written communication is sent to each unitholder and an advertisement is given in one English daily having nationwide circulation and in a newspaper published in the language of the region where the head office of the mutual fund is situated. The unitholders have the right to exit the scheme at the prevailing NAV without any exit load if they do not want to continue with the scheme. The mutual funds are also required to follow similar procedure while converting the scheme form close-ended to open-ended scheme and in case of change in sponsor.

How will an investor come to know about the changes, if any, which may occur in the mutual fund?

There may be changes from time to time in a mutual fund. The mutual funds are required to inform any material changes to their unitholders. Apart from it, many mutual funds send quarterly newsletters to their investors.

At present, offer documents are required to be revised and updated at least once in two years. In the meantime, new investors are informed about the material changes by way of addendum to the offer document till the time offer document is revised and reprinted.

How to know the performance of a mutual fund scheme?

The performance of a scheme is reflected in its net asset value (NAV) which is disclosed on daily basis in case of open-ended schemes and on weekly basis in case of close-ended schemes. The NAVs of mutual funds are required to be published in newspapers. The NAVs are also available on the web sites of mutual funds. All mutual funds are also required to put their NAVs on the web site of Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) www.amfiindia.com and thus the investors can access NAVs of all mutual funds at one place

The mutual funds are also required to publish their performance in the form of half-yearly results which also include their returns/yields over a period of time i.e. last six months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and since inception of schemes. Investors can also look into other details like percentage of expenses of total assets as these have an affect on the yield and other useful information in the same half-yearly format.

The mutual funds are also required to send annual report or abridged annual report to the unitholders at the end of the year.

Various studies on mutual fund schemes including yields of different schemes are being published by the financial newspapers on a weekly basis. Apart from these, many research agencies also publish research reports on performance of mutual funds including the ranking of various schemes in terms of their performance. Investors should study these reports and keep themselves informed about the performance of various schemes of different mutual funds.

Investors can compare the performance of their schemes with those of other mutual funds under the same category. They can also compare the performance of equity oriented schemes with the benchmarks like BSE Sensitive Index, S&P CNX Nifty, etc.

On the basis of performance of the mutual funds, the investors should decide when to enter or exit from a mutual fund scheme.

How to know where the mutual fund scheme has invested money mobilised from the investors?

The mutual funds are required to disclose full portfolios of all of their schemes on half-yearly basis which are published in the newspapers. Some mutual funds send the portfolios to their unitholders.

The scheme portfolio shows investment made in each security i.e. equity, debentures, money market instruments, government securities, etc. and their quantity, market value and % to NAV. These portfolio statements also required to disclose illiquid securities in the portfolio, investment made in rated and unrated debt securities, non-performing assets (NPAs), etc.

Some of the mutual funds send newsletters to the unitholders on quarterly basis which also contain portfolios of the schemes.

Is there any difference between investing in a mutual fund and in an initial public offering (IPO) of a company?

Yes, there is a difference. IPOs of companies may open at lower or higher price than the issue price depending on market sentiment and perception of investors. However, in the case of mutual funds, the par value of the units may not rise or fall immediately after allotment. A mutual fund scheme takes some time to make investment in securities. NAV of the scheme depends on the value of securities in which the funds have been deployed.

If schemes in the same category of different mutual funds are available, should one choose a scheme with lower NAV?

Some of the investors have the tendency to prefer a scheme that is available at lower NAV compared to the one available at higher NAV. Sometimes, they prefer a new scheme which is issuing units at Rs. 10 whereas the existing schemes in the same category are available at much higher NAVs. Investors may please note that in case of mutual funds schemes, lower or higher NAVs of similar type schemes of different mutual funds have no relevance. On the other hand, investors should choose a scheme based on its merit considering performance track record of the mutual fund, service standards, professional management, etc. This is explained in an example given below.

Suppose scheme A is available at a NAV of Rs.15 and another scheme B at Rs.90. Both schemes are diversified equity oriented schemes. Investor has put Rs. 9,000 in each of the two schemes. He would get 600 units (9000/15) in scheme A and 100 units (9000/90) in scheme B. Assuming that the markets go up by 10 per cent and both the schemes perform equally good and it is reflected in their NAVs. NAV of scheme A would go up to Rs. 16.50 and that of scheme B to Rs. 99. Thus, the market value of investments would be Rs. 9,900 (600* 16.50) in scheme A and it would be the same amount of Rs. 9900 in scheme B (100*99). The investor would get the same return of 10% on his investment in each of the schemes. Thus, lower or higher NAV of the schemes and allotment of higher or lower number of units within the amount an investor is willing to invest, should not be the factors for making investment decision. Likewise, if a new equity oriented scheme is being offered at Rs.10 and an existing scheme is available for Rs. 90, should not be a factor for decision making by the investor. Similar is the case with income or debt-oriented schemes.

