MICRO Blog

If you observe these instances, the underlying motivation to invest is primarily because of FOMO (fear of missing out) or saving taxes or chasing returns through the influence of social media. Investors however fail to pause and rarely think about questions which actually matter. Considering the behavioral tendencies, check out the infographic above on the […]

The Nifty 50 is presently down roughly 11% from its all-time high. Not a crash or a bear market, but enough to unsettle. The ongoing West Asia conflict, inflation fears, a weakening rupee, and economic slowdown chatter have combined to create a steady drip of anxiety for investors – many of whom had grown accustomed […]

For many individuals, buying a home is a lifelong dream, while for others, upgrading to a bigger or more comfortable home may be an important financial goal. Over the years, people usually accumulate savings by investing in various assets such as shares, mutual funds, gold, or property. When the time comes to achieve these goals, […]

Markets don’t reward stories. They reward discipline. In 2024, it was defence and capital goods. More recently, metals and commodities – gold & silver took center stage. Each phase had a compelling narrative: The story always sounds logical – almost obvious in hindsight. But here’s what often gets ignored: Narratives peak when prices already reflect […]

Falling markets not just offer attractive buying opportunities. They are actually one of the best times to identify and remove poor stocks or mutual funds from a portfolio and reinvest into better ones at attractive prices. But the key is to distinguish between temporary fall vs fundamentally bad investment. Most investors do the opposite – […]

Stock market scams in one form or the other continue to witness an unprecedented rise in India. Scamsters target gullible investors through WhatsApp, Telegram and other social media platforms, luring them with the flashy claims of quick returns. This is despite SEBI’s warnings cautioning investors against unsolicited messages on WhatsApp and other similar groups. To […]

A room filled with curiosity and a flood of questions on a lazy afternoon – that’s how I would describe the investor awareness session I conducted for the staff of LSEG Data & Analytics some time back. During such sessions, I usually ask the audience one simple but revealing question: “If you had to share […]

India’s primary market continued to witness an unprecedented surge in IPO activity in calendar year 2025, with around 120 IPOs launched in the mainboard segment. Mainboard IPOs typically comprise relatively large and established companies that list on the BSE or NSE. During such IPO frenzies, one behavioural bias that gets amplified is FOMO (Fear of […]

This table was published recently by popular newspaper Mint. Different investment options have been ranked in order of their return performance – from the highest to the lowest for each calendar year in the 10-year period – 2016 to 2025. They broadly fall under the following 4 asset classes – Fixed Income (debt), Equity, Gold […]

I know people who have created huge wealth from humble incomes and disciplined savings. And, also those earning exceptionally well, yet constantly struggling financially due to poor cash-flow control and negligible investments. That is why, when I sit down to prepare a financial plan for a client, the one figure I pay very close attention […]

In this past year, gold has given 70-80 per cent returns, silver over 100 per cent returns. Most international funds have yielded double digit returns. Comparatively, Sensex and Nifty have risen by just around 8 per cent till date in 2025. You must be disappointed after being used to seeing double digit greens in your […]

Tata Capital is the latest company to join the list of IPO disappointments, causing enormous losses to investors who bought the company stock in the unlisted market at a hefty premium. The pre-IPO share price had peaked up to Rs.1,000-1,125 amid the frenzy in the unlisted equity space. The IPO price band announced between Rs.310-326 […]

There is often a long gap between what we know and what we actually do. Knowing something is not the same as understanding it and putting it into practice. For instance, everyone knows a few minutes of daily exercise is good for health. Yet, how many of us actually walk, stretch, or work out consistently? […]

At the time of filing income tax returns, many taxpayers receive a rude shock in the form of a large self-assessment tax demand. This typically arises from interest earned on fixed deposits, which is classified under “Income from Other Sources.” Since this income is often not accounted for in advance, individuals not only end up […]

If you self-reflect on your annual expenses of the past 3 years, I am sure you would observe that your lifestyle has evolved. Your income has risen and so have your aspirations. It could be an upgrade to a better car, a better house, frequent shopping, frequent vacation incl. foreign travel, club memberships, lavish spending […]

Nominations in mutual funds makes transmission easy for the heirs in the event of the unitholder’s death. Existing regulatory guidelines make it mandatory for new folios/accounts opened by an individual in a single name to make a nomination. In case investors do not wish to nominate, they can explicitly opt out and need to confirm […]

In falling markets, most investors, in panic mode, tend to forget easily that investment returns are a function of the stock market. When markets go down, an investor’s portfolio value will fall too. A mutual fund investor should however be bothered to introspect by how much have his mutual funds fallen vis-a-vis the benchmark and […]

The Nifty 50 is down 13 per cent from its 52-week high as on this date. Investors, especially, the post-covid entrants in the stock market who were used to seeing green in their portfolios have now become jittery. Market dips have become frequent and persistent and is hurting investors more. Besides external factors, valuations are […]

Five reasons why markets are falling, such headlines are common nowadays. A culmination of factors is attributed to the recent 1.3 per cent Sensex crash. Even a 1000 point volatility is too hard to fathom for investors who have been used to seeing their portfolios in green for the past few years. One of the […]

The mutual fund sahi hai campaign has resonated well with retail investors over the past decade. This is reflected in the share of equity fund flows which were nearly 60 per cent of the total assets under management in November 2024. Ironically, debt mutual funds are like their poor cousin whose awareness is abysmally low. […]