Month: March 2025

Impact of Geo-Politics on the Stock Market

Posted on March 23, 2025March 23, 2025 by Pranav Lodh

Currently, the world is undergoing a significant geo political turmoil. The ongoing conflict across West Asia, war between Russia and Ukraine, political changes in the US and its economic policies, etc., are all driving paradigm shifts across the global economy.

These tectonic movements across world politics also affect the stock market. Surveys say, in 2024, geo-political risks affected the stock market more than any other event.

But why do geo-political events shake the stock market as much? How are both these elements related? As someone about to pursue stock market courses in Pune, you must understand the close relationship between both before you begin your journey.

So, let’s explore.

How Does Geo-Politics Influence the Stock Market?

Geo political events bring global uncertainty, anxiety, and disruptions. In a situation where conflicts thrive, sanctions stagnate progress, or political instabilities weaken government foundations, the stock market that relies on investments, becomes an obvious victim. Here’s how these events impact the market.

1. Investor Sentiment

The share market is a highly sentiment-driven space. Geo-political events result in fear or optimism, depending on what happens. For instance, war or war-like situations foster panic, while ceasefires or war closures lead to optimism and potentially create an environment conducive to investments.

Of course, negative sentiments and word of mouth spread faster than fire. However, positive changes can take some time to transform into reality.

During situations of geo-political tensions, people switch from relatively risky options like stocks to safer alternatives like fixed deposits, gold, etc. And the move is pretty justified. Who would want to lose money due to a war or conflict they have no control over?

2. Commodity Price Variations

Political turmoil or conflicts across the world’s oil-producing regions or countries with massive mineral deposits can lead to unimaginable spikes in commodity prices.

Oil and gas are often amongst the first ones to get affected. When they become expensive, production costs increase, profits plummet and consumer spending suffers a dent! These factors send shockwaves across the stock market, affecting stock performance.

For instance, the Russia-Ukraine war and related events drove a critical hike in WTI crude oil prices.

3. Trade Disruptions

Wars aren’t always fought with guns, grenades, and tanks. Modern warfare has morphed into several forms. One of them is a trade war. Although trade wars aren’t new, they’ve evolved over the years to become more ferocious and impacting.

Thus, trade wars between two major countries or across associations disrupt global supply chains and international trade.

Such wars initially begin with two countries. However, the increasing tensions often cascade to countries that depend on them somehow, or are their trade partners. These impact the supply of goods and affect their stock performance.

Sanctions have a similar impact. For example, sanctions on oil-selling nations can result in energy volatility, impacting associated stocks and the worldwide market sentiment. The trade war between economically solid countries like the US and China resulted in increased tariffs, driving considerable drops in technology and industrial stocks.

4. Currency Instability

Geo-political instabilities weaken currencies, prompting investors to shift their capital to more stable markets. Such capital flight can weaken emerging share markets and strengthen the US dollar, affecting global enterprises with widespread overseas business.

For instance, the 2016 Brexit vote caused the GBP to fall significantly, making the market unstable and negatively impacting stocks across the United Kingdom.

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Final Thoughts and Quick Tips to Deal with Geo-Political Risks

As an individual, you cannot control geo-politics.

All you can do is stay safe financially and make careful and informed investment decisions.

Amidst the highly dynamic geo-political situation, no one has a set or fixed formula to stay immune to the situation. However, you can opt to do the following.

Diversify and invest across different sectors and those that stay least affected and hold value during dynamic and uncertain geo-political circumstances.

Stay updated about significant geo-political events and make informed forecasts.

Hedge against currency risks as currency-hedged ETFs and international bonds can safeguard portfolios from currency variations.

Besides, it is key to be calm and patient.

Conclusive closures might take time. But situations don’t last forever. Hence, you should continuously analyze the situation and do what’s right for your investment (whether buy, sell, or stay put), depending on the condition.

Nevertheless, building capabilities takes time just like a geo-political situation. And it is possible with stock trading classes in Pune and your experience in the market. The more you stay and tackle market situations, the more seasoned you become.

So, join stock trading classes in Pune if you want to be such a confident, composed, and resilient player. Our comprehensive stock market training in Pune, experienced faculty members, practical exposure, situation-based training, etc., help you trade and invest confidently and independently.

