New Year Wishes! At the end of a long, tiring, uneventful year for equities, it is again the time to be predicting the next. Here is a caveat. Nobody has a crystal ball. Nor, is anyone truly clairvoyant. Then, why predict? It is not even the job of an investor. The advisor’s…
“What do the markets have to do with a marathon?” – I am sure the question is already in your mind. Let us get to the answer by understanding the question better. Over to the marathon first – The marathon got its name from the famous run of Pheidippides, who carried…
It has been four years since ithought was ideated. To many who know my circumstances, this was a move that wasn’t easily understood. The times were such – 2009 was a year when the infra thematic funds and energy funds had drilled and destroyed investor confidence. The industry had manufactured toxic thematic funds in…
My best friends have all been calling me and asking the same question. “Should I buy property now ?”. A palpable anxiety will dominate every conversation. Interestingly most callers will start arguing the case for realty after hearing my opening lines which were not what they wanted to hear. Initially,…
2008 made most of us risk averse. So, we thought the best way to steer clear from high risk was to stay off Equity. The investment options were limited to debt , gold and realty. Most investors went for a mix of the three. The strategy worked very well till…
When nobody wants to buy something, it naturally loses its value. The value of something that is not in demand naturally tends to be lower than what it is really worth. This is the state of equities now. Look around you and you will find that the last time people…
Sounds cocky, right? Let me try and make my case. An investor’s life isn’t easy. Winning to one actually means losing to a whole lot of others. The truth is that every smart investor gains from the stupidity of others. In my view, smartness can be demonstrated only if you…
This question is popped at me by almost everyone who knows my story. It puzzles those who know me that I should actually start a venture that advises other investors (small and big) in a beaten space like mutual funds. Isn’t it too restricted and repetitive? Would it not be better if…
Dear Investor, Greetings from ithought! Successful investing is all about having a sense of ownership. Think of your past experiences in equity investing. Ask yourself why the bets you took in mutual funds did not play out as expected. Could you have done things differently to bring about the right outcome? What…
As I sit down to write this note, the Sensex is down 24% for 2011. Equities have been the worst performing asset class and the reasons are clear and adequately reflected in a situation where market sentiment has been weak and investor interest quite indifferent. The question often being asked…
As we draw towards the close of 2011, it is a good time to reflect on the year that has gone by, which has not been the best one for equity investors. For people like me, the years I have put into equity research has taught me that that there will…