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Jargon Buster
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Account Statement
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It is the document issued by the mutual fund, giving details of various transactions
and holdings of an investor in schemes of the fund.
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Advisor
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Your financial consultant who gives professional advice on the fund's investments
and to supervise the management of its assets.
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Amortization
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Elimination of a liability, [a debt or loan] over a period of time (e.g., monthly,
quarterly, or yearly).
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Annual Returns
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The percentage of change in a mutual fund's net asset value over a year, after factoring
in dividend receipts, capital gains, and reinvestment of these distributions.
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Appreciation
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When an investment increases in value, it appreciates. For example, a equity share
whose price goes from Rs. 100/- to Rs. 125/- has appreciated by Rs. 25/-.
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Arbitrage
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The simultaneous purchase and selling of a security in order to profit from a differential
in the price. This usually takes place on different exchanges or marketplaces.
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Asset
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Anything that has monetary value. Typical personal assets include stocks, real estate,
jewelry, art, cars, and bank accounts. Corporate assets are found on the company's
balance sheet and include cash, accounts receivable, short- and long-term investments,
inventories, and prepaid expenses.
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Asset Allocation
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Dividing investment dollars among various asset classes, typically among cash investments,
bonds, and stocks.
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Asset Classes
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The three major asset classes are cash, bonds, and stocks.
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Asset Management Company (AMC)
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It is the investment manager for the mutual fund. It is a company set up primarily
for managing the investment of mutual funds and makes investment decisions in accordance
with the scheme objectives, deed of Trust and other provisions of the Investment
Management Agreement.
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Average Maturity
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The average of all maturity dates for securities in a money market or bond fund.
The longer the average maturity, the more volatile a fund's share price will be,
moving up or down as interest rates change.
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Barter
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The exchange of goods and services for other goods and services without the use
of money.
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Balanced Funds
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A class of mutual fund that aims at allocating the total assets with it in the portfolio
mix of debt as well as equity instruments.
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Balance Sheet
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A financial statement showing the nature and amount of a company's assets, liabilities
and shareholders' equity
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Bear Market
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Period during which investors are on a selling spree and the share prices are going
down.
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Benchmark
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A parameter with which a scheme can be compared. For example, the performance of
a scheme can be benchmarked against an appropriate index.
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Beta
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It is the measure of the relative sensitivity of a stock or mutual fund to the market.
The market is assigned a beta of 1. The higher the beta, the more sensitive the
stock or fund is considered to be relative to the market as a whole. In other words,
funds with beta more than 1 will react more to any fluctuations (whether upward
or downward) in market than funds with beta less than 1.
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Bond
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A debt instrument issued by a company, state or the central government (or its agencies),
with a promise to pay interest at regular intervals and return the principal on
a specified date.
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Bond Rating
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System of evaluating the probability of whether a bond issuer will default. CRISIL,
ICRA, CARE and other rating agencies analyze the financial stability of both corporate
and state government debt issuers.
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Board of Directors
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A committee elected by the shareholders of a company, empowered to act on their
behalf in the management of company affairs. Directors are normally elected each
year at the annual meeting.
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Broker
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One who sells financial products. Whether in insurance, real estate, stocks, or
mutual funds.
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Brokerage
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The fee payable to a broker for acting as an intermediary in a transaction. For
example, brokerage is payable by a fund for getting fresh investments from investors.
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BSE Index
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A index reflecting the stock prices of 30 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange
(BSE) which is taken to be representative of the stock market movement.
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Bull Market
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A market that has been gaining value over a prolonged period.
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Capital
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This is the amount of money you have invested. When your investing objective is
capital preservation, your priority is trying not to lose any money. When your investing
objective is capital growth, your priority is trying to make your initial investment
grow in value.
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Capital Appreciation
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As the value of the securities in a portfolio increases, a fund's Net Asset Value
(NAV) increases, meaning that the value of your investment rises. If you sell units
at a higher price than you paid for them, you make a profit, or capital gain. If
you sell units at a lower price than you paid for them, you'll have a capital loss.
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Capital Gains
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The difference between assets purchased price and selling price, when the difference
is positive. A capital loss would be when the difference between an asset's purchase
price and selling price is negative.
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Certificate Of Deposit (CD)
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Interest-bearing, short-term debt instrument mainly issued by Financial Institutions.
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Collateral Security
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This is extra security provided by a borrower to back up his/her intention to repay
a loan.
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Closed-End Mutual Fund
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A mutual fund that has a fixed number of shares and is typically listed on a major
stock exchange. These funds often trade perpetually at a discount to their net asset
value (NAV).
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Commercial Paper
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Short-term, unsecured promissory notes with maturities shorter than 3 months. They
are issued by corporations to fund short-term credit needs.
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Commission
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The broker's or agent's fee for buying or selling securities for a client. The fee
is usually based on a percentage of the transaction's market value.
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Compliance Officer
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He is the officer appointed by the AMC to comply with various regulatory requirements
and to redress investor grievances associated with the funds.
