Fundamentals Part One

Basics of financial instruments

There are two fundamental types of investments, 1.Bonds 2.Stocks

If anybody wants to start your own business He will need a capital amount as capital. He takes the requisite funds from a family friend and write down a receipt of this loan ' I owe you Rs 50,000 and will repay you the principal loan amount plus 7% interest'. Your family friend has just bought a bond (IOU) by lending money to your company.

When you invest in bonds, the bond you buy will show the amount of money being borrowed i.e. face value, the interest rate i.e. coupon rate or yield that the borrower has to pay, the interest payments i.e. coupon payments, and the deadline for paying the money back is maturity dates.

There are several Benefits and Non Benefits to investing in bonds

Benefit: Bonds give higher interest rates compared to short-term investments and less risky then stocks.
Non Benefit: Selling bonds before they're due may result in a loss, known as a discount. If the issuer of the bond declares bankruptcy; you may lose your money. Hence you must critically evaluate the credibility of the issuer of the bond, ensuring that he has the capability to repay the bond amount.

To get more capital for your new company formed, you sell half your company to your friend or your family member for Rs 25,000. You put this transaction in writing 'my new company will issue 50 shares of stock. My brother will buy 25 shares for Rs 25,000.' Thus, your brother has just bought 50% of the shares of stock of your company.

Now you know what stock is: Stocks, also known as Equities, are shares in a company. It is the certificate of ownership of a corporation. In simple terms, when you invest in a company's stock or buy its shares, you own part of a company. Thus, as a stockholder, you share a portion of the profit the company may make, as well as a portion of the loss a company may take. As the company keeps doing better, your stocks will increase in value and yield higher dividends.

Dividend: A sum of money, determined by a company's directors, paid to shareholders of a corporation out of its earnings.

Stock Market trading history of India

In the earlier days, stockbrokers kept scouting for 'natural' sites to conduct their trading activities, shifting from one set of Banyan trees to another. As the number of brokers kept increasing and the streets kept overflowing, they simply had no choice but to relocate from one place to another.

Finally in 1854, trading in India found a permanent address, Dalal Street, now synonymous with the oldest stock Exchange in Asia, The Bombay Stock Exchange. With a heritage that goes back to over 130 years, BSE was the first stock exchange in the country to be granted permanent recognition under the Securities Contract Regulation Act, 1956. The exchange has played a pioneering role in the development of the Indian Securities Market - one of the oldest in the world. After India gained independence, the BSE formulated a comprehensive set of guidelines adopted by the Indian Capital markets. Even today, the BSE Sensex remains one of the parameters against which the robustness of the Indian Economy and finance is measured.
The trading scenario in India then had undergone a paradigm shift in 1993, when NSE or National Stock Exchange was recognized as a Stock Exchange. Within just a few years, trading on both the exchanges shifted from an open outcry system to an automated trading environment.

Stock market milestones
1875    BSE established as 'the native Share and Stock Brokers Association'
1956    BSE became the first stock exchange to be recognized under the Securities   Contract Act.
1993    NSE recognized as a stock exchange.
2000    Commencement of Internet trading at NSE.
2000    NSE commences derivatives trading (Index futures)
2001    BSE commences derivatives trading

Primary and Secondary Markets

Primary Market

A Company enters the Primary markets to raise capital. They issues new securities in Exchange for cash from an investor or buyer. If the Issuer is selling securities for the first time, these are referred to as Initial Public Offers (IPO's). Summing up, Primary Market is the means by which companies offer shares to the general public in an Initial Public Offering to raise capital.

Secondary Markets

Once new securities have been sold in the Primary Market, there should be some mechanisms exist for their resale, Secondary Market transactions are referred to those transactions where one investor buys shares from another investor at the prevailing market price or at whatever prices both the buyer and seller agree upon. The Secondary Market or the Stock Exchanges are regulated by the regulatory authority. In India, the Secondary and Primary Markets are governed by the Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

SEBI

The Government of India established the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the regulatory body of stock markets in 1988. Within a short period of time, SEBI became an autonomous body through the SEBI Act passed in 1992, with defined responsibilities that cover both development & regulation of the market while also giving the board independent powers. Comprehensive regulatory measures introduced by SEBI ensured that end investors benefited from safe and transparent dealings in securities.

Duties & Objectives of SEBI
   To protect the interests of investors in securities
   to promote the development of Securities Market
   to regulate the Securities Market

SEBI has contributed to the improvement of the Securities Market by introducing measures like capitalization requirements, margining and establishment of clearing corporations that reduced the risk of credit

Today, the board continues on its two-fold mission of integrating the Securities Market at the National level and also diversifying the trading products to increase the number of traders that’s including banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, Mutual Funds, primary dealers etc. transacting through the Exchanges. In this context the introduction of derivatives trading through Indian Stock Exchanges permitted by SEBI in the year 2000.

Stock Exchanges

A Stock Exchange is a place that provides facilities to stock broking firm to trade company stocks and other securities. A stock may be bought or sold only if broking firm is listed on an exchange. Thus it is the meeting place of the stock buyers and sellers. India's premier Stock Exchanges are the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE).