Sebi Whole-time Member Ananth Narayan G on Monday reminded investors that Indian equities have consistently delivered 15 per cent returns over the last 5 years whereas the same has been zero or even negative in China.

Terming the Indian markets “sone pe suhaga” for delivering higher returns for lower risks, Narayan also flagged a few areas of caution for investors and asked them to be conscious of the risks.

“There’s a lot of talk about China markets over the last few days. But over the last five years, while Indian markets have given around 15 per cent compound annual growth rate consistently, Chinese markets are nowhere close to that. It’s almost zero. In fact, in some cases, like in Hong Kong, it’s actually negative,” Narayan said.

Speaking at an event marking the start of the Investor Awareness Week at NSE, Narayan said FY24 was a “remarkable” year for India, with the benchmark indices returning 28 per cent and the volatility just 10 per cent.

“That’s like ‘sone pe suhaga’. It’s like the best of all worlds: low risk and very high return,” Narayan said, underlining that there are side effects of this as well.

Making it clear that it will not be the same going forward and investors should not assume it to be a one-way street, Narayan said such handsome returns can lead to complacency and pointed to a lot of youngsters opening up demat accounts to join the bandwagon.

Educating people about risks is very important, Narayan said, giving the analogy of driving a car. “There has to be a light push on the accelerator to get more investors to provide risk capital for the economic growth, we also need to be aware of risks and use the brakes if need be.” He said that 40 per cent of the small and midcap scrips have shot up by 5 times in the last five years, because of an imbalance between inflow of investor money and supply of new paper.

On its part, the capital markets regulator is trying hard to ensure that fund-raising clearances are done early so that there is a steady stream of quality paper supply in the market.

From a broader, longer-term perspective, Indian markets will only go north from here given the economic growth prospects in the country, Narayan said, issuing specific advice to investors.

Investors need to have the right intermediaries to capitalise on this opportunity presented by India, and not fall for the unregistered and fly-by-night ‘finfluencers’ who might be driven by vested interests, he said.

Using the oft-repeated idiom of “all roads lead to Rome”, Narayan remarked that Rome is not a traveller-friendly place and one may get scammed there as well. Therefore, it is important to seek advice from the right people for the investors, he said.

He also said that it is in investors’ interests to trade less and stay invested for longer for higher returns, and added that studies prove the same.

Sebi, which has flagged certain areas like derivatives recently, is not against speculation or participants taking short-term trades, but it would want investors to understand the risks, Narayan said.

Chairman and CEO, Railway Board, Satish Kumar today reviewed the progress of Special Campaign 4.0. A high level meeting was held through video conferencing from the office of Railway Board. The meeting was attended by General Managers of Zonal Railways, General Managers of Production Units, RDSO and Director Generals of Training Institutes along with MDs/CMDs of Public Sector Undertakings and senior officials of Railway Board.

During the meeting, the key goals of Special Campaign 4.0 were shared with the participants, which focused on several important aspects, such as furthering digitization efforts, improving cleanliness at campaign sites, clearing space, earning revenue through disposal of scrap and prompt resolution of public grievances especially through platforms like RailMadad and CPGRAMS. The Chairman and CEO emphasized the need for active participation at all levels to achieve these goals. The meeting directed the General Managers to personally monitor the activities of this campaign.

The Ministry of Railways has embarked on Special Campaign 4.0 with great determination and energy, which is being implemented across the entire Indian Railways network. The meeting also highlighted inclusivity as a key element of the Abhiyaan, with a special focus on ensuring participation of women and persons with disabilities. Additionally, adoption of best practices for work settlement was encouraged to accelerate efficiency and effectiveness. Special focus was laid on increasing the number of office spaces, expediting resolution of public grievances and promoting community participation through Rail Chaupals at railway stations across the country.

The meeting emphasized the importance of showcasing the achievements and activities of the Abhiyaan through social media, local news channels and press releases to increase public awareness and participation. Ministry of Railways is committed to implementing Special Campaign 4.0 in a comprehensive and effective manner, aimed at ensuring its success at a large scale.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (October 9) went on the offensive against Congress just a day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched victory in Haryana Legislative Assembly elections. The PM called Congress an irresponsible party and claimed that it ‘spread hatred’. Modi said that Congress wanted to divide the Hindus and aimed to create enmity between communities. Further, he said Congress always creates fear among Muslims and treats them as a vote bank. The PM was speaking after virtually inaugurating projects worth Rs 7600 crore in Maharashtra.

BJP managed to retain power in Haryana on Tuesday. The party bagged 48 seats in 90-member Haryana Legislative Assembly. The majority mark in 46. Congress, which was widely held to achieve comfortable majority had to be content with 37 seats.

Eyes On Maharashtra

On Wednesday, PM Modi said that election results in Haryana reflected mood of the country. He expressed confidence that BJP will achieve ‘bigger victory’ in upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

It is expected that elections will take place in Maharashtra next month.

In his speech, PM Modi said the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and Congress, wanted to weaken Maharashtra just to enjoy power. The ruling Mahayuti government however, said the PM, will strengthen the state.

“Our goal is Viksit Bharat with the development of poor, farmers, youth and women,” the prime minister said.