Something more eventful than the budget happened last week. It was the inter-se transfer of a title between two Gujaratis – that of the richest Indian. The significance is more than of mere riches. India’s richest over the past 30 years usually carried stigmas about how they got there. The…
The business of a good budget is to be business-like. Often we mistake business-like to be blatantly pro-business. This budget manages to be business-like without giving away too much to business interests. Importantly, it keep social spends up while making changes that simplify laws affecting business. Taxation is an area…
Conversations with strangers on flights bring up interesting insights. Once they know you are a serious investor, the conversation turns to assets. Most people look to validate their own ideas. Once the conversation warms up, “Real estate can’t go down” is a strong opening defence. I would wonder to myself…
The budget has long been rendered redundant. The very fact that governments successively and successfully worked around the budget to meet their political objectives killed the very idea of the budget. This has effectively turned the budget more into an economically packaged, political speech. This budget needs to move beyond…
“Great expectations” – that is how we would sum up the market mood so far in 2015. Being upbeat has led to a more positive response to investment opportunities. We see the data on domestic investor activity at its best. Equity is no more the bad word in investment lexicon.…
“Small is beautiful”. Or so most people believe after seeing how smaller and midsize stocks have delivered over the past year. Past performance always produces biases that one needs to understand closely. Scarcity and demand are a deadly combine. If the two combine with a grave sense of urgency, the…
30000 for the sensex is an intoxicating number. It would make one feel heady if we think of where we stood 18 months ago. But, this is no time to soak in the moment. This is a time to think of our investment response to the situation. Should we simply…
How we invest during volatility decides how much we return during euphoria. Investors love the idea of thinking big. Everybody dreams of making that one investment that takes their wealth into the stratosphere. That big idea is an elusive one for most investors. So, your investing should be structured to…
Remember “musical chairs”, the game played in your childhood. Investing in bull markets is very similar. It is only when the music stops that we will know who is holding seat and who is standing. Till then, investors buy and sell stocks merrily without an iota of fear. Many even…
How should we approach investing in 2015? First, we should look beyond 2015. 2015 will only see the groundwork being laid for future growth. Our confidence in the return of growth in the economy will grow in 2015. But, the speed of change will not meet market expectations. So the…