Investment Ideas In Equity Market For Millennials

When the stock market was touching new highs in January 2018, Mumbai-based Vivek Mistry, 24, got tempted to invest in equities after completing his commerce graduation in 2017. He was keen to learn about investing in equities through experience.

But he didn’t have money to invest in equities. So, in March 2018 he borrowed Rs 1 lakh from his parents and invested in equity markets. That wasn’t his only mistake.

He decided to dabble in derivatives; he bought future contracts of some state-owned banks. But dismal state of state-owned banks (the news of the Punjab National Bank fraud perpetrated by now-fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi had just been unearthed at the time) and the non-performing asset malaise in banks, in general, didn’t raise enough flags for Mistry who went ahead anyway.

Within two weeks of investing, Mistry lost Rs 50,000 as he decided to wind up his derivative positions. “I made a big blunder from my very first investments by trading in derivatives futures contract and not keeping a stop loss,” said Mistry.

When it comes to dipping fingers in equities, Mistry is not alone. For instance, smallcase.com, an online platform for equity investing, 40 percent of investors are under 27.

A smallcase is an investment instrument; each smallcase is a portfolio of stocks or exchange-traded funds that reflect an idea, theme or strategy. 

Unfortunately, ease of technology doesn’t restrict youngsters from making crucial investing mistakes.

“Several millennial investors tend to follow the unprofessional approach like investing on random recommendations from friends / colleagues.

Stop listening to your friends; listen to professionals

One big mistake, experts say, that many commit while investing in equity markets is to listen to their friends, neighbours, uncles, aunts and everyone. Yet, we squirm when it comes to paying a fee for professional advice.

Pune-based Gaurav Kapoor, 25, followed a friend’s advice in October 2018 and invested his hard-earned money in penny stocks (those stocks whose share prices are less than Rs 10). He invested Rs 1.5 lakh after his friend had advised him to buy shares of small-sized companies on the back of expectations of rally in stock prices in this penny stocks.

But, in just two months, the value of Kapoor’s investment went down to Rs 25,000. He had learnt his lesson and later turned to a financial advisor who has now put him on a systematic investment plan of Rs 20,000 in a mid-cap mutual fund scheme.

Buy and hold is good, but learn to let go as well

An earlier Moneycontrol – CRISIL Research Ltd study published in January spoke of the merits of patiently staying invested through turbulent times.

The study pointed out that if investors who had invested in January 2007 in rising markets had panicked and redeemed in 2008 after the global market crash that happened on the back of credit crisis and had withdrawn at the end of 2008, investors would have lost 33 percent.

Those who had stayed invested till the end of the year of 2011, would have made a marginal gain of 4 percent. But if you had stayed on till the end of 2017, you would have made 16 percent. The study had considered the 20 largest equity funds at the start of 2007.

But that doesn’t mean you hold on to bad investments. Experts advise that when you buy equity shares directly, it’s better to have a stop-loss instruction in equities with a broker to sell a security after it reaches the price limit you had set.

CA Sameer Shah, CEO at Sameer Shah and Associates from Mumbai advised, “Millennial investor always needs to study the fundamentals of the company from annual reports, quarterly results and take a second opinion from research analysts who track the company before investing and accumulating the fresh quantity of the stocks.”

Mutual funds or direct equities; do SIP

If you don’t have the time or wherewithal to go through a company’s annual reports or cash flow statements, it’s best to stick to mutual funds. Numerous online platforms are available that help investors to invest in mutual funds.

Hence, direct plans come with a lower expense ratio as distributor fees are not embedded in them. Regular plans have distributor fees embedded in them as they are sold by distributors. But trying to save a bit of cost here and you risk of losing much more if you end up investing in the wrong mutual fund scheme by yourself.

But SEBI registered investment advisors can sell direct plans if you are opt for their fee-based financial plan; a much safer way to invest in equity.