The extension of single party rule in India is now clearly off our radar. The 2019 general elections will be won on the strength of alliances. Obviously, the ruling party will need to reboot its strategy while the opposition suddenly seems to have begun its preparation earlier. As investors, we…
The FIIs are back. November clearly showed a change of mind. The DIIs continue to receive money from domestic investors. It is in this scenario that we go into the last phase of state elections. If the verdict in the five states is not too adverse, we could see a…
Investment Strategy: As we move into a rising interest rate scenario, the focus shifts to high-quality low-volatility investments. Our strategy has been to construct a layered portfolio by locking into high-quality investments at different yields. At this juncture, short-term AAA investments make the most sense. Contact us if you would…
The rapid decline in oil, over the past few weeks, has really mixed it up for the markets. Investors who took a certain view of the macros just a month ago when oil hit $85 are now forced to hurriedly review their position. This must be quite harrowing as investment…
Being a Contrarian is never easy. Most of the time, the Contrarian makes choices that are very different from the consensus. Given that consensus is far more powerful, a Contrarian has to withstand time and performance pressures for a very long time. Only if he holds steady can he benefit…
Podcast Transcript There is more to investing than just generating returns. There has to be a larger purpose. Investing is not a game we play to prove our self-worth. It is not something that can be done casually. But, most of us associate investing with just making money. In…
Have you ever tended to a garden? As a gardener, you would ensure that your plants get enough sunlight, water, and nutrition. But, there is an inherent expectation that your garden will flourish. Imagine you received a handful of seeds. You were told that these seeds would eventually grow into…
Recency bias hurts the most when a bull market ends. We tend to buy investment ideas which did very well in the recent past. This happens across the board. The stocks in favour remain the ones which hit recent highs and gained the most in the past year. We tend…
https://soundcloud.com/ithought-advisory/validating-advice Podcast Transcript Every portfolio often needs validation. Our ideas are constructed in a particular context and we find that soon thereafter the market context changes dramatically. My own experience from previous bull runs is what comes to mind. When we come out of a bull market, we tend to…
The stock markets capitulated this week. The fears were largely overdone. The sharp dip in OMCs clearly indicates the symptom. The markets are clearly gripped by the fear of loss. And, investors dump every stock where they fear further loss. And the very risk aversion they display is causing huge…
Podcast Transcript: Clearly, our markets have walked into a crisis we could have avoided. It was in good measure… our own making. Too much liquidity chasing stocks had made markets way too expensive. But, investors kept pouring money into SIPs. And the markets refused to correct despite FII’s selling…
The markets saw heightening volatility this week. The stress was very visible in financials, small caps, and midcaps. The sharp cut in valuations of companies in this place has come as a nasty surprise. What went wrong? Firstly, investors assumed that growth would last for a long time. Secondly, they…
