We list the 2023 calendar year returns of 180 indices. (different asset classes, different geographies, predominantly Indian). Total returns have been used where possible. Note: The list is only meant to serve as trivia. It should not used to make investment decisions!  Winners here may turn losers after we start investing in them! The year…

In this article, Vijay discusses guidelines on how to build a direct equity portfolio. This is the second part of the series. The first part is here: How to build a direct equity portfolio – Part 1. About the author: Vijay is an electronics engineer and management graduate (IIM Bangalore). He has worked as a…

In the first of a two-part series, Vijay discusses how to build a direct equity portfolio. About the author: Vijay is an electronics engineer and management graduate (IIM Bangalore). He has worked as a technical expert in the automotive industry for the last 25 years. He has an active interest in subjects related to macro…

Two readers recently asked us similar questions. One asked, “Is it possible for the Indian stock market to again go through 10 years of poor returns?” The reference is to the ten years of a sideways market after the Harshad Mehta scandal broke. For details, see: (a) Sensex at 50,000 & lessons from the 42-year journey (b) Sensex…

This article analyses the historical Nifty 50 portfolio over the last ten years (Oct 2012 to Sep 2022). This data is not available or free on the NSE website, so we use the portfolio history of Nifty BeES ETF as a proxy. Eighty-four entities have been part o the Nifty 50 over the last ten…

In this article, we look at how 200 indices representing the stock market, bond market and other asset classes performed in 2021. This is measured with 361 days absolute return from 1st Jan 2021 to 28th Dec 2021. Note: The following information should not be used for making investment decisions. Past performance is not an…

Neeraj asks, “Dear Pattu Sir, are we in the middle of the biggest bull run in the history of the Indian stock market? If we look at the market momentum since March 2020, it seems to be the sharpest increase ever seen. Can you please let me know if I am right?” When I first…

Sunder asks, “We all know that equity returns in the last financial year or last annual year were excellent. Does this mean we should mentally prepare ourselves for poor or even negative returns this year?” The 97% returns mentioned in the title refer to the NIfty 50 TRI movement from 23rd March 2020 to 23rd…

In this article, we compare the returns of the Sensex Total Returns Index with the S&P 500 Total Returns Index in INR since the inception date of the Sensex, 1st April 1979. The analysis stems from a comment on our YouTube channel that said the S&P 500 would have easily beat the Sensex over the…

HDFC Bank has been a favourite investment for a lot of investors in the Indian equities – be it Retail Investors, Fund Managers, FIIs, or DIIs. And, with good reason too. HDFC Bank has outperformed almost every bank in India in terms of stock price performance. An analysis. About the author: Arjun Budhraja is an…

Imagine this scenario: the stock market falls by about 50% – not suddenly over a few days but over months and months, say over three years. Since there is no sudden fall, there is no sudden recovery either. The market stays underwater (below the previous all-time high) for the next five years. Can you manage…

The Sensex closed for the first time above 50,000 on 3rd Feb 2021. We look at its 42-year journey for lessons on reward and risk. The BSE provides closing price (excluding dividends) from 3rd April 1979 when the Sensex was 124.15. We shall use this data for analysis. Dividends will have to be added to…