Economic news will turn speculative in the coming weeks. We will either be sold hope or fear depending on the intent of the newsmakers. The budget will always be an event around which volatility will be more, speculative activity will rise, guesswork will be dominant, and the excitement quotient will…
Debt or fixed income investments are an integral part of any retirement corpus. This portion is meant to be safe and bring stability to the overall investment portfolio. The investor essentially acts as a lender when they choose fixed income products. So, debt investments should be made with the intent…
When you start an investment, journey counts. Given that most people aggressively start investing around market peaks, their starting point is not ideal. Most investors tend to scale up their equity investing around market peaks. While this has become a way of life, the subsequent behavioral responses matter for their…
Preparing for retirement is a complex task. It requires a significant amount of consideration, calculation, and planning. For any retirement plan to be effective, it must receive continuous attention and should be diligently executed. Here is a straightforward three-step approach to retirement. Retirement Goals One must have a clear picture…
The RBI’s monetary policy announcement did not do much to improve the market sentiment. The clear shift in stance, willingness to be accommodative, the confidence on inflation management and a decisive bend to act and do more if necessary were all simply not enough to reassure markets. The markets seem…
A new cabinet took office last week. Economic data for the last year was released shortly after. Clearly, the new government has no honeymoon period. It must hit the ground running. Even though the challenges are clear and everyone knows what needs to be done, the way forward is still…
The last week saw turbulence in the guidance of a global Indian IT giant. They marked their guidance down taking their stock down sharply. Domestic IT companies had however not dropped their guidance in their earnings calls done weeks earlier. When one company, and especially a large one, drops its…
Three phases of polling are over. We are past the midway mark. Pollsters are slowly spotting a decisive trend. They won’t put out numbers due to electoral regulations. Meanwhile, the markets seem to be responding to domestic corporate results and global trends. Oil is rising. The US markets are about…
Ask any experienced market participant about prevailing valuations and the response will be more or less the same. Experienced investors find it difficult to spot value in the current market. Yet, people still want to continue investing. The lack of alternatives in other asset classes and the need to beat…
The first phase of polling is behind us. The fate of 91 Lok Sabha seats is already sealed. The second phase comes up next week. Predictably, this is the most keenly fought election. It is a battle for survival. While political parties pit themselves head to head against each other,…
Elections bring about a speculative element about what they could mean for the stock market. The stock market is fickle and reacts to all news surrounding elections. If we take a step back to look at historical trends, elections seem to have no long-lasting impact on the stock market. Rewinding…
A new financial year has begun on a positive note. Flows seem to be improving from both domestic and foreign investors. Indices are setting themselves up for new highs. Yet, index valuations already look very much on the higher side of the band. Growth seems to be stable but inadequate…
