Skip to main content

8 Investing Strategy

The stock market ‘meltdown’ witnessed since the start of 2005 (notwithstanding the recent marginal recovery) has once again brought to the forefront an inherent weakness existent in our markets. This is the fact that FIIs, indisputably and almost entirely, dominate the Indian stock market sentiments and consequently the market movements. In this article, we make an attempt to list down a few points that would aid an investor in mitigating the risks and curtailing the losses during times of volatility as large investors (read FIIs) enter and exit stocks. Read on



Manage greed/fear:

This is an important point, which every investor must keep in mind owing to its great influencing ability in equity investment decisions. This point simply means that in a bull run - control the greed factor, which could entice you, the investor, to compromise with your investment principles. By this we mean that while an investor could get lured into investing in penny and small-cap stocks owing to their eye-popping returns, it must be noted that these stocks have the potential to wipe out almost the entire invested capital. Another way greed affects investor behaviour is when they buy/hold stocks above the price justified by its fundamentals. Similarly, in a vice-versa scenario (bear market), investors must control their fear when stock markets turn unfavourable and stock prices collapse. Panic selling would serve no purpose and if the company has strong fundamentals, the stock is more than likely to bounce back.It is apt to note here what Warren Buffet, the legendary investor, had to say when he was asked about his abstinence from the software sector during the tech boom, “It means we miss a lot of very big winners but it also means we have very few big losers…. We’re perfectly willing to trade away a big payoff for a certain payoff”.



Avoid trading/timing the market:

This is one factor, which many experts/investors claim to have understood but are more often wrong than right. We believe that it is rather impossible to time the market on a day-to-day basis and by adopting such an approach, an investor would most probably be at the losers’ end at the end of the day. In fact, investors should take advantage of the huge volatility that is witnessed in the markets time and again. In Benjamin Graham’s (pioneer of value investing and the person who influenced Warren Buffet) words, “Basically, price fluctuations have only one significant meaning for the ‘true’ investor. They provide him an opportunity to buy wisely when prices fall sharply and to sell wisely when they advance a great deal. At other times, he will do better if he forgets about the stock market”.



Avoid actions based on rumours/sentiments:

Rumours are a part and parcel of stock markets, which do influence investor sentiments to some extent. However, investing on the basis of this could prove to be detrimental to an investors’ portfolio, as these largely originate from sources with vested interests, which more often than not, turn out to be false. This then leads to carnage in the related stock(s) leaving retail investors in the lurch. However, if we consider this from another point of view, when sentiments turn sour but fundamentals remain intact, investors could take the opportunity to build a fundamentally strong portfolio. This scenario is aptly described by Warren Buffet, “Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful”.



Avoid emotional attachment/averaging:

It is very much possible that the company you have invested in fails to perform as per your expectations. This consequently gets reflected on the stock price. However, in such a scenario, it would not be wise to continue to hold onto the stock/buy more at lower levels on the back of expectations that the company’s performance may improve for the better and the stock would provide an opportunity to exit at higher levels. Here it is advisable to switch to some other stock, which has promising prospects. In Warren Buffet’s words, “Should you find yourself in a chronically-leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks”.



Avoid over-leveraging:

This behaviour is typical in times of a bullrun when investors invest more than what they can manage with the hope of making smart returns on the borrowed money. Though this move may sound intelligent, it is smart only till the time markets display a unidirectional move (i.e. northwards). However, things take a scary turn when the markets reverse direction or move sideways for a long time. This is because it leads to additional margin calls by the lender, which might force the investor to book losses in order to meet the margin requirements. In a graver situation, a stock market fall could severely distort the asset allocation scenario of the investor putting his other finances at risk.



Keep Margin of Safety:

In Benjamin Graham’s words, “For ordinary stocks, the margin of safety lies in an expected ‘earning power’ considerably above the interest rates on debt instruments”. However, having a stock with a high margin of safety is no guarantee that the investor would not face losses in the future. Businesses are subject to various internal and external risks, which may affect the earnings growth prospects of a company over the long-term. But if a portfolio of stocks is selected with adequate margin of safety, the chances of losses over the long term are minimised. He further points out, “while losing some money is an inevitable part of investing, to be an ‘intelligent investor,’ you must take responsibility for ensuring that you never lose most or all of your money.”



