Business
Broker-fund manager nexus modus operandi

The nexus between fund managers and brokers is well known. We often hear that they work hand-in-glove. Today we will take a closer look at how this actually happens.
An order to buy shares or sell shares is decided by a fund manager who then intimates the same to his dealer or chief dealer, who then passes on the order to an empanelled broker to execute the same.
Prior to passing on the order to the broker to execute the same, a position is taken through an accommodative broker in the F&O segment if the share is traded there. Say for example an order is issued to buy a stock which is a part of the large cap stock category. This would trade in the F&O segment. A position to buy futures would be taken. This would help to generate returns as the size of order could be significant and would move the market price of the stock being purchased. Once the ordered quantity is near completion, the futures trade would be reversed and the position taken thus squared off.
The difference between the buy price and the sell price is pocketed without anyone knowing anything. The order in the cash market is completed. Similar would be the case if the order is a sell order. Go short in futures and towards the end of the order square up the short future. This method is fine where the stock is in the futures segment.
Let us now come to a situation where the stock is from the Midcap or Smallcap segments and is not traded in the futures segment. The situation changes. In case of a buy order, a position is taken in the cash markets prior to execution of the order starting. On completion or near completion, it is reversed. In case of a sale order while the reverse does happen, it needs to be borne in mind that irrespective of completion, the short sale has to be squared off before the day ends as all cash sales have to result in deliveries. If the order continues the next day, similar positions are taken on the following day once again.
Let us now take another case where shares are available from a market counterparty. Here the share price at which the deal would be done is finalised. The price starts moving up as the order is executed and the difference between the buying price and the negotiated price is settled.
The key players in this entire modus operandi are the fund manager, dealer or chief dealer and the accommodative broker. In most cases if the scale of operations is large, there would be an understanding between the dealer/chief dealer and the fund manager. The spoils are shared between the broker on one side and the fund manager and dealer on the other side. Percentages would vary on size, number of people involved and so on. Confidentiality being the key, sharing is more or less on equal terms which are pre-decided. Various options are used which include trading in different names and so on.
The key is that all these leave trails and there have been umpteen cases where trades done in the names of family members have been detected subsequently. Hence a proper, non-trail system has to be put in place.
Even TV channel anchors trading in family members’ names have been caught. The solution, which is relatively safer, is that the broker provides an entity in which these trades are done and all profits are settled in cash.
Can this nexus be detected or broken? Yes. There have been various audits which are being done by fund houses, which see the details of the order through trades as it gets filled. Dealing room calls are all on recorded lines which make life more difficult. While there are chances of getting caught in anything illegal being done, no one can save a person who invites attention by driving a car which is an icon by itself.
The Lamborghini car, which is so much in the news, has made the fund manager and chief dealer a person who others have become envious of because of unasked and unwarranted limelight. Should be an easy case for the regulators to crack and plug many loopholes.
National
Hindi ‘imposition’ row: Raj Thackeray to organise morcha on July 6

Mumbai, June 26: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday announced to organise a morcha from Girgaum to Azad Maidan in Mumbai on July 6 to protest against the “imposition” of Hindi as the third language in Marathi and English schools.
He alleged that it was a conspiracy to destroy the Marathi language, which has recently been awarded Classical Status, saying that the party will not allow the “imposition” of the Hindi language in the state.
Raj Thackeray was speaking to the reporters after meeting School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse.
“There will be no compulsion in the language, be it Hindi or any other. I am appealing to all the parties that on July 6, we have decided to take out a morcha from Girgaum. There will be no flags in this morcha. It will be a morcha of Marathi people; we are inviting everyone. I have chosen Sunday so that everyone can come,” said Raj Thackeray.
He added that all literary figures, Marathi lovers, film personalities and all political parties should participate in the morcha.
“We should come together for Maharashtra without any arguments,” he said.
Speaking about his meeting with Minister Bhuse, Raj Thackeray said that there is a shortage of teachers for the Hindi language. But the government is saying that it will recruit 10,000 teachers.
“Do you have the money to pay the salaries? There are many big issues before the state, so why is it coming to the language? Is there an attempt to hide something big?” he asked.
“Will you get work in films by learning Hindi? Maharashtra is big because of the education system. Then why this argument in favour of Hindi to make Maharashtra great,” Raj Thackeray said.
“If the government is going to promote arts and sports to increase the merits of students instead of a language, then we have no objection,” he said.
Raj Thackeray said that his party does not accept the government’s stand on Hindi at all.
“We will remain opposed to the imposition of Hindi,” he said.
Business
No toll proposed for 2-wheelers, says Nitin Gadkari amid viral reports

