Six Funds. Same Stocks. That’s Not Diversification — It’s Duplication Overlapping Risk in Mutual Funds 🔍 I thought I was diversified. I was wrong. Three years into my investing journey, I had 6 mutual funds in my portfolio. Large-cap fund. Flexi-cap fund. Multi-cap fund. A couple of sector funds. An index fund. I felt covered. Balanced. Smart. Then one afternoon, I actually sat down and looked at the underlying holdings across all six funds. HDFC Bank — in 5 out of 6 funds. Reliance Industries — in 4 out of 6. Infosys, ICICI Bank, TCS — showing up again and again and again. I didn't have 6 different bets. I had one concentrated bet, wrapped in 6 different wrappers. That's Overlapping Risk in Mutual Funds — and most investors never see it coming. Here's what it means in plain language: When two or more funds you hold invest in the same stocks, your so-called "diversification" is an illusion. If those common stocks fall, ALL your funds fall — togethe...
🌍 Is Investing in Global Markets Optional? The Numbers Say No. Most investors stick to what they know — their home market. But 2024's market returns tell a very different story. Here's how the three biggest economic powerhouses performed last year: 🇺🇸 United States (S&P 500): +25% Fuelled by the AI revolution, mega-cap tech dominance, and two consecutive years of 20%+ returns — the best such run since the dot-com era. Nvidia alone surged 171%. 🇨🇳 China (CSI 300): +15% Written off by many investors early in the year, China came roaring back in the second half after the government unveiled sweeping economic stimulus. Those who stayed patient or positioned early were rewarded. 🇮🇳 India (Nifty 50): +8.8% Still positive — and still one of the best-performing large economies over the past decade — but a relative underperformer in 2024 after years of exceptional returns. Valuations had run ahead of earnings, and markets corrected course. What does this tell us? No single ...