Why You Always Buy at the Top and Sell at the Bottom
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Please consult a SEBI-registered advisor before making investment decisions.
What Are Bonds in India — A Plain English Guide
A bond is a loan. You lend money to a government or a company. They pay you interest at regular intervals. At the end of the agreed period, they return your principal. That’s the whole idea. The complexity comes in the details, who is borrowing, what rate they’re paying, and what happens if you want […]
Why Checking Your Portfolio Every Day Is Bad for Your Wealth
There is a behaviour pattern I have noticed consistently among retail investors: the ones who check their portfolio most frequently are often the ones who perform worst. This is counterintuitive. More monitoring should mean more control, more awareness, better decisions. In practice, the opposite tends to be true. Checking your portfolio every day is not […]
The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Investing — Why You Hold Bad Stocks Too Long
“I will sell when I get back to my purchase price.” This is one of the most common things investors say about losing positions, and it is one of the most financially destructive commitments a person can make. It is the sunk cost fallacy in its purest form, and I see it everywhere, in the […]
What is ASBA — and How Does It Protect Your Money in IPOs?
If you have applied for an IPO in India in the last several years, you have used ASBA, whether you knew it or not. ASBA stands for Application Supported by Blocked Amount, and it is the mechanism that governs how your money is handled between the time you apply for an IPO and the time […]
What is Cut-Off Price in IPO — and Should You Always Tick It?
The One Checkbox Most IPO Applicants Click Without Understanding If you have ever applied for an IPO through your broker or bank, you have seen a checkbox that says something like “Cut-off price.” Most retail investors tick it without thinking twice. That instinct is usually correct, but understanding why it is correct will help you […]
Demat Account in India — What You Need to Know Before Opening One
Before you can buy a single share of stock, invest in an exchange-traded fund, receive an IPO allotment, or hold sovereign gold bonds, you need a demat account. This is not optional, it is the foundational infrastructure of investing in India’s capital markets. And yet, many new investors open demat accounts without fully understanding what […]
IPO Listing Gains — How to Think About Them vs Long-Term Holding
The Morning After: What Listing Day Actually Feels Like You got allotment. The IPO opens for trading. The stock pops 40% on Day 1. Your phone buzzes with alerts. Every WhatsApp group is celebrating. The temptation to sell and pocket the gain is overwhelming, and in many cases, it is also the right decision. But […]
What Happens If an IPO Is Not Fully Subscribed?
The IPO That Nobody Wanted In the middle of a roaring bull market, it can seem like every IPO is oversubscribed by 50x and the grey market premium is always positive. But markets are cyclical, sentiment shifts, and some IPOs simply do not attract enough investor interest to fill their allotment books. What happens then? […]
LTCG Tax on Equity in India — What Changed and How to Plan
The Tax That Came Back, and Changed Again Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax on equity in India has had an eventful history. It was abolished in 2004, reintroduced in 2018, and then revised again in Budget 2024. Each change has required equity investors to rethink their planning. This article covers the full arc and, more […]