Why is everything in a slump?

Two years into Covid, things were expected to go back to normal. But who loves normal? Not world leaders, it appears. Instead of mitigating the aftereffects of Covid, they’ve decided to wage war. Triggering market volatility as the speculation radar shadows everything.

A novice like me harnessed the fundamentals of the stock market, under the supervision of my cousin during Covid, to have an extra hand at money. Small chunks of profit initially got me frenzied. The news of war fuelled the wildfire as I woke up one morning and found my portfolio bleeding. My nascent investment career armwrestled with the global markets during an anticipated war. Riches to rags, that was my story that morning.

I panic-called my cousin. Before I could cry ‘Save me’ he yelled: ‘Bloodbath, Mayday, Mayday’. I want to thank him for such soothing words!

My hopes were lifted again when the markets took a U-turn for a V-shaped recovery, the war news had factored already and the numbers on the index were now greener than the actual grass. Little did I know, perceptions shape the market — My V for victory switched to Vanquish as more bad news ensued. Back to square one.

The stocks continued to give me the stepmother treatment. Trade gurus on YouTube were pure panic-sellers and far from accurate. The markets in my assessment are both tragic as also a trap. Most winners are long-term investors who don’t break out against the shakeout. Like a broken clock shows the right time twice, I think so does holding. And when the time comes, one must book their profits and exit. My lesson came much after my injury.

Netflix n’ Nil?

Misery loves company, and to seek solace I often think about Netflix investors’ plight. Especially the ambitious ones who bought tickets to the show when the stock price ranged between $500-600. The stock climbed up the ladder slowly to the peak of $690 and then took a quick elevator back to $200. If this isn’t cruel, I don’t know what is.

Except for the stock price, I think the content on Netflix has also trimmed in quality. The whole obsession to make seasons after seasons on the same plot — while from a commercial standpoint it makes sense — but from a creative and consumer point of view, it’s like wanting a hole in the head.

Talking about being married? The kind of investment one makes, only to then absorb diminishing returns.

If marriage as an industry were to be listed on a stockboard, it’d also be seen taking dump based on its present perception.

I always thought marriage was a by-product of love. But few of my friends who married out of love have scratched that idea away. ‘What love ya, just respect each other, that’s it’ ‘Don’t watch movies or read books, those set the wrong expectations of love and lovers’ ‘We got together because of love, now we stick together because of kids’ and many more.

We stop taking trades in love after marriage. But unlike markets, love is not a stock that’d grow on its own. In marriage, one has to be a long-term investor, and in love, one has to keep taking intraday trades daily. While losses can’t be escaped, that’s how one masters the art of trading and marriages, with love.

Netflix and Chill is no longer cool. But have you tried marriage and bills? Or trading and kill? Let’s talk more about that.