BackMint Markets in Review, 2023 | Perspectives on the year and what lies ahead
This is a collection of our top markets articles from this year, spanning exclusive interviews, investing advice, and deeply researched perspectives
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As the chart shows, Indian investors have had a good year. Since the turn of the year, Sensex has grown by more than 18%, and sits comfortably above 70,000. But the climb wasn't that straightforward: multiple crashes also took place, testing investor patience.
This list is a curation for active and passive investors who track developments in India’s public markets with enthusiasm. Mint Markets in Review is a collection of our top articles from this year, spanning exclusive interviews, investing advice, deeply researched perspectives on markets and investing and our finest reportage on the subject. While, you may have come across some of these pieces already, we believe many of these are worth looking back at as we take stock of 2023 — especially given the year that the markets have had.
Sensex at 70K. Is it time to stop your SIPs? Perhaps
Investors have had a good year. The Sensex now comfortably trades above 70,000. But is a correction incoming? Rahul Goel, columnist of Contramoney, takes an analytical view, and follows them up with five ideas you might want to consider before investing in this bull run.
The small cap surge: Are you at risk?
The surge in markets in the middle of the year was primarily led by small and midcap (smids) stocks. This rally was exciting, yet tenacious — as is the case with any smids stock. Ram Sahgal writes a detailed piece about this trend, and focuses on a few stocks in particular to answer a pertitnent question: is the smids rally here to stay?
Let alone expensive stocks, even good companies are not always good investments
Is an expensive stock always a good bet? Our partners at Equitymaster don't agree with that. Using the context of the Adani Group crash, the author uses Pidilite and Asian Paints as example, and breaks the fundamentals down to ascertain if they are worthy of your investment.
If you can’t catch ’em, join their Signal groups first, feels Sebi
The markets regulator is always on the prowl to catch crooks who mislead investors. To achieve that, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) found itself on multiple messaging platform groups that offer stock advice. Pavan Burugala writes about this interesting case of Sebi using proxies to enter such domains, which are otherwise inaccesible. A fun and interesting read that shows Sebi's sleuthing skills.
Investing lessons from the WPL
15 years after the men's counterpart changed cricket forever, the Women's Premier League took off in 2023. Prior to the on-field drama and celebrations, women cricketers went under the hammer for the first time, with many prominent players receiving huge amounts. Vivek Kaul uses this parallel to write about women and investing — a sensitive yet timely topic, given how few women invest in India.
What should you do when your favourite stock crashes?
Many investors are bullish on some particular stocks. Like any favourites, this could be backed by rationale, or by feelings. But what should one do when this revered stock crashes? Equitymaster writes about the possible avenues you can take when this happens.
Investment lessons from Adani stocks crash
In the same vein, many investors lost a lot of wealth when the Hindenberg report came out earlier this year. A total of $111 billion of market capital was lost. Vivek Kaul writes about the lessons this particular crash had for investors, and why retail investors would be wise to learn them to avoid another such incident.
This company's stock price just hit ₹100,000. Is it still value for money?
Tyre company MRF hit a huge milestone in 2023: its share price crossed ₹1 lakh. That made it the most expensive share in the Indian stock markets. But does this really mean anything for the average investor? Equitymaster analyses MRF, and uncovers whether it warrants a six-figure price point.
Indian markets, now valued more than India GDP for FY24
Another huge threshold the Indian markets cross this year was the total value of the markets. Robus investments by retail investors, as well as heavy inflows from foreign ones meant the Bombay Stock Exchange's market capitalisation stood at the tune of $3.99 trillion — more than India's GDP forecast for FY2024. Ram Sahgal wrote about this event, and contextualised it with some numbers. It's bull run, and we're sprinting.
'Successful investing is a piece of art' says Motilal Oswal’s Raamdeo Agrawal
Raamdeo Agrawal, chairman and co-founder of financial services firm Motilal Oswal, knows a thing or two about the stock markets. Speaking to Ram Sahgal and Satish John, Agrawal spoke about a range of topics: Motilal's portfolio, the investing strategy, markets in the context of the larger economy's growth, and the next big opportunities. Agrawal indices these answers with sharp knowledge about any company's P&L statements, as well as other macroeconomic statistics. A must-read for any retail investor.
Mamaearth’s IPO had lessons for investors
There's many takers for new-age startup IPOs hitting the markets. There are even more detractors. When Mamaearth hit the bourses, many mutual funds bought the personal care brand — attracting the ire of retail investors. It was seen just as a way for the company's original investors to get returns. But in the months since, it has done well as a stock, providing double digit returns. Vivek Kaul outlines the lessons from this IPO, and why we shouldn't judge a stock's performance too quickly.
I read 500 pages on Infosys. Here's what I found
Company and stock profiles are difficult to execute. But that's where someone like Equitymaster comes in. Going through the annual reports of IT giant Infosys, Equitymaster gained a rare perspective on one of India's top stocks. This long read is worth the time and effort, especially if you're a shareholder in Infosys.
‘Market momentum to continue in 2024 but stick to large-caps’: Devina Mehra
Patient investors have enjoyed the fruits of what the markets have to offer in 2023. But what about 2024? Devina Mehra, founder and chairperson of First Global, has some thoughts. Mehra spoke to Jash Kriplani about rate cuts (or lakc thereof), different sectors' performance, and some advice for investors to stay put — but in large, more trustworthy and stable stocks.
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