I get asked all the time, “JC why should I care what’s happening in Finland or Canada if I’m just trying to make money in stocks here in India?”
This is certainly a valid question and one that I think we need to address here before moving any further. Let’s remember that this is a “market of stocks” and not just a “stock market”. In other words, while things like the NIFTY50 and the S&P500 are indexes and a good gauge for the health of the overall market, there are many individual components that make up these averages. Oftentimes, that gets lost in the shuffle.
To add to this thought, let’s also remember that “Stocks” as an asset class are represented by companies all over the world in many different countries. These countries’ stock market averages tend to move in sync. In other words, the S&P500 is not going up or down because of what is happening in America. It is going up despite what is happening in America and in a solid uptrend along with the rest of the world. I can make the exact same case for the NIFTY50 and stocks in India. They have not been rallying simply because of what is taking place within the borders of India. These stocks have been rallying as stocks all over the world have been rallying. [Read more…]