Investment Lesson

Question: How do you define value? Which are your preferred metrics of value?

I was told I could address any of the following four questions in my article. But why stop at one if you can go for all four?  Especially if all four are linked inexorably in some form.

The questions and the corresponding answers are below -

As the parent of two teens I have seen them evolve over time. From the joys of the new born who holds you tight it is quite an eventful journey till they get to adulthood and spread their wings. Having just been to my elder child’s graduation (12th standard) and with adulthood now just a few days away it has been quite a satisfying journey.

UTI Equity fund has a strong predilection towards investing into businesses that have strong and steady profile of free cashflow generation, high RoCEs through the cycle and a high visibility of long term growth.

Here is a simple quiz question. “What do you need to meet life’s major financial goals like children’s higher education and retirement?” You have got it right if your answer is ample savings. But that was the easier part. Here’s the challenging question, “How do you create ample savings for these needs that require substantial sums?” For an individual investor, getting the right answer involves quite some doing as this involves making the right investments over long periods.

What comes to your mind when you think of making investments for future needs?

When it comes to different investment options in India, fixed deposits (FD) top the popularity charts. It is not unusual to find people having invested in them for all kinds of needs, be it those for the longer-term or to meet imminent needs. Unfortunately, this often means ignoring four potent dangers faced by FDs.

Four Limitations Of Fixed Deposits

In April this year I wrote that investing in equities had a lot in common with parenting. The market is volatile and it will throw a tantrum every now and then. And you will have to deal with it just as you deal with the tantrums of a child or a teen. Being both a parent and an investor I see the similarities. I also see the difference. Most children eventually move on from the tantrums as they mature and grow older. But the market– it will always remain a teenager. Frequent tantrums are the nature of the market.

“Change is the only constant” is an adage which applies perfectly to not just the macroeconomic environment but also to the equity markets in general. Behind every ‘fall in the market’ there will always be some events just as behind every ‘rally in the market’ there will be other events.  It is the circle of life for markets. At some point the markets will get over-valued, events seen as negative will happen; resulting in markets getting “de-rated” and dropping into the “cheap” zone.

Forest fires always start by one of two ways - naturally caused or human caused. Natural fires are generally started by lightning, with a very small percentage started by spontaneous combustion of dry fuel such as sawdust and leaves. Fires caused by human intervention can be due a range of reasons from carelessness (for eg a carelessly dropped cigarette) to arson.