Market Resilience Amid Global Tensions
Mutual fund leaders are projecting confidence in Indian stocks, urging investors to resist exiting positions despite heightened geopolitical tensions. They argue that current market volatility, while affecting near-term returns, does not change the long-term growth path for Indian assets.
DP Singh, Deputy Managing Director & Joint CEO of SBI Mutual Fund, noted that while one-year returns might seem subdued, the longer-term view is positive. "Three-year returns are still in the range of 10%, 12%, or 15%, so people have not lost money," Singh said. He recommended increasing investor allocations and participation via Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs), suggesting that higher SIP flows can help stabilize domestic markets and lessen reliance on volatile foreign institutional investor (FII) flows.
A Balasubramanian, MD & CEO of Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC, agreed, describing volatility as a natural part of equity markets that shouldn't deter patient, long-term investors. "Bullishness is never permanent, nor is bearishness permanent," he commented. Balasubramanian expects Indian equities to grow in line with the country's nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which will help build substantial wealth over time.
Smart SIP Strategy for Market Recovery
Feroze Azeez, Joint CEO of Anand Rathi Wealth, reinforced the argument for continued investment with historical analysis. He noted that in 11 of the last 12 similar war-related events, the Nifty index eventually recovered its previous levels and then surged by 10%. Azeez pointed out that even after sharp market drops, equities have historically delivered significant returns, averaging nearly 19% annually in the three years following such declines. This history supports maintaining and increasing SIP investments to benefit from market recovery.