Taking the no-frills mini savings account the mobile way, the State Bank of India and Eko Aspire Foundation plan to roll out the project across Mumbai and Punjab within two months.

Eko has launched the project on pilot basis with SBI at Uttam Nagar in Delhi in February and thereafter it was taken to four districts of Bihar where it has evoked enthusiastic response.

Prizes announced for 'Reliance Mutual Fund-Moneylife Big Ideas Essay Contest'

Moneylife announced the winners of its essay contest organised in association with Reliance Mutual Fund. The prize distribution ceremony was preceded by a lively panel discussion on 'Taking Financial Markets to the Masses' - the theme of the essay contest.

Ms Usha Thorat, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India said, "People are not aware of the right questions to be asked. Financial literacy and education can ensure that people are armed with the right questions. Financial literacy is an essential part of financial inclusion. Unless we are able to understand the requirements of investors, financial literacy cannot achieve its purpose". She was giving away the prizes for the 'Big Ideas Essay Contest' organised by Moneylife in association with Reliance Mutual Fund.

Over eighty percent of countries surveyed saw a rise in distressed sales* in the commercial property market, says RICS research.

During the third quarter of 2009, RICS surveyed members and other real estate executives in 25 countries across the globe to ascertain the volume of distressed sales in the commercial property market. Respondents in eighty percent of the countries surveyed reported an increase in distressed sales compared to three months earlier.

The biggest pick up in distressed sales was reported in South Africa, followed by the US, Portugal and France but the pace of increase moderated across the majority of markets compared to the second quarter. However, China, Hong Kong and Brazil reported a decline in the number of distressed properties coming onto the market.

Looking ahead, real estate professionals expect the number of distressed properties coming onto the market to increase into the fourth quarter across 19 of the 25 countries surveyed. Russia, US, Spain and Ireland are expected to see the biggest rise with New Zealand, Italy, Malaysia and Germany next in line. However, surveyors are more optimistic in Brazil, Hong Kong and India and expect fewer distressed property listings in these countries.

Food inflation surged to 17.47 per cent in the third week of November, fuelled by expensive onions and other essentials, prompting experts to ask RBI to tighten its monetary stance.

RBI itself was in agreement that it would have to reassess the accommodative policy stance going forward, since the economy is on a rebound and prices were rising.

While monetary policy does not have a direct bearing on bringing down prices of food products, the demand for tightening money supply is directed towards preventing food inflation from spreading to manufactured items.

As humans, we only have a very limited, if not at all imaginary, power in making predictions. And predictions are not only applicable when you are trying to know what the general future awaits for you. It is also for knowing what kind of luck you have in tomorrow’s trading market.

The Pentagon recently found it had too many generals and offered an early retirement bonus. They promised any general who retired straight away would get his full annual benefits plus 10,000 Dollars for every inch measured in a straight line between any two parts of the general's body, with the general getting to select any pair of points he wished.

The first man, an Air Force general, accepted. He asked the pension man to measure from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Six feet. He walked out with a check of 720,000 Dollars.

The second man, an Army general, asked them to measure from the tip of his outstretched hands to his toes. Eight feet. He walked out with a check for 960,000 Dollars. When the third general, a grizzled old Marine, was asked where to measure, he told the pension man, "From the tip of my penis to the bottom of my testicles."

Budget falls short of expectations, says India Inc
The budget has failed to meet the expectations of India Inc. The abolition of the FBT was broadly welcomed but the hike in MAT and the extension of the STPI benefits by just one year disappointed many.

PC Kapoor of Bharati Shipyard
"I am disappointed with the budget. The shipping & shipbuilding industry generates a lot of revenues & employment. But it finds no mention of the sector in the budget."

Pawan Goenka, president of automotive business, M&M
"I am hugely disappointed by no change in excise differential for vehicles. I am also disappointed that excise surcharge of Rs 15,000 not rolled back."
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The Top 3 mistakes To Avoid with Foreign Exchange (FOREX) Trading

Nowadays, Forex trading has gained enormous currency among both institutional and individual investors and it is becoming one of the most lucrative avenues of making profit, exploring one’s skills, and reinstating a strong business identity. In addition, it is one of the most liquid trading markets in the world with average daily dollar volumes in excess of $2 Trillion dollars (yes – trillion with a “T”).

However, like any other business endeavor, people investing in Forex are also susceptible to certain mistakes that can eventually become very painful, both financially, and emotionally. This article is meant to help you recognize some of the more common mistakes and pitfalls of FOREX trading, so you can pursue it (hopefully) more informed and empowered to overcome these situations, improve your trading, and increase your Forex trading profits.

The evidence that sales at many companies are struggling and that companies have to lay off employees to maintain companies' running. Dell Inc, the world's No. 2 PC maker, will cut about 1,900 of 3,000 jobs at its manufacturing plant in Limerick. DHL Express cut almost 15,000 people, and so on. This number is only the tip of the iceberg.