SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is the standard language used to communicate with relational databases. Think of a database as a collection of Excel sheets โ each sheet is a table, each column is a field, and each row is a record.
Throughout this course we'll use a simple company database with these tables:
| Table | Columns | Description |
|---|---|---|
| employees | id, name, dept, salary, hire_date, city | Company staff |
| departments | id, name, budget, manager_id | Company departments |
| sales | id, emp_id, amount, sale_date, product | Sales records |
The SELECT statement retrieves data. FROM tells SQL which table to look in. Together they form the foundation of every query.
The WHERE clause filters rows based on conditions. You can use comparison operators, logical operators, and pattern matching.
GROUP BY groups rows with the same value so you can aggregate per group. HAVING is like WHERE but for groups (after aggregation).
Economics at its core is about scarcity and choice. The Law of Demand says: as price rises, quantity demanded falls (and vice versa). The Law of Supply says: as price rises, quantity supplied rises.
Price Elasticity of Demand (PED) measures how much quantity demanded changes in response to a price change.
| PED Value | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| |PED| > 1 | Elastic | Luxury goods, holidays |
| |PED| = 1 | Unit elastic | โ |
| |PED| < 1 | Inelastic | Salt, petrol, medicines |
| PED = 0 | Perfectly inelastic | Insulin, life-saving drugs |
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year. It's the most widely used measure of economic output.
Inflation is the general rise in prices over time. It erodes purchasing power. If inflation is 6% and your salary grows 4%, you're effectively earning less.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) uses monetary policy to control inflation and support growth. Its main tool is the Repo Rate โ the rate at which it lends to commercial banks.
| Tool | Definition | Current Rate (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| Repo Rate | RBI lends to banks | 6.50% |
| Reverse Repo | Banks park money with RBI | 3.35% |
| CRR | Cash Reserve Ratio โ % deposits kept with RBI | 4.00% |
| SLR | Statutory Liquidity Ratio โ govt securities | 18.00% |
Fiscal Policy is the use of government spending (G) and taxation (T) to influence the economy. It is decided by the Union Budget each year.
Comparative Advantage (Ricardo) explains trade: each country should specialise in what it produces most efficiently, then trade. Even if one country is better at everything, trade still benefits both.
โน100 today is worth more than โน100 tomorrow. This is the core principle. Money now can be invested to earn returns. Inflation erodes future money's value.
- โ Ownership in a company
- โ Potential for high returns
- โ Dividends + capital gains
- โ Higher risk, volatile
- โ Last to be paid if company fails
- โ Fixed interest (coupon)
- โ Lower risk than stocks
- โ First to be paid if company fails
- โ Lower returns
- โ Inflation erodes real return
A company can show profit on the income statement but still go bankrupt if it runs out of cash. The CFS shows actual money movement โ not accounting profit.
(+) Depreciation
(ยฑ) Working Capital changes
Core business cash
(+) Asset sales
(ยฑ) Acquisitions
Growth spending
(-) Debt repaid
(-) Dividends paid
How funded/distributed
| Ratio | Formula | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | Gross Profit / Revenue | Production efficiency |
| Net Margin | Net Profit / Revenue | Overall profitability |
| ROE | Net Profit / Equity | Returns to shareholders |
| ROA | Net Profit / Assets | How well assets generate profit |
| ROCE | EBIT / Capital Employed | Return on total capital |
| Ratio | Formula | Healthy benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | Current Assets / Current Liabilities | > 1.5 (can pay short-term debts) |
| Quick Ratio | (Current Assets - Inventory) / CL | > 1.0 |
| Debt-to-Equity | Total Debt / Equity | < 2 for most industries |
| Interest Coverage | EBIT / Interest Expense | > 3ร (can service debt) |
When reading an annual report (like those you work with at Morningstar), follow this systematic process: