Reblog: Capitulation of the small-cap investor

The heady Indian bull market was fueled by the liquidity rush post demonetization. But that was not the only reason propelling indices in India to new highs. Thanks to lower global interest rates, money was channelized into India in the hunt for better returns. A stable government at the center, lower crude prices and low inflation were other factors that contributed to the overall positive sentiment.

But many of us wanted more than what blue chips had to offer. We wanted to “beat the market”. Or, for that matter even the track records of legendary investors like Warren Buffet or Peter Lynch. Naturally, this led us to scenarios which offered potentially superior returns. And in the perpetual hunt for 10-baggers, we ended up investing in nano-, micro- and small-cap companies with questionable business models, corporate governance and promoter intentions.

We looked at:

• Turn around stories
• Hope stories
• High growth small cap names
• Formalization of informal sector across industries
• Commodity stocks

Many stocks that fell in the above categorizations turned out to be 10-20 baggers over the last 3-4 years. But once the music stopped, we witnessed a vertical decline in stock prices that has stunned even seasoned investors.

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