Indices do have their own way of peaking out. Up moves and peak outs are connected. What happens around an up move leads to a peak out. The up move must be clearly understood. So, let us now deconstruct it. Usually, the defensive stocks lead the index movement. But, this…
Investment Strategy Bond markets may witness volatility over the next few weeks. Debt portfolios could see notional losses because of this. Portfolios can be protected by sticking to instruments with shorter maturities or by either holding investments until maturity. Fresh investments should be made in a phased manner, taking advantage…
At a time when everybody has overdosed on equity, elections are looking imminent, macros are getting challenging, and benchmarks are outperforming portfolios, it makes sense to take a re-look at asset allocation. Clearly, the most important thing now is to get our asset allocation right. A wrong allocation can affect…
Podcast Transcript When we find valuations at extremes, it usually is at the most difficult time. We struggle to decide how to deal with them. Mostly, amongst us, the risk averse find it convenient not to deal with them. We find it natural to do nothing. We avoid them. Our…
Stock picking takes far more mind space, time, and effort in every investor’s life. The time dedicated to stock picking far exceeds the time spent on investment strategy. Stock picking and investment strategy are connected in the middle. The reasons are not difficult to decipher. Deep within, we believe that…
The genesis for the current meltdown in Indian markets must be understood well and remembered for a long time to come. Interestingly, the indices held steady during this period. So, what caused this downslide? Broadly, the markets showed overwhelming faith in smaller companies over the index bellwethers between 2015 and…
The sharp comeback in pharma stocks, the buyback announcement by TCS, and the sustained weakness in midcaps send out clear signals. The markets are at the crossroads. Liquidity and its power to sustain equity valuations have been overestimated. You may wonder why this is happening. As a performance hugging universe,…
While the markets were focused on equities, yields on the 10-Year gilt quietly rose to cross 8% again. With other asset classes like real estate not doing much, and returns from equities clearly slowing down, debt makes a clear comeback as an option for conservative investors. Over the next few…
“Large caps look inexpensive compared to small and midcaps.” A value investing peer said this in a rather complaining tone. To investors who made most of their wealth buying small and midcaps, these are troubling times indeed. The situation has remained so for the past year. Investors have been struggling…
Participation in equity markets is viewed as a secular trend. Being invested is not the same thing as being invested in the right place. Even within the equity market, where you are invested matters. For instance, one could still have been fully invested in equity markets without owning a single…
The week was eventful and that is putting it mildly. Globally, we saw the Iran deal getting called off by the US. Oil prices predictably spiked. Several domestic banks reported their worst numbers in recent history. Provisioning norms enforced by the RBI seem to have taken a toll. The political…