Stock market pundits have great aphorisms to explain the fall in market indices and especially in the aftermath of a market crash. Among different explanations, I came across a beautiful expression by one Analyst. He had said, "The bubble has burst; Stock valuations have gone down under; Market correction was due anytime; The market is a great equaliser, etc". Great sound bytes! This explanation looked impressive to me. The following day, the newspapers were full of doomsday predictions informing their readers that the market crash had dissolved the overall investors’ wealth and made them poorer by a few millions or billions! It appeared to me that the market analysts and journalists were mocking at the equity market investors and did not want them to sleep well!
It left me wondering how does the stock market really work? Does anyone know when there would be a rise or slide in the Market Indices? Some of the stock markets around the World reacts to every small or minor event, let alone huge events like election results, earthquakes, floods, fire etc. This affects every other stock market around the world as all markets are connected. When would the bulls play out or when will the bears have a field day? As a layman, I was impacted by the market behaviour when I looked at my paltry portfolio! Most of the days, there would be a big dip in my portfolio (though the market indices had gone up!) or whenever I was lucky (which was very rare, indeed), I would see a marginal rise in my portfolio, much to my glee! My Advisor proudly says that ‘wealth’ can be built only when we stay invested in Equity Markets, deep and long; citing the example of Warren Buffet or still better the Indian stock market bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala; driving upon our millionaire dreams! Or in Indian terms ‘making us Crorepatis’!
I wondered, how deep and long one should stay invested to make a decent profit (say 10%, which I am very content with!). Well, in the words of my Advisor one should stay put in the market for long years or even decades! He related an inspiring story of how one of his clients invested in ‘Infosys’ stock for a few years and today he is a Crorepati! I truly believed him, impressed. Advisors do not want us to ditch them in between snatching away their hours of hard work in mesmerising us by selling big dreams!
Hours and hours of Television prime time is devoted to discussions on the market behaviour with market pundits having a field day in their technical analyses’ of stocks and world markets! It gets to be an addiction for a layman investor to watch the TV discussions go on, to and fro amongst the panelists of distinguished experts. Latching on to every spoken word by these wonderful analysts gives us a ‘pumping of adrenaline’ adding to the excitement of a market opening day. Beautifully worded technical statements are bandied about by the Analysts to the excited TV panelists; ‘Market fundamentals are weak / strong’; ‘Global scenario is playing out’; ‘Panic has gripped global markets after China’s sharp slowdown and currency adjustments’; ‘Commodities are driving the markets/weakening; ‘Chinese markets have opened weak’; ‘Greece default has spooked the markets’; ‘DOW and NASDAQ closed strongly’; the list goes on. Sounds nice! I have always wondered, where do the market panelists get such wonderful brainwaves with such superior confident conclusions on the market behaviour! How can we poor laymen understand what the market pundits know for sure! When the market closes for the day, these market pundits and panelists are nowhere to be seen, as the markets would have behaved exactly the opposite of what was predicted by them in the morning! The TV channels would have made their money (by switching to innovative ads in between shows) and nobody is the wiser! When the market closes for the day, the TV host would be recapitulating the day’s indices’ movements and preparing the grounds for the next day, without a word on what was discussed by their wonderful panel just a few hours before. The next day is the exact repeat telecast with more number of distinguished panelists coming on to the TV studios and sharing their wonderful stock investment tips and market predictions with us dumb investors!
After watching umpteen number of TV shows, latching on to every word spoken by these great market pundits, analysts, panelists, and all other sundry market players; it dawns on me that nothing is really sacred anymore. It is business as usual for all the TV channels, market strategists and all those involved in selling the ‘millionaire dreams’ to us poor laymen investors holding dearly on to our measly shares of few companies, here and there!
As my portfolio was not going anywhere, I decided it is time to seek some expert advice. One fine morning I called up my Advisor asking him to help in “rejigging” my portfolio. The Advisor promptly arrived. He made me sell some dud stocks (which I had foolishly held on to hoping it would revive soon!) and buy some ‘midcap’ and ‘largecap’ stocks to reinvigorate my portfolio. He explained that I should keep on revisiting my stocks every now and then to ensure that my portfolio stays healthy. After the “rejigging” of my portfolio with the help of my Advisor, I kept a close watch on the stocks, daily calculating the returns on my investments. This went on for some time when I thought that I had really ‘turned the corner’ and was on my way to becoming a millionaire! By God, how wrong I was. The bull market phase was over and the bears had taken hold of the stock market! My stock valuation dove straight down gradually, following the well tread pattern! I was back in the ‘all-too-familiar’ situation. I called up my Advisor, he reassured me that this phase is temporary and this is a minor correction; soon the stock market would be back in the hands of the ‘marauding’ bulls! He assured me that there was a huge expectation on India story achieving the highest growth rate in the world! He also assured me that more “rejigging” of portfolio may be needed once the stock market is handed over to the bulls!
I am sharing the optimism of my Advisor and that of my Indian Government on our Country’s growth story. We will register a double digit growth soon! Equity market will surely give me handsome returns; I am still holding on to my ‘dear’ stocks as if my life depended on it! I am hoping and keeping my dreams intact that one day I shall also be a millionaire or more aptly a ‘crorepati’. When my Advisor’s client (real or imagined, I am not sure) can become a ‘Crorepati’ by holding on to only one Company’s share, why can’t I?
Happy dreams with “Bulls” leading from the front. On my way, to becoming a Millionaire! Will the dreams come true or the bubbles burst. Only time will tell!
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