Trade deals ease risks for Indian equities, but weak demand and stretched valuations raise questions over whether optimism -- especially in smallcaps -- can turn into a sustained bull run, points out Debashis Basu.
'Except for extremely conservative investors, others can consider allocating 10 to 20 per cent of their portfolio to small caps.'
Fund managers advise conservative investors to cap midcap exposure at 10 to 15 per cent of their equity portfolio.
After two years of strong gains, smallcap stocks fell sharply in 2025, but the correction may be setting up opportunities for long-term investors.
SoftBank's early India bets are beginning to deliver. The Japanese investor, which clocked nearly 5.4x returns on Lenskart and chose to stay invested in Meesho ahead of its public listing, has so far returned close to $7 billion from India to its global investors.
A key blow for JioStar came from an unlikely source: The Indian government's ban on real-money gaming, the sector that had become cricket's biggest advertiser.
India's mergers & acquisitions (M&As) market recorded deals worth $45.44 billion in the first half of 2025, up nearly 3.3 per cent from a year ago, even as ultra large-ticket transactions remained subdued. During the first half, the 7.1 per cent rise in deal count to 1,614 signals continuing appetite among domestic conglomerates and private equity (PE) funds for mid-sized and smaller assets.
'Do exhaustive research and then select the one that best fits your budget and requirements.'
Borrowers should consider switching from an MCLR-linked to a repo rate-linked loan.
SOFs can be a diversification tool for investors seeking alternatives to conventional large, mid, or smallcap portfolios.
Startups that became unicorns in 2024 took an average of nine years and six months to reach $1 billion valuation, reflecting the impact of a prolonged funding squeeze from PE/VC firms over the past few years.
'Asset allocation should change only if your goals, life situation, or risk profile have changed.'
Overall market reaction to the Budget was neutral. Investors absorbed the changes to the tax rates (positive for salaried class) and capital gains taxes (CGTs, negative due to the removal of indexation and increases. Other proposals largely pertain to supporting rural development, buybacks taxed as dividends, Custom duty changes that impact multiple sectors, higher outlays for clean energy, etc. There's some moderation in the growth of capex outlay across defence, fer
'India is an equity market with a breadth and depth of companies to invest in.'
Despite a shaky Q3, conviction over the stock remained high, with 65 per cent of the analysts polled on Bloomberg retaining their 'buy' recommendation.
Tata group's hospitality firm Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) on Friday said its 'Taj' brand has been rated as the strongest hotel brand in the world. According to the 'Hotels 50 2021' report by Brand Finance, Taj topped the strongest brands list for having stood resilient in spite of the challenges posed by the pandemic, besides other achievements.
'The true fruits of the attack on black money, what Raghuram Rajan did for the banking system, and what technology is doing for us will come in FY19, which, not surprisingly, is the year running up to the next Lok Sabha elections.'
Liquidity has improved, but 20 out of 24 NBFC stocks are staring at an over 5% reduction in 12-month target prices.
Gilt funds make sense only if you want to take a tactical view on interest rates and are looking for a short-term duration.
Markets are assuming that by the second half of 2021, the world will be approaching some type of normalcy, points out Akash Prakash.
Analysts say there is still no visibility of earnings improvement.
Start-ups have begun looking at ways to conserve cash.
Loan rates will change at the next reset, while deposit rates will continue till maturity.
'From a retail investor's perspective, therefore, it is essential not to get swayed by the short-term correction in the equity market and macro noise, and stay the course with their long-term financial plans,' notes Ashwin Patni.
We are entering a period of turbulence, but you can profit off that volatility.
Five per cent growth is disappointing but only after having reached nine per cent. However, it is still not all that bad, says Andrew Michael Spence.
'The Modi government's lurch toward America has not brought it any dividends so far. The Western world is simply not in a position to make big investments in India... India needs to take a leap of faith vis-a-vis China.'
Budget might turn out to be neutral for the sector.
'The Budget has maintained fiscal prudence while announcing a number of steps to boost growth, particularly in infrastructure and rural sectors.'
'India easily remains one among the more attractive large economies, with high growth and stable/improving macros, as a top investment destination.' 'We are looking pretty good.'
Real estate sector cheers reforms in the Budget.
In the near term, the key driver will still be the government's fiscal spending.
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