derivatives

The government may impose a stamp duty of Rs 300 per crore (0.003%) on transactions in commodities, stocks and other derivatives, with the finance ministry moving a proposal to Cabinet for taking the final call, sources said. Despite strong opposition from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MCA), the finance ministry has placed the proposal before Cabinet, they said. Full Article

The cumulative gross exposure through equity, debt and derivative positions should not exceed 100% of the net assets of the scheme. Mutual Funds shall not write options or purchase instruments with embedded written options.The total exposure related to option premium paid must not exceed 20% of the net assets of the scheme. Full Article

In Shree Capital Services 121 ITD 498 (Kol) it has been held by the Special Bench that the amendment to s. 43(5)(d) is neither clarificatory nor retrospective in operation. Consequently, derivatives can be considered non-speculative u/s 43(5)(b) only to the extent they are for hedging purposes; Full Article

Eighteen months after introducing India’s volatility index, or VIX, market regulator Sebi has begun its groundwork to introduce derivatives contracts, with the index as the underlying. VIX is a measure of traders’ near-term expectations of implied volatility, or IV, based on the 50 stock options prices on the Nifty index. The regulator is believed to be talking to market participants about the possibility of introducing futures and options that traders can use to bet.. Full Article

The Stock Exchanges shall review the lot size once in every 6 months based on the average of the closing price of the underlying for last one month and wherever warranted, revise the lot size by giving an advance notice of atleast 2 weeks to the market. If the revised lot size is higher than the existing one, it will be effective for only new contracts. In case of corporate action, the revision in lot size of existing contracts shall be carried out as per SEBI circular S.. Full Article

Recently, the Special Bench of the Kolkata Income-tax Appellate Tribunal (the Tribunal) in the case of Shree Capital Services Ltd. v. ACIT (2009-TIOL-542-ITAT-KOL-SB) while dealing with a case prior to the amendment to section 43(5) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the Act) exempting derivative transaction as speculative in nature, held that the derivative transactions will be considered as speculative transaction under section 43(5) of the Act. Further, it was also held tha.. Full Article

In a move to bring greater transparency and discipline among market participants, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Thursday put out mandatory requirements related to dealings between investors and stock brokers (including trading members). The move gives brokers the right to take actions against clients. The deadline for implementing the norms is March 31, 2010. Full Article

SEBI's income from fees and other charges dropped by 46 per cent to Rs 213 crore in the fiscal 2008-09 as against Rs 397 crore recorded during the previous fiscal, SEBI's annual report released on Wednesday said. Full Article