Foreign Portfolio Investors have invested heavily into the debt market with an exposure of $26.4 billion, while $16.4 billion have been poured into the equities market. The year 2014 was not very good for IPO market as the funds raised via IPOs in 2014 was lowest in more than a decade, despite the benchmark indices hitting new highs during the year. The five IPOs that hit the markets this year raised a combined Rs 1,201 crore, the lowest since 2001, when 13 companies had raised Rs 296 crore. 

 

Major headlines of this month were - Walmart announcing the opening of new cash and carry store in Agra after a gap of two years. RBI in its fifth bi-monthly monetary policy kept the policy rates unchanged. Jyotsna Suri is elected as the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and she will succeed Sidharth Birla. The mid-year economic review projected the 2014-15 growth to be at 5.5%. The Finance Ministry ratified 8.75% interest on PF for 2014-15. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was re-elected for another four year term. Ebola fighters were named as Time magazine’s 2014 ‘Person of the Year’ for their tireless acts of courage and mercy and for risking, persisting, sacrificing and saving. India’s Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014, sharing it with Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel laureate, for their work on promoting child rights in the troubled sub-continent, where millions are deprived of their childhood and education. The UN’s annual economic report predicted the global economy growth to be 3.1% in 2015 and 3.3% growth in 2016. The report also said the India is estimated to record a 5.4% economic growth this year and its GDP will improve to 5.9% next year and to 6.3% in 2016. The State Bank of India has launched two indices namely SBI Monthly Composite Index and the SBI Yearly Composite Index that will primarily track manufacturing activity and offer a forward-looking economic trends. 

The highlight of this year’s budget was Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and our Article of the Month describes everything you need to know about REIT’s. Startup ecosystem is maturing in India and 2014 has seen a phenomenal traction in this space, our coverstory discusses how Private Equity, Hedge fund and VC’s investments have impacted start-ups in India. The year 2014 was also about FDI investments, our FinGyaan section covers FDI investments and how they help the economy. It also covers both the bright and dark side of the story. And our FinLife section covers the Corporate Social Responsibility aspect of the corporates and how it is helpful to the Indian economy and people. This year was about blazing stock markets and our FinSight section covers that in detail by describing the SENSEX movement this year and the steps taken by Modi government that helped the markets.