Member Of The Week - chatbuster - Page 12

Originally posted by: kabhi_21

😆... but if u did nt feel that then thts the truth😛😆

no yaar. i was just trying to be funny. wld have said thing to einstein too- u do know i can get silly now, dont u? 😆😆😆

Originally posted by: chatbuster

i agree. but it can swing from extreme excitement to extreme boredom. also each month is an eternity. one day you're a king, next you're a goat when you lose money. teaches you a lot about yourself and the importance of staying humble. still, cant think of anything else i could do that i might be even half as good at.

yeah i agree and that is why its my dream job..... I love challenges and what can be more challenging than this...... success and failures are parts and partial of life and we have to go through both.....😃

😆😆

Originally posted by: chatbuster

oh thanks. i suppose all moms have to be very intelligent if they have had stupid kids like me.

Originally posted by: kabhi_21

So here goes my first question set😉

1. What qualification in finance do you have and did you study in India or out and in which Institute?

IIT Kanpur, EE and CS

Harvard MBA. dont have specific qualification in finance since the program is more geared towards general management

2. What difference do you feel in fund management in India and outside India?

lack of sophisticated instruments for one. for example, i trade complex esoteric derivatives which involve pricing weird stuff. India is just getting started there. without markets being complete or semi-complete in terms of instruments, it's harder to conduct the kind of mathematical/ statistical arbitrage plays that the more arbitrage-oriented fund guys like to do

3. What are the challenges of fund management considering the globalisation and terrorism?

i suppose there'd be need for maintaining dual databases and records. usually the back-offices take care of that for a fee, so we can focus more on front-office issues. in terms of front-office, i guess terrorism introduces unpredictability into the equation. globalization brings cross-market linkages, and opportunities for arbitrage guys like me. we can use markets in one country to hedge risk in other. works fine till the correlations hold up, which they often dont when markets are blowing up.

4. Whats the view as a fund manager about the investments in the conflict areas of terrorism?

introduces unpredictability of such markets. translates to higher perceived risk. all else equal, would tend to invest less unless the expected returns more than compensate for that additional risk. but at a certain price, almost anything clears

5. How do you feel Indian stock market and Indian funds are working? Are they overrated?

i think they are working fine. as for overrated, there are two aspects here. one is whether any market will go up or down. another is whether a market is a better relative opportunity than other markets. on first aspect, i dont know/ care because i dont punt as an arb guy. on second aspect, i think India does afford more specific opportunities than other markets (with so much volatility, there's bound to be things that are in temporary disequilibrium), though i wouldn't care to speculate on overall broad market averages

6. What do you think is the impact of FDIs on Indian stock market? Do you feel Indian economy is in hands of foreigners?

FDI has helped. though i believe FDI inflows are a smallish percentage of overall volumes, prices are set at the margin. so every bit helps.

i dont think India is that much in the hand of foreigners anymore. there's too much internal momentum and dynamism for that. the internal markets are also getting big that we can sustain a largely thriving economy on the back of our own consumers.

ironically, foreigners are dying to invest in India, feeling left out for the most part in the story that has already happened. so much more waiting to be invested if the policies are right. tells me that we are not as dependent even today as we could be since such a small fraction as been invested thus far.

7. Recently after takeover of Eglish firm by Tata Steel, the stock plunged by about 5%? Do you think it was over reaction or you think the amount paid by tata steel was high? Do you think it will get tata steel long term benefits?

dont know. i dont have the numbers

8. Thai Stock Exchange plunged by about 15% in a day after change in FDI investment rules, How do you feel this affects the future course of a fund manager as investor in the country?

i'd look at markets which have plunged with renewed interest on general principle, and that goes for thai markets.

I will come back later with more on my favourite topic, finance😳😉😆

oh great. now i can drive everyone away with my boring stuff😆

Originally posted by: chatbuster

👏👏👏

Originally posted by: chatbuster

honestly i dont know. maybe i am looking for that unusual angle or for something that was missed in the conversation earlier. but if i dont see it, i wont argue for it just for the heck of it. seriously. if for no other reason than there's that bit of that ego- i wldn't intentionally want to make a jack-ass out of myself if i didnt have something to contribute or back me up with.

somewhere, i also learned from my seniors at IIT before i got to some of the IIM group interviews that what they are looking for is someone who can stand apart from the crowd and defend their viewpoints. that's the hardest thing for a leadership aspirant, to take a different stance and state it publicly.

👏 You have learnt well Rahul. Good job.

so somehow it's all of that- both an interest in finding unusual aspects in an honest attempt to bring something new and interesting to the debate and perhaps a baser instinct to go for the kill, no matter what.

something else i think that's very important. one thing i got out of my Harvard days was the fact that there are almost always lots of legitimate opinions on anything. real world does not lend itself to precise answers, to simple night and day choices and calculations. there's gray. it often comes down to how well you can articulate things. we all get convinced, rightly or wrongly, by ideas that are well-formulated and put across, and by personable smart people who can sell well. but beyond style, i know there's good and bad in all sides, much the same as there's good and bad in most people. we just have to unearth it...

dont know if i got even close to answering this. but thx for the question and for the opportunity to present my case.

Set #8, I'm behind🤢

Sorry Manjudi, stole the names from you😭

Each of the following members come to you in form of RAVAN, and they have a problem getting into one head. How do you help them?

Adi

Suny

Anuradha

Anushree

Jaya

Barnali ji

Bhaskar

Vinnie

Abhi

Kavitha

Manju

Jadoo Bhaiya

Sunil Bhaiya

Manish

Dia

Snowy

Minali

Simi

Payal

Pallavi ji

Noopur

MOE

Qwerty

Taran

Rita

feel free to add your other friends which I may have missed.

Originally posted by: punjini

Rahul, what are your views about the World Bank and Asian Development Bank? Are they doing good work in removing poverty from the world?

actually have not followed up on them since my MBA days. did take some electives at the Kennedy School of Govt, but that was more policy study than delving into the specifics. so my comments are as uninformed as the next guy and with that caveat i'd say they've probably done a good job under the circumstances... Not sure tough how efficiently the scarce capital funding has been utilized and whether they could have been better applied...

Originally posted by: manjujain

Rahul to tell you the truth, that's how I felt you wanted to take weaker side & then prove yourself. So basically you are a good debater, who can represent any side of the case..👏👏 but you know if it comes to reality then the life is not that way you can chose either. So there is a good chance that you may take different side in real life what you are debating. I understand your point now. Thanks for answering it Rahul, I really appreciate it.

in a sense, what i am saying is that it's hard to ever know the truth. so if i have to chose, i'd rather go with the underdog than with the side that's already over-represented. just a basic instinct to protect the weaker side that we all have i suppose. unless of course it's clear that they are in the wrong...