Even if investment is carefully performed, it still has chances of losing money. Some risks & it’s mitigation are: i) Basing Calculations on the Wrong Numbers, i.e. the trades should be carefully placed. ii) Overlooking Extraordinary Gains or Losses: Close judgment and critical thinking is required. iii) Ignoring the Error in Financial Ratio analysis: defining the terms carefully is important. iv) Overpaying:  Overpaying for Investments should be avoided. v)  Not Diversifying: Diversifying risk in stocks is necessary. vi) Basing Investment Decisions on Fraudulent Accounting Statements. vii)  Selling at the wrong time:  The ideal time to sell the stock is when shares are overpriced relative to the company's intrinsic value. Read more at: http://value-picks.blogspot.in/2017/05/managing-risks-in-value-investing.html

In today’s scenario businesses need faster access to everything. Organizations keep looking for effective methods. Analytics can be of very much help in this. Organizations waste a lot of time, they should select a project that has a potential which does not require too much work or heavy investment. Analytics can start at any level in the organization. Executive should be involved to get the project succeeded as the executive level understands the value of the project. Analytics dashboard helps explore data. People new to analytics may overlook the data quality. There is a tradeoff between high quality and time and expense. An expert helps to find the balance. Analytics can demonstrate value quickly and cost=effectively. Read more at: http://informationweek.com/big-data/big-data-analytics/tips-for-getting-your-company-started-with-analytics/a/d-id/1329014

Starting a business needs a huge investment and can be a very expensive venture. So here are some tips to save money, which is going to mean more profits on the other end.

1. Recycle: You don’t need to throw the old products rather recycle them. There are many companies who offer buying new products with exchange of old products in a discount.

2. Using of Laptop: In place of desktop using laptop can save energy and saving money at the same time.

3. Using window seating: Making maximum employee sit near window can improve one’s mood and helps you to save money on energy bills.

4. Trying to work with other business helps you to sponsor your events and you can get a lot more press this way which will benefit your business in long run. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/finance/help-business-save-money-01789180#ZDASPiHz13oFgDmH.97

When we invest without using Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media, we are making a mistake that could deprive us of potential profits. Author "Brain D. Egger" recommended that we don't have to be a 'master of the universe' to know which social media tools can improve our research. o Twitter: - Financial bloggers and analysts use Twitter to let people know what they are thinking about stocks and news events. And there are cases where news break first for investors for social media. So, social media can be a way of becoming aware of what's happening in real time or the news becomes stale. Read more at: http://www.blackenterprise.com/money/how-social-media-tools-can-make-you-a-smarter-investor/

Investment consultants have been working for hours researching and investing in asset classes like stocks, real estate, commodities and bonds. But all these asset classes pale in comparison to human capital. Human capital is the present value of your future salary. It is the most valuable asset in young age. With a professional and desirable skill set, you will always get a fair salary no matter how much inflation, your country is suffering. Everything you do to increase your earning ability like getting a higher degree, taking certification courses, all comes under investing in human capital. Like any other capital, human capital has also risked associated with it like - death or disability risk; professional competency risk. Read the full article here: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/09/human-capital.asp

Are you a seasoned investor and yet you regret making decisions on certain investments? In other words, have you ever thought about going back in time and "do-over" some of your investment decisions? There was never an investor who didn't want to do this. Yes this is a common trait in most of the investors.  What makes us stick to some of these decisions which turn out to be worthless with the passage of time while other decisions might be the reason you become a billionaire. The answer lies in this article: http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2015/05/05/in-investing-and-in-business-dont-trust-your-feelings/

In an environment where low interest rates are prevailing in US, investors are again facing the famous question of all times – Where to invest?

Here, an interesting option has now come to the rescue of investors that provides a part of the answer to the above question i.e. Mezzanine Debt in the Commercial Real Estate segment.

“Mezzanine debt is a fixed-income product that produces a consistent dividend yield and is secured by the borrower’s interest in the underlying property.”

As any other investment, mezzanine debt also has virtues as well as risks. Its virtues that have made it a favorable choice include:

• High single-digit to low double-digit coupons
• Backed by hard assets
• Occupies commercial real estate segment where individual investor is under-allocated
• Helps in diversification of portfolios
• There is transparency involved
• Demand for such high-yield subordinate loans is expected to increase
• Reduced lending by banks on commercial property

The risks that need to be considered before investing in this option include:

• Interest rate risk
• Downturn in real estate performance

Thus, mezzanine debt offers a great opportunity for investors as its demand is showing an increasing trend, but its pros and cons have to be kept in mind while making the investment decision.

To know more, please read this highly informative article by Bruce Batkin, CEO and co-founder of Terra Capital Partners, at fa-mag.com:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/the-case-for-mezzanine-debt-21503.html?section=3

In the period of 1997-2000, Internet companies had become the favorites of investors. Despite incurring losses, they were highly valued because of their wide scope. This was the dot-com bubble and it burst on 6 April, 2000 with NASDAQ suffering an over $1 trillion loss in market value.