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How do Interest Rate Changes Affect Stock Prices?

Posted on March 19, 2025March 19, 2025 by Pranav Lodh

Stock prices and interest rates share a close relationship. Think of them as the dance floor and music. The way music sets the rhythm and makes everyone move to it, interest rates affect stock prices and influence the stock market and stock investor’s investment decisions.

But how do interest rate variations cause stock market upheavals?

Learning about this relation should interest you as a novice stock market investor, pursuing or about to pursue stock trading classes in India. So, let’s overview it in this blog.

What are Interest Rates?

Interest rates refer to the cost or return you earn when you lend money.

In simpler words, they are the percentage you earn on a particular loan or the percentage you earn on your investments or bank deposits.

A country’s central bank (for example, in India, the Reserve Bank of India) sets the interest rates. When RBI decreases or increases the interest rates, it impacts how cheap or expensive borrowing money becomes for consumers and businesses.

Thus, higher interest rates make borrowing more costly, decelerating spending and investments. On the other hand, lower interest rates make borrowing cheaper, encouraging people to spend and invest more.

Stock prices reflect a company’s future earnings and growth potential. Thus, interest rate changes impact investor sentiment and company performance, affecting stock prices.

Impact of Higher and Lower Interest Rates on Stock Prices

Higher interest rates usually put downward pressure on stock prices. Let’s delve more.

Increased Borrowing Cost: When interest rates increase, businesses must pay more on loans and credit lines. It increases operational costs and lowers profitability, resulting in lower stock evaluations.

Customers Spend Less: As borrowing becomes expensive, consumers spend less. It affects company revenues, especially for those across consumer-driven sectors.

Fixed-Income Investments Surge: Higher interest rates make FDs and bonds more attractive as they deliver higher returns. Accordingly, you would see many investors switching from stocks to bonds. This move pushes down the demand for stock and depreciates stock prices.

For example, if RBI increases interest rates, sectors like real estate and automobiles that depend heavily on financing may see profits declining considerably. In situations like these, investors might sell their stocks, resulting in a price drop. Generally, during high interest rates, consumption based shares gain – which is the situation right now. That’s because people concentrate on buying essential items required for daily needs and tend to avoid unnecessary expenses on luxurious things.

Now, let’s see what changes lower interest rates cause in stock prices.

So, lower interest rates typically increase stock prices. Here are some reasons for this.

Cheaper Borrowing for Companies: Lower interest rates reduce capital costs, enabling companies to borrow more at lower costs. This proves to be conducive to business expansion, increased profits, and stock valuations.

Higher Consumer Spending: Lower rates reduce EMIs. People are then left with more disposable income. Thus, they spend more. Demand for goods and services increases, helping drive company revenues and stock prices upwards.

Fixed-Income Investments Fade Away: Lower interest rates make bonds and fixed deposits less attractive. Then, these options deliver a lower yield, encouraging investors to turn to stocks. This results in an increase in the demand for stock and a considerable price appreciation.

Looking at the same example, when RBI slashes the interest rate from say 7% to 6.5%, real estate and automobile companies benefit as people turn to finance to purchase these products. Hence, the stock prices of such companies increase with this change.

What Makes the Stock Market Sensitive to Interest Rate Changes?

One reason for this is that stock markets are forward-looking. It means, investors always try to forecast things. The moment central banks announce interest rate changes or hint at it, markets begin reacting to the change. Thus, if the bank hints at an interest rate hike, stock prices might plummet even before the change is official. On the other hand, if the bank indicates a cut in the interest rate, stock prices begin soaring!

Tips to Invest During Interest Rate Changes

As an investor, you cannot control interest rate changes at the macro level. However, you can tackle them effectively by investing sensibly and thoughtfully. Here’s what you can do.

Rising Interest Rates: Focus on sectors like healthcare, utility, etc., with steady demand.

Falling Interest Rates: Invest in growth stocks in real estate and technology.

Note: The above is generic advice. We recommend making an informed investment decision after a comprehensive market analysis and based on your financial goals.

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Mutual Funds vs Stocks: Where Should You Invest?

