Orange alert as rain leaves Gurugram waterlogged; disrupts traffic The Sector 52A market was among the most affected areas, with visuals showing commuters wading through knee-deep water Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 14:14:38 IST By Sampurna Panigrahi, Mihika Shah
‘Buy buy buy!’: Foreign tourist reacts to duty-free shopping after Delhi immigration A foreign tourist has posted a video of his Delhi airport experience, questioning the shopping pitches he encountered just after immigration. Published on: Aug 24, 2026
India security chief visits China for border talks India security chief visits China for border talks Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 14:06:38 IST AFP Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link India's top security official arrived in Beijing on Monday for talks on the countries' disputed Himalayan border
Twenty-one former international cricket captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, on Sunday urged Pakistan to ensure that former Prime Minister Imran Khan is examined by a medical board, as directed by the country’s Supreme Court, The Hindu reported
A 25-year-old entrepreneur with a net worth of around ₹4.35 crore has turned to Reddit for advice after a sharp decline in the business that helped him build his fortune. Despite his wealth, he says he is now unsure about what to do next and feels “completely lost
Not a chief guests, celebrity or VIP, but a humanoid robot stole the spotlight at a sandwich shop inauguration. A video from the celebratory event has gone viral, where the robot was seen arriving at the venue with bodyguards. It then proceeded to greet guests and even broke into a dance
‘Jo bhi hai, tera ghar hai’: American compares Indian and US hospitality An American Hindi speaker’s take on Indian hospitality has viewers discussing the differences between socialising in India and the US. Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:31:09 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share
Manipur: 1 CRPF personnel injured, 2 houses burnt by unknown armed individuals The gunfight broke out after two houses belonging to separate communities were set ablaze by an unidentified group of people Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:49:38 IST By Thomas Ngangom
Market volatility
Market volatility: Why instinct alone is not enough in market decision-making
Here is a small experiment. Imagine two yellow lines drawn on a railway track, one closer to you, one farther away. Which one looks longer? Almost everyone says the farther one. But both lines are exactly the same length. What makes it truly unsettling is this: even after you know it is an illusion, you cannot unsee it. The brain keeps getting it wrong.
Investing in uncertain markets works the same way. Our instincts consistently mislead us at the moments that matter most. And just like the optical illusion, knowing about the bias is not enough. You need the investing equivalent of a ruler. You need frameworks.
What the data actually says
Equities fall 10 to 20% in almost every calendar year. And yet, over the last 46 years, 37 of those years have still closed positive. Over any rolling 7-year period in Indian equity markets, there have been zero instances of negative returns. In 85% of cases, annualised returns came in above 10%. Even the brutal 30 to 60% corrections have historically recovered within 1 to 3 years. What feels catastrophic in the moment tends to look unremarkable in hindsight.The six ways investors get in their own way
The same behavioural patterns repeat with remarkable consistency. Think of them as the six Ps of behavioural error.Panic Selling when markets fall. The sharpest rallies almost always arrive when sentiment is at its worst , the investors who stepped out to protect themselves are precisely the ones who miss the recovery. Profit Booking at all-time highs, as though a new high is a ceiling rather than what progress looks like in a growing economy. Procrastination , there is always a reason not to invest, and waiting for the list to clear means missing most of the growth. Panic Buying driven by fear of missing out, which pushes investors into assets at precisely the wrong valuations. Expert Predictions , at any point in time someone credible is forecasting a crash, and acting on those forecasts requires getting two calls right every single time. And finally, Performance Chasing: buying yesterday’s trade at a premium, usually just as the outperformance cycle ends.
Fear and greed, when you get down to it, produce the same outcome: you sell when prices are low and buy when they are already high. Repeat that a few times and the damage to compounding is slow, quiet, and largely invisible until it is too late.
The real problem is not knowledge , it is implementation
Most investors who make these mistakes are not uninformed. They know panic selling is bad. They know timing the market is nearly impossible. And then the market falls 20% in three weeks, and they sell anyway. This is the optical illusion problem all over again , knowing about the bias does not make it disappear.Warren Buffett put it best: “To invest successfully, one doesn’t need a stratospheric IQ. What’s needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework.” The solution is not better knowledge. It is a better structure.
Structure beats instinct
Tie your investments to actual goals , a home purchase in ten years, a child’s education, retirement. Goals do not panic. When your portfolio is anchored to something real and time-bound, it becomes far harder to dismantle it because the Sensex had a bad quarter. Investing a fixed amount every month through a SIP removes the hardest decision: when to enter. You stop looking for the right moment because you have already decided there is no such thing. You are always in, always compounding, buying more units when prices are lower without any emotional effort. Have an Opportunity Playbook, and write it down before the crisis arrives, when your head is still clear. Not a vague intention to "stay calm," but an actual playbook. Set aside a portion of your safer assets, debt, cash, or equivalents, specifically earmarked for moments of market stress. Then decide in advance, with precision, how you will deploy it, for instance, moving a tranche into equities at a 10% market decline, another at 20%, and so on, at progressively deeper corrections Have rebalancing rules that force you to do the opposite of what instinct recommends. And document all of it in an Investment Policy Statement so the plan exists outside your head, ready for the moments when emotions are loudest. A good adviser’s value in volatile times is not picking better funds. It is being the voice in the room that says ‘don’t do anything’ when everything feels urgent.None of this requires prediction.You do not need to know what markets will do next month. You need to know what you are investing for, build a structure around that, and not dismantle it every time things get uncomfortable. The optical illusion does not go away. But with a ruler in hand, it stops mattering.
The hardest skill in investing is not analysis. It is staying in the room when everything in you says to leave , not because you are ignoring the discomfort, but because you built a structure that does not require you to act on it. That is where the returns are.
Before I sign off, here are three things worth doing, not just reading about.
Build evidence-based frameworks for the investment decisions you will inevitably face. Put them in an Investment Policy Statement, a written plan holds firmer than a mental one. Consult your dedicated advisor for a better framework. Know your 6 Ps. The mistakes are predictable. That means they are also preventable.The author is Group CEO, FundsIndia. Views Expressed are personal.
Source: LiveMint
Related Posts: investing, behavioral errors, market corrections, emotional framework, 6 Ps of investing, market volatility, panic selling, profit booking, stock market investing
No need to panic over H1N1 surge in K'taka: Minister Khader No need to panic over H1N1 surge in K'taka: Minister Khader Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:51:09 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Bengaluru, Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader on Monday assured the public that there was no
8 hours ago
‘You endorse misogyny, cut the crap’: Shehzad Poonawalla joins BJP attack on Rahul Gandhi's ‘smash patriarchy’ call Shehzad Poonawalla and BJP were responding to Rahul Gandhi's call to "smash the patriarchy" during his party's 'Chhatro ki Goonj' programme in Pune. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026
11 hours ago
For Delhi-NCR residents, Guleria struck a reassuring note while explaining why this year’s wave has felt worse, but citizens need not panic The H1N1 virus driving Delhi-NCR’s current flu surge appears to be changing its structure — a process that is making it spread faster and slip past the
11 hours ago
A job applicant’s unusual rejection from a software engineering internship has left the internet divided after the candidate was reportedly turned down over the name of their resume file. The incident was highlighted in a now-viral post on X by user @adnaannasir_
11 hours ago
Elderly woman killed, husband injured in SUV hit-and-run at