Insurers compete for distributors, who control access to buyers, pushing up commissions, with the cost ultimately paid out of premiums. Over time, this can erode trust in insurance markets and the industry, plausibly reducing insurance uptake. This is also a central argument about consumer financial markets in Fixed: Why Personal Finance is Broken and How to Make it Work for Everyone, co-authored by one of us with John Campbell.
“Currently, the market is very polarised. Sectors with good visibility on earnings are very expensive, making large upsides challenging. Sectors that are cheap have low visibility of good earnings growth,” said Viraj Kulkarni, vice-president, equity at Bandhan AMC. Upadhyaya sees value in mega caps, large private banks, insurance and selected consumer companies and is positive…
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), in a recent post on its official X handle, highlighted changes to the rules governing EPF advances. The communication focuses on helping members understand and access their provident fund savings when required, particularly for essential needs such as medical treatment, education and housing. The objective is to make the…
The US 10-year Treasury yield climbed above 4.75% on Monday, a first since January 2025, fuelled by rising oil prices that strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates to contain persistent inflation, according to a Bloomberg report. The selloff spread across the Treasury curve. Five-year yields reached their highest level since early…
Oil prices hit a two-month high on Wednesday as concerns over further supply disruptions grew after U.S. forces launched strikes on Iranian military targets for an 11th consecutive night, while Kuwait said it was dealing with attacks by Iranian drones. Crude oil price on July 22 Brent crude prices crossed the mark of $92 a…
Mumbai: Fundraising through IPOs in the country is on course to breach the ₹1 lakh crore mark in 2026, making it only the fourth year in history to cross this milestone. So far this year, 81 IPOs have mobilised around ₹83,062 crore. The upcoming IPO of NSE, which is likely to raise around ₹23,000 crore,…
When you invest in a mutual fund, buy insurance, or open a bank account, picking a nominee is one of the first things you are asked to do. But one situation that many investors don’t think about until it happens is when the person they nominated passes away before them. If your nominee dies before…