New Delhi, June 26: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday dismissed media reports suggesting that two-wheelers will be required to pay tolls on National Highways from July 15.
He called the reports misleading and clarified that no such proposal is under consideration.
Taking to social media platform X, the Union Minister said: “Some media houses are spreading misleading news about toll tax being levied on two-wheelers. No such decision has been proposed.”
“Two-wheelers will continue to be exempt from tolls. Spreading such baseless news without verifying the facts is not responsible journalism. I strongly condemn it,” the Union Minister stated.
The clarification comes after a report claimed that toll payment would soon be made mandatory for two-wheelers at all national highway toll plazas, and that riders would need to equip their vehicles with FASTag.
The report also claimed that violators could face penalties of up to Rs 2,000. This comes just days after Gadkari announced a new annual FASTag pass worth Rs 3,000 for private four-wheelers, aimed at simplifying toll payments and reducing congestion.
Set to launch on August 15, the pass will be valid for one year or 200 trips — whichever comes first — and can be activated via the Rajmarg Yatra app or official websites of the NHAI and the MoRTH.
The government has significantly expanded its highway infrastructure in the last decade, with the total length of national highways increasing from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,204 km in 2024 — a rise of over 60 per cent.
The pace of highway construction has also tripled from 11.6 km/day in 2014 to 34 km/day in 2024.
As of now, 1,366 highway projects covering 32,366 km are under construction across the country, many of which are expected to be completed in phases by FY 2028.
With a 570 per cent increase in the road transport and highways budget over the last decade, the Centre continues to prioritise infrastructure development — but for now, two-wheeler riders can rest assured that tolls are not on the horizon.
National
SC agrees to hear plea against Maratha quota law in July

New Delhi, June 26: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear, in July, a plea challenging the decision of the Bombay High Court, which had directed that the interim order passed last year, allowing the Maratha community to avail 10 per cent reservation in educational institutions and public employment, will continue to remain in force.
After a lawyer mentioned the matter for urgent listing, a Bench of Justices K.V. Viswanathan and N.K. Singh assured of listing the plea on the re-opening of the top court (i.e. after July 14).
In an order passed on June 11 this year, the Bombay High Court allowed the Maratha community to provisionally avail the benefit of 10 per cent reservation, subject to the final outcome of the petitions challenging the validity of the contentious Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backwards Classes (SEBC) Act, 2024.
The SEBC Act, allowing 10 per cent quota for the Maratha community, was passed by the previous Eknath Shinde-led government in February last year after the Justice (retd) Sunil Shukre-led Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) opined that “exceptional circumstances and extraordinary situations exist” to grant benefit of quota to Maratha community beyond the 50 per cent threshold.
Notably, the Supreme Court had struck down a similar quota law enacted by the Maharashtra legislature in 2018 for having breached the 50 per cent cap fixed in the 1992 landmark Indra Sawhney case (Mandal Commission case).
A five-judge Constitution Bench, in its judgment passed in May 2021, had opined that it could not find any exceptional circumstances or extraordinary situation for allowing a 12-13 per cent quota for the Maratha community and struck down the Maharashtra Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018.
Further, the Supreme Court had declared that states do not have the power to prepare lists for socially and educationally backward classes and ruled that the President had the sole power to identify a community as backward.
It had also declined to entertain the review plea moved by the Maharashtra government seeking a relook at the judgment. Before this, the apex court had dismissed a plea by the Union government seeking reconsideration of the May 5, 2021, judgment.
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