Now, 15 years later, a similar scenario is forming again. This time, it is not just in US, but also in Asia’s third largest economy, India. Tech investors, all over the world are queuing up to invest in Indian e-commerce firms. At the same time, NASDAQ also climbed above 5000 points for the first time since the Dot-Com boom. Rising valuations, massive losses and ambitious promises of future growth are some of the other similarities that can be drawn.

The following article by Shrutika Verma and Mihir Dalar at livemint.com, talks about the e-commerce frenzy in India today and draws its parallels with the Dot-Com Bubble. This article also cautions that this e-commerce boom should not meet the same fate.

Read more at:

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/PKYPXSiOwle8hOkgUi8mpL/Indias-ecommerce-frenzy.html

According to Larry Fink, if you want to be a better investor than stop worrying about daily fluctuations and think of long term investing goals. Also, three major changes worth noticing have happened in past years which have long term implication on the economy. The developed world’s aging population is the first changing picture as the proportion of developed market population is expected to double (30%) by 2025. As a result labour force will shrink and greater people will take advantage of entitlement programs. It will be a challenge to all government to maintain the spending with such a rise. The phasing out of financial repression by U.S., i.e. financing its debt on own will benefit shareholders through capital structure arbitrage, while not appreciably hurting debt holders. These conditions will create a framework for equity optimization that allows risk asset prices to grind higher even in the face of what some believe are extended valuations. The rapid change in technology has displaced a lot from employment in many sectors. As such structural unemployment is expected to rise there will be a check on core inflation ( because inflation in real economy is generally due to wage increase). All these shifts matter a lot while deciding upon investment and also encourage corporations to engage in aggressive stock buybacks at the expense of capital reinvestment. Read more at: http://www.investopedia.com/partner/blackrock/articles/investing/072514/three-big-picture-shifts-worth-paying-attention.asp

In spite of being important, big data analytics is yet to be deployed successfully by most of the organizations. Many companies are struggling with how to maximize big data, and properly incorporate the results into something substantial. Results of the survey showed that the investment in analytics was growing rapidly. 64.4 percent of those surveyed said that their firm is investing more in analytics. However, just 12.6 percent of respondents said their company has completed several big data projects. One reason that prevents organizations from moving forward despite understanding the benefits of big data analytics, is the shortage of expertise in the field and with such lack of big data skills organizations are reluctant to take the plunge. It is also a major concern to keep sensitive information from the gathered big data, secured. On the basis of Big data analytics businesses should conduct their own research and see what options best fit their needs. However, technological innovation should be pursued to make big data analytics accessible to ordinary business users as without such innovation business could be left behind. Read more at:http://analytics.theiegroup.com/article/53a04cf93723a81d72000021/Is-Big-Data-Just-A-Big-Problem

Most banks nowadays implement Analytics intensively to gain insights from their customers’ data. By generating reports with the help of queries and analytical tools, questions are answered for better decision makings. But still formulating and testing the hypotheses, tuning the model and tweaking the data structures are being done manually. Though much of the work is done by computers, the main part, which is thinking requires human intervention.

But, all these are set to change with the help of Cognitive Computing and Analytics. So, what is cognitive computing? Cognitive computing is the ability to master natural language processing and draw deductions that are not typically possible.

To provide impetus to the growth of its products and services, Global financial services firm DBS Bank has redefined its financial operations with the power of Cognitive Computing and Analytics and they are bearing fruits from it. Read more at http://www.baselinemag.com/analytics-big-data/bank-turns-to-cognitive-computing-and-analytics.html  on how they are doing so.

Advanced analytics is an opportunity to redefine the banking sector. Some banks will seize that opportunity and will be able to explore the market & gain significant market share. Just like, some banks had initiated providing ATMs & internet services to customers, in order to truly create a differentiated position for themselves, enabling them to achieve competitive advantage over the rest.

Innovators are using big data and analytics to sharpen risk assessment and drive revenue. Banks who are implementing data analytics will be in an advantageous position for some period of time, while other banks playing catch up. So there’s an opportunity to make some smart, targeted investments. If you want to sustain your banking business in today’s volatile market, Think big, Think innovation! Think analytics!

To Read more, Visit......

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/how_advanced_analytics_are_redefining_banking

The box of treasure that analytics promises, contains the ability to fully understand customer behavior, derive actionable insights, and further tailor customer experiences to meet the needs of any segment. It is estimated  that big data will grow from 12 billion dollar industry to 53 billion dollar industry by 2017. However, with various types of investments and expectations that exist across many industries; it will not be easy to achieve the capabilities needed to derive deep insights and decisions making mechanism. Many firms still struggle with capturing basic information, collecting external customer information, social media information, and measuring wallet share. However, based on a recent Forbes survey, 63% of the firms reported a transformation impact on their business, by an integrated approach to analytics, where predictive modelling, customer analytics, and big data are working together using cloud services. The investments are starting to pay off, which indicates there may really be a pot of gold that awaits those who pursue the analytics path.

To read more, visit the following link:

http://www.business2community.com/business-intelligence/reaching-pot-gold-investments-analytics-paying-0801572#ssAKHfblgoitLWGX.99