Follow research:

The upswing in the stock markets attracts many retail investors into investing into equities. However, picking fundamentally strong stocks is not an easy task. In fact, it is even more difficult to identify a stock in a bullish market, when much of the positives are already factored into the stock price, making them an expensive buy. It is very important to understand here that owning a stock is in effect, owning a part of the company. Hence, a detailed and thorough research of the financial and business prospects of the company is a must. Given the fact that on most occasions, research is influenced by vested interests, the need of the hour is unbiased research. Information is power and investors need to understand that unless impartially represented (in the form of research) it could be misleading and detrimental in the long run.



Invest for the long-term:

Short-term stock price movements are affected by various factors including rumours, sentiments, market perception, liquidity, etc, however, in the long-term, stock price tends to align themselves with its fundamentals. Here it must be noted what Benjamin Graham once said, “…in the short term, the market is a ‘voting’ machine (whereon countless individuals register choices that are product partly of reason and partly of emotion), however in the long-term, the market is a ‘weighing’ machine (on which the value of each issue (business) is recorded by an exact and impersonal mechanism).”Of course, it must be noted that the above list is not exhaustive and there may be many more points that an investor needs to understand and follow in order to be a successful investor. Further, the above points are not just a read but needs to be practiced on a consistent basis. While making wealth in the stock markets was never an effortless exercise, it becomes all the more difficult when stock markets/stock prices are at newer highs.

Popular posts from this blog

Post Office Deposits Interest Rates

Best SIP Funds to Invest Online   SIPs are Best Investments when Stock Market is high volatile. Invest in Best Mutual Fund SIPs and get good returns over a period of time. Know Top SIP Funds to Invest Save Tax Get Rich For further information on Top SIP Mutual Funds contact  Save Tax Get Rich on 94 8300 8300 OR You can write to us at Invest [at] SaveTaxGetRich [dot] Com

How Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) works?

    THE tax season is here. And if you are an employee you can't blame your employer for deducting large chunks of money from your salary towards tax deducted at source ( TDS ), which he is legally obliged to do. Your bank will also deduct some percentage from your FD interest of Rs 10,000 or more towards TDS! So what is this TDS all about? How is it computed? Are there any changes this year? Read on... What is TDS? TDS reduces your taxable income and could even provide tax relief! The TDS collections account for 40 percent of the total taxes collected in the country. As the name suggests TDS is the amount of tax that is deducted at source in certain types of income . The TDS thus collected is deposited in the Government treasury within a specified time. How is it computed? Some of the types of income where TDS is applicable include salary, interest, rental fee, interest on securities, insurance commission, dividends from shares and UTI/Mutual Funds, commission and brokerage

Modern day balanced mutual fund approach

Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Mutual Funds Online Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)   In reality, most balanced funds have a strong tilt towards equity instead of a mix of equity and debt THERE are various types of mutual funds available to investors with specific features. Often investors have a particular idea about a specific type of funds in terms of their features and risks, but that is not what is actually available. Therefore, it is necessary for an investor to understand the actual position before picking up a fund. This requires some work on the part of the investor. One example can be the situation with balanced funds. Name is not representative: One of the first things that an investor has to understand is that the name of the fund is often not representative of its investment pattern. The name often represents only the aim of the fund, and not what it actually is.

ELSS Tax Saver

ELSS Stands for Equity Linked Savings Scheme.   ELSS Fund are mutual funds with 3 years of lock in period and offer income tax benefit under section 80C. They are open ended to purchase. Not all Mutual fund Investments are eligible for tax exception. List of Tax Saving Mutual Funds   Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.   Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)   Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications   These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also   Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) HDFC TaxSaver ICICI Prudential Tax Plan DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund IDF

Should you invest in tax-free infra bonds?

THOSE looking to save tax should take note of the latest buzz in the debt markets. Power Finance Corporation ( PFC ) and Housing Urban Development Corporation (Hudco) have launched bonds that will help you save more tax than your regular infrastructure bonds. Soon, IRFC and NHAI are likely to follow suit with similar bonds. KP Jeewan, general manager, debt markets, Karvy Stock Broking, says: "The coupon in these bonds are completely tax-free and those in the highest tax bracket can expect an effective yield of 10.75 per cent, compared to the 9.5 per cent a 10-year public sector bond would offer." The PFC and Hudco offerings are of 10- and 15-year tenures, with coupon rates of 7.5 and 7.75 per cent, respectively. Unlike other regular tax-free infra bonds, the tax benefits in these bonds are not capped at ` 20,000. Even besides these tax free bonds, those in the highest tax bracket have had plenty of opportunities to invest in tax saving infrastructure bonds under 80 CCF i
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now