Samir
Bhatia
MD, India
%26amp; Indian Ocean, Barclays Bank
Though
he doesn’t believe in resolutions, Sameer Bhatia feels that making a
resolution is nonetheless a good start. He thinks that as various investment
options like stocks, real estate, mutual funds, equity linked schemes, REITS and
others continue to grab attention the Indian economy will continue to
grow.
“I believe a
balanced portfolio, with a medium to long term view holds the key to efficient
management of my wealth. Keeping this in mind I will continue to strengthen my
portfolio through a mix of stocks and real estate investments. Given the time
constraint and challenging environment we live in, I prefer to invest in Mutual
Funds as against individual stocks,†he
says.
Bhatia has also decided
that this year, he will seek advice from his in-house team. According to him,
the businesses, across sectors, are growing well and there will be more Indian
companies buying overseas. “Capital inflows are strong and show an upward
trend. This two way flow of money augurs well for India, and on the whole, for
Indian investors too,†he
adds.
For Bhatia, 2007 has been
a great year and has left behind quite a few learnings. “The stock market
witnessed some dives and steep highs. I am optimistic that, given the strong
economic growth, the market will grow stronger in 2008. I believe that anyone
with a medium-long term view of the market is likely to see his/her investments
grow well,†he
explains.
Bhatia feels that,
New Year resolutions for investment management do not work because most new year
resolutions end up being broken soon! And since portfolio management is a
regular process and demands consistent time and attention with application of
insights, past experience and measured risk-taking one should constantly be on
his toes.†Yes, if one has not started building up his/her portfolio then
doing it with a New Year resolution is a good way to start! Happy New
Year!,†he sums up.
S
Narayanan
MD %26amp;
CEO, Iffco Tokio General Insurance
His
new year resolution would broadly focus on spending wisely without being miserly
and saving as much income as possible. Narayanan believes that once you have
achieved basic comforts and necessities in life, more money does not buy any
more happiness. “On the contrary, chasing more money could cost you the
opportunity to focus on the truly important things in life. On a practical note
however, one needs to clearly specify one’s priorities with regard to
managing or maximising his wealth,†he
feels.
On the investment front,
Narayanan thinks that it is a time to take a long-term view. “As
India’s growth story is unfolding, both private and government resources
are now getting sourced into infrastructure creation. GDP growth rate is around
9%. This, I believe, will lead to robust domestic consumption and
spending,†he says.
With
most companies coming out with good numbers beating the analysts, Narayanan
believes it is difficult times to sense the Sensex, and the best bet for
individual investors like him is equity mutual funds. “The stock markets
are bullying forward. Sensex ended the year with a gain of 47.1% in 2007. In
absolute terms, surge of 6,500 points in 2007 is the highest ever in the over
two decades of history of Sensex. One should put good part of one’s money
in infrastructure funds with a long term view,†he says.
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