Composition of Indian capital market

Capital market is the market for long term funds, just as the money market is the market for short term funds. It refers to all the facilities and the institutional arrangements for borrowing and lending term funds (medium-term and long-term funds).it does not deal in capital goods but is concerned with the raising of money capital for purposes of investment.

The demand for long-term memory capital comes predominantly from private sector manufacturing industries and agriculture and from the government largely for the purpose of economic development. As the central and state governments are investing not only on economic overheads like transport, irrigation and power development but also on basic industries and sometimes even in consumer goods industries, they require substantial sums from the capital market.… Read the rest

Evolution and Development of Life Insurance in India

Life insurance in the modern form was first set up in India through a British company called the Oriental Life Insurance Company in 1818 followed by the Bombay Assurance Company in 1823 and the Madras Equitable Life Insurance Society in 1829. All these companies operated in India but did not insure the lives of Indians. They insured the lives of Europeans living in India. Some of the companies that started later did provide insurance for Indians, as they were treated as “substandard”. Substandard in insurance parlance refers to lives with physical disability. Pioneering efforts of reformers and social workers like Raja Rammohan Ray, Dwarakanath Tagore, Ramatam Lahiri, Rustomji Cowasji and others led to entry of Indians in insurance business.… Read the rest

Introduction to Investments – Meaning, Objectives and Elements

Concept of Investment

Investment is the employment of funds with the aim of getting return on it. In general terms, investment means the use of money in the hope of making more money. In finance, investment means the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns.

Investment of hard earned money is a crucial activity of every human being. Investment is the commitment of funds which have been saved from current consumption with the hope that some benefits will be received in future. Thus, it is a reward for waiting for money.… Read the rest