On the other hand, it is likely that the better managed scheme with higher NAV may give higher returns compared to a scheme which is available at lower NAV but is not managed efficiently. Similar is the case of fall in NAVs. Efficiently managed scheme at higher NAV may not fall as much as inefficiently managed scheme with lower NAV. Therefore, the investor should give more weightage to the professional management of a scheme instead of lower NAV of any scheme. He may get much higher number of units at lower NAV, but the scheme may not give higher returns if it is not managed efficiently.

How to choose a scheme for investment from a number of schemes available?

As already mentioned, the investors must read the offer document of the mutual fund scheme very carefully. They may also look into the past track record of performance of the scheme or other schemes of the same mutual fund. They may also compare the performance with other schemes having similar investment objectives. Though past performance of a scheme is not an indicator of its future performance and good performance in the past may or may not be sustained in the future, this is one of the important factors for making investment decision. In case of debt oriented schemes, apart from looking into past returns, the investors should also see the quality of debt instruments which is reflected in their rating. A scheme with lower rate of return but having investments in better rated instruments may be safer. Similarly, in equities schemes also, investors may look for quality of portfolio. They may also seek advice of experts.

Are the companies having names like mutual benefit the same as mutual funds schemes?

Investors should not assume some companies having the name "mutual benefit" as mutual funds. These companies do not come under the purview of SEBI. On the other hand, mutual funds can mobilise funds from the investors by launching schemes only after getting registered with SEBI as mutual funds.

Is the higher net worth of the sponsor a guarantee for better returns?

In the offer document of any mutual fund scheme, financial performance including the net worth of the sponsor for a period of three years is required to be given. The only purpose is that the investors should know the track record of the company which has sponsored the mutual fund. However, higher net worth of the sponsor does not mean that the scheme would give better returns or the sponsor would compensate in case the NAV falls.

Where can an investor look out for information on mutual funds?

Almost all the mutual funds have their own web sites. Investors can also access the NAVs, half-yearly results and portfolios of all mutual funds at the web site of Association of mutual funds in India (AMFI) www.amfiindia.com. AMFI has also published useful literature for the investors.

Investors can log on to the web site of SEBI www.sebi.gov.in and go to "Mutual Funds" section for information on SEBI regulations and guidelines, data on mutual funds, draft offer documents filed by mutual funds, addresses of mutual funds, etc. Also, in the annual reports of SEBI available on the web site, a lot of information on mutual funds is given.

There are a number of other web sites which give a lot of information of various schemes of mutual funds including yields over a period of time. Many newspapers also publish useful information on mutual funds on daily and weekly basis. Investors may approach their agents and distributors to guide them in this regard.

Can an investor appoint a nominee for his investment in units of a mutual fund?

Yes. The nomination can be made by individuals applying for / holding units on their own behalf singly or jointly. Non-individuals including society, trust, body corporate, partnership firm, Karta of Hindu Undivided Family, holder of Power of Attorney cannot nominate.

If mutual fund scheme is wound up, what happens to money invested?

In case of winding up of a scheme, the mutual funds pay a sum based on prevailing NAV after adjustment of expenses. Unitholders are entitled to receive a report on winding up from the mutual funds which gives all necessary details.

How can the investors redress their complaints?

Investors would find the name of contact person in the offer document of the mutual fund scheme whom they may approach in case of any query, complaints or grievances. Trustees of a mutual fund monitor the activities of the mutual fund. The names of the directors of asset management company and trustees are also given in the offer documents. Investors should approach the concerned Mutual Fund / Investor Service Centre of the Mutual Fund with their complaints,

If the complaints remain unresolved, the investors may approach SEBI for facilitating redressal of their complaints. On receipt of complaints, SEBI takes up the matter with the concerned mutual fund and follows up with it regularly. Investors may send their complaints to:

Securities and Exchange Board of India

Office of Investor Assistance and Education (OIAE)

Exchange Plaza, “G” Block, 4^th Floor,

Bandra-Kurla Complex,

Bandra (E), Mumbai – 400 051.

Phone: 26598510-13

What is the procedure for registering a mutual fund with SEBI ?

An applicant proposing to sponsor a mutual fund in India must submit an application in Form A along with a fee of Rs.25,000. The application is examined and once the sponsor satisfies certain conditions such as being in the financial services business and possessing positive net worth for the last five years, having net profit in three out of the last five years and possessing the general reputation of fairness and integrity in all business transactions, it is required to complete the remaining formalities for setting up a mutual fund. These include inter alia, executing the trust deed and investment management agreement, setting up a trustee company/board of trustees comprising two- thirds independent trustees, incorporating the asset management company (AMC), contributing to at least 40% of the net worth of the AMC and appointing a custodian. Upon satisfying these conditions, the registration certificate is issued subject to the payment of registration fees of Rs.25.00 lacs For details, see the SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996.

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