Posted on March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 by Pranav Lodh

Are you a novice investor overwhelmed and confused with the innumerable investment avenues, particularly mutual funds and stocks? OK. Then, you aren’t alone!

It is pretty normal to feel confused between both these options, at least initially.

Your money is like a seed that needs the right soil (mutual funds or stocks) to flourish into a tree that stays perpetually green and generates wealth for you in the long run.

So, where do you sow that seed – whether in mutual funds or stock?

As a stock market institute in Pune, we feel it is necessary to highlight the essential aspects of both to help you make the right choice. Let’s discover them in this blog.

What are Mutual Funds?

Mutual funds are like a basket of investments. They pool money from various investors and invest it in a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other assets.

Beginners often choose mutual funds in the early stages of their investment journey. Of course, diversification of funds is one thing. However, professional fund managers handle mutual fund investments. Thus, investors don’t have to spend time making choices. Fund managers do the groundwork, and make choices for their investors.

What are Stocks?

Stocks are like small pieces of ownership in a company. For instance, if you buy a stock worth Rs. 100, you own as much of a part in the company’s business as you’ve invested. If the company does well, your stock value increases and you may also earn dividends (part of the company’s profits). But if the company struggles, your investment value may drop.

Now that you know the basics of mutual funds and stocks, let’s see some key differences between the both to help you make a better and more informed choice.

Differences Between Mutual Funds and Stocks

Let’s look at some factors that differentiate mutual funds from stocks. As an aspiring investor about to pursue stock market courses in Pune, being clear about the differences between both these options will benefit you from the decision-making perspective.

Parameter	Mutual Funds	Stocks
Basic Concept	A professionally-managed pool investment that involves investing in different assets and securities.	A direct investment in a company’s shares, signifying ownership.
Ownership	Indirect ownership in different securities.	Direct ownership of a company’s shares.
Potential Returns	Moderate as the gains are averaged out.	Higher as the returns depend on the performance of a company in which you have invested.
Risk Level	Usually low as the money is invested in different assets.	High as the money is invested in a single company and the returns depend on the company’s performance.
Investment Control	Limited as the fund manager makes investment decisions for you.	Complete control over selecting, buying and selling stocks.
Liquidity	Open-ended funds have a higher liquidity. However, redemption can take time.	Very high as you can trade stocks any time you want.
Fees	Investing in mutual funds involves paying the fund manager management fees, spending on expense ratio and in some cases, exit loads.	Stock fees involve brokerage charges and taxes on trades.
Tax Efficiency	Capital gains and dividend tax may be applicable.	Capital gain tax is applicable depending on the period for you which you hold the stock.
Retirement Planning	You can plan for your retirement funds by investing in tools like pension plans, SIP and SWP.	This is pretty challenging in terms of stocks that keep faring up and down based on the market situation.
Diversified Investments	Mutual funds invest in different avenues, including corporate bonds and government bonds.	Buying stocks refers to investing in a single company and depending on its growth and performance for returns.
Multi-Bagger Returns	Limited	Extensive possibilities

Some Technical Terms

Open-Ended Mutual Funds: These allow investors to buy and sell shares at any time, depending on the fund’s net asset value (NAV).
Expense Ratio: It is the annual fee a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) charges to cover its operating expenses, including management fees, marketing expenses, and administrative costs.
Exit Loads: It is a fee charged when an investor withdraws or redeems units from a mutual fund before a particular holding period.

Picking the Right Option: Mutual Funds vs Stocks: What’s the Right Choice?

Honestly, the choice depends on various factors like your financial objectives (short and long-term), risk appetite, and more.

For instance, if you want to earn potentially bigger and better projects, can handle market volatility, have a larger risk tolerance capacity (financial muscle to bear losses), and can research companies extensively before making a decision, you may go for stocks.

However, if you prefer playing it safe, and want a more stable income, despite a little less than what you may earn through stocks, you can choose mutual funds.

Fundamentally, you must know what you want, how much you have on hand to invest, how elastic is your risk-taking capacity and what are your financial objectives. Being clear with all these aspects can help you make better choices for yourself.

As people running stock market classes, we suggest a combination of both, considering diversification one of the keys to becoming a successful market player.

By investing in both, you can mitigate the risk arising from investing in a single option and potentially benefit from the growth of both.

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