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The Way Ahead for Investors in 2014

We are operating with few known factors and don’t know how to discount the political, geopolitical and macroeconomic ones

Published: Jan 10, 2014 07:22:28 AM IST
Updated: Jan 10, 2014 06:01:55 PM IST

2014 is not going to be an easy one for investors. Not because we don’t know the direction in which various asset classes are currently headed, but because of the surrounding uncertainties in domestic politics, global economic trends, and the monetary policies of the major developed economies that will impact us. This is why this issue of Forbes India has been a tough one to put together. We are currently operating with few known factors and we don’t know how to discount the political, geopolitical and macroeconomic factors that will inevitably play out as the year unfolds.

The Way Ahead for Investors in 2014
With hindsight, we can say that this issue is really one of a piece with our last one, which was about raising the questions that 2014 will have to answer. Who will win the 2014 general elections, and who will head the government? Will we have a messy coalition, or something more purposeful and pragmatic? Will the churn currently underway in India’s democratic polity and society give us a government that reflects economic reality or social uncertainty? Will weak governments turn populist or soldier on in the broad direction of reforms?

We don’t know. Nevertheless, it is the job of crystal-ball gazers to make predictions and suggestions based on their best calculations, and this issue of Forbes India will not shrink from its purpose. We bring you expert advice on where various kinds of assets will head in 2014. We also held a roundtable of some of the finest fund managers and stock mavens to tell us how the equity markets will perform over the next 12 months.

If you had been lurking in and around the offices of Forbes India over the last one or two months, you would have noticed an individual scurrying about as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. There is a good chance that the gentleman in question would be called Pravin Palande, our markets and finance editor. Given the backdrop of economic uncertainty and asset market turmoil, he might well have notched up a few grey hairs over the last month as he helped us put together this Investment Special. But grey hair is what helps us sift through the fog of grey investment opportunities.

Sanjoy Bhattacharyya, our consulting editor for the Investment Special, was a crucial guiding force in this effort. So here we are. Here’s wishing you happy investing in 2014.


Best,
R Jagannathan
Editor-in-Chief, Forbes India
Email: r.jagannathan@network18online.com
Twitter id: @TheJaggi
 


(This story appears in the 24 January, 2014 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)

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