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Compounding
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When you deposit money in a bank, it earns interest. When that interest also begins
to earn interest, the result is compound interest. Compounding occurs if bond income
or dividends from stocks or mutual funds are reinvested. Because of compounding,
money has the potential to grow much faster.
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Consumer Price Index (CPI)
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An inflation tracker, much followed by the mainstream media. It is the measure of
the price change in consumer goods and services
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Corpus
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The total amount of money invested by all the investors in a scheme.
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Coupon
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The term is used colloquially to refer to a security's interest rate
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Coupon Rate
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The annual rate of interest payable on a debt security expressed as a percentage
of the principal amount.
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Custodian
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The bank or trust company that maintains a mutual fund's assets, including its portfolio
of securities or some record of them. Provides safekeeping of securities but has
no role in portfolio management
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Cut - Off Time
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In respect of all mutual funds regulated by SEBI, fresh subscriptions and redemptions
are processed at a particular NAV. Every fund specifies a cut-off time in respect
of fresh subscriptions and redemption of units. All requests received before are
processed at that day's NAV and thereafter at the next day's NAV.
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Debt / Income Funds
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Funds that invest in income bearing instruments such as corporate debentures, PSU
bonds, gilts, treasury bills, certificates of deposit and commercial papers. Although
these funds are less volatile, the underlying investments carry a credit risk. Comparatively,
these funds are the least risky and are preferred by risk-averse investors.
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Deficit
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The shortfall between government revenues and budgetary spending in any given year.
A surplus occurs when annual revenues exceed expenditures.
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Debenture
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A debt obligation that is not backed by collateral, but usually rated by a credit
rating agency.
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Derivative
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A financial contract whose value is "derived" from another underlying asset, such
as stocks, bonds, commodities, or a market index such as NSE 50. The most common
types of derivatives are options, futures, and mortgage-backed securities.
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Discount
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The difference between the lower prices paid for a security and the security's face
amount at issue.
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Diversification
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Investing in separate asset classes (stocks, bonds, and cash) and/or stocks of different
companies in an attempt to lower overall investment risk.
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Dividends
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Mutual fund dividends are paid out of income from the scheme's investments and can
be announced out of the realized gains only. While dividends in the hands of the
investor are free from tax, mutual funds are now required to pay a "distribution
tax" for dividends declared from debt-oriented schemes.
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Dividend Frequency
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The periodicity of dividend payout of a scheme. This is especially valid in the
case of an income/debt scheme.
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Dividend Per Unit
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Total amount of dividend declared by a fund for a scheme divided by total number
of units issued to all the investors.
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Dividend Period
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The period for which the dividend is declared
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Dividend Plan
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In a dividend plan, the fund pays dividend from time to time as and when the dividend
is declared.
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Dividend Reinvestment
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In a dividend reinvestment plan, the dividend is reinvested in the scheme itself.
Hence instead of receiving dividend, the unit holders receive units. Thus the number
of units allotted under the dividend reinvestment plan would be the dividend declared
divided by the ex-dividend NAV.
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Dividend Warrant
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Instrument issued by companies/ mutual funds to an investor for the purpose of payment
of dividends
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Dividend Yield
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The dividend earned per unit of a scheme at the prevailing per unit price.
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Entry Load
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It is the load charged by the fund when one invests into the fund. It increases
the price of the units to more than the NAV and is expressed as a percentage of
NAV.
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Equity Linked Savings Scheme
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A special product offered by mutual funds. These schemes invest in equity i.e shares
and generally have a lock-in period of three years. The basic features of ELSS schemes
are: Tax rebate of 20% under section 88 of the Income Tax Act on an (maximum) investment
of Rs.10,000/-
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Equity Schemes
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Schemes where more than 50% of the investments are done in equity shares of various
companies.
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Endorsement
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A legal term that refers to the signing of a document which allows for the legal
transfer of a negotiable from one party to another.
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Exchange Privilege
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The opportunity given to a mutual-fund shareholder to exchange a fund for another
within the same fund family at no additional cost.
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Earnings per Share (EPS)
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The portion of a company's profit allocated to each outstanding share of common
stock. EPS serves as an indicator of a company's profitability. Calculated as:
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Equities
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Shares of stock in a company. Because they represent a proportional share in the
business, they are "equitable claims" on the business itself
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Expense Ratio
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The percentage of a mutual fund that is taken out of the pockets of shareholders
to pay. If you are investing in mutual funds, look for funds with a low expense
ratio.
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Fiscal Year
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The percentage of a mutual fund that is taken out of the pockets of shareholders
to pay. If you are investing in mutual funds, look for funds with a low expense
ratio.
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Gilt Funds
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A mutual fund that invests in several different types of medium and long-term government
securities in addition to top quality corporate debt. Gilts originated in Britain.
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Growth Funds
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A diversified portfolio of stocks that has capital appreciation as its primary goal,
and thereby invests in companies that reinvest their earnings into expansion, acquisitions.
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Income Fund
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A mutual fund that seeks to provide stable current income by investing in securities
that pays interest or dividends
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Index Fund
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A portfolio of investments that is weighted the same as a stock-exchange index in
order to mirror its performance.
This process is also referred to as "indexing".
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Initial Public Offering (IPO)
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The first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPO's are often issued
by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by
large privately-owned companies looking to become publicly traded.
In an IPO, the issuer obtains the assistance of an underwriting firm, which helps
it determine what type of security to issue (common or preferred), best offering
price and time to bring it to market. Also referred to as a "public offering".
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Institution Investors
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Institutions investors include pension funds, insurance funds, mutual funds, and
hedge funds.
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Investor Service Centres
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Any location, as may be defined by the Asset Management Company from time to time,
where investors can tender the request for subscription, redemption, switching of
units, or any other request.
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Liabilities
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Plural of liability. A liability is a financial obligation, debt, claim, or potential
loss.
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Liquidity
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The degree to which an asset or security can be bought or sold in the market without
affecting the asset's price. Liquidity is characterized by a high level of trading
activity.
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Load
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A sales commission paid when purchasing shares of a mutual fund (called as entry
load) or when redeeming shares of a mutual fund (called as exit load).
Most mutual funds today carry some load, since costs are incurred in the operation
of the fund and as a result of numerous shareholder transactions (i.e. buying and
redeeming of mutual fund shares). Also, this load quite literally acts as a burden
for investors, effectively discouraging them from trading the mutual fund short-term.
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Money Market Fund
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Mutual fund that invests typically in short-term government instruments (treasury
bills) and commercial paper (CPs) and Certificates of Deposit (CDs). These funds
tend to be lower-yielding, but less risky than most other types of funds.
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Net Asset Value
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The worth, in market terms, for each unit of the fund. It is calculated as the market
value of all investments in the fund less liabilities and expenses divided by the
outstanding number of units in the fund. Most schemes announce their NAV s on a
daily basis.
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Net Worth
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The amount by which a person's assets exceed their liabilities.
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Open-End Fund
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A mutual fund that has an unlimited number of shares available for purchase. Most
mutual funds are open-ended.
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Operating Expenses
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The cost of doing business. Operating expenses are deducted from revenues, and the
result is, hopefully, profits
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Option
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A call option is a contract in which a seller gives a buyer the right, but not the
obligation, to buy the optioned shares of a company at a set price (the strike price)
for a certain period of time. If the stock fails to exceed the strike price before
the expiration date, the option expires worthless. A put option is a contract that
gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to sell the stock underlying
the contract at a predetermined price (the strike price). The seller (or writer)
of the put option is obligated to buy the stock at the strike price.
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Portfolio
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All the securities held by an individual, institution, or mutual fund
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Preferred Stock
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Preferred stock pays a dividend on a regular schedule and is given preference over
common stock in regard to the payment of dividends or -- heaven forbid -- any liquidation
of the company. Their share prices tend to remain stable, and will generally not
carry the voting rights that common stock does.
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Premium
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The difference between the higher price paid for a security and the security's face
amount at issue.
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Price-To-Earnings Ratio (P/E)
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The share price of a stock, divided by its per-share earnings over the past year
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Rate of Return
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The difference between the price paid for a security and the security's sale price
including any cash distribution expressed as a percentage
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Record Date
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The date on which a company's books are closed in order to identify share owners
and distribute quarterly dividends, proxies, or other financial documentation
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Risk Tolerance
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The measurement of an investor's willingness to suffer a decline (or repeated declines)
in the value of investments while waiting and hoping for them to increase in value.
Generally investors are risk averse
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Rupee Cost Averaging
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Strategy of making regular investments into a mutual fund and having earnings automatically
reinvested. This way, when the share price drops, more shares are bought at lower
prices.
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Sector Fund
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A mutual fund that invests its shareholders' money in a relatively narrow market
sector, e.g., technology, energy, the Internet, or banking
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Securities
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A fancy name for shares of stock, bonds, or any kind of financial asset that can
be traded.
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Spread
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The difference between the bid and ask price, i.e., the highest price offered and
the lowest priced asked for a security.
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Time Value of Money (TVM)
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The basic principle that money can earn interest, and so something that is worth
Rs. 1 today will be worth more in the future if invested. This is also referred
to as future value
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Total Return
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The rate of return on an investment, including reinvestment of distributions
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Tracking Error
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A divergence between the price behavior of a position or portfolio and the price
behavior of a benchmark
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Trustee
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An individual who holds or manages assets for the benefit of another.
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Volatility
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The degree of movement in the price of a stock or other security
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Yield
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Interest or market earnings on a bond or a fixed-income instrument
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Yield Curve
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A line plotted on a graph that depicts the yields of bonds of varying maturities,
from short-term to long-term. The line, or "curve," shows the relationship between
short- and long-term interest rates
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Zero-Coupon Bond
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These bonds are so named because the coupon rate (the amount of interest paid) is
zero. Rather than paying interest on a periodic basis, these bonds are issued at
a fraction of their par value and increase in value as they approach maturity (e.g.,
U.S. savings bonds). Also known as an accrual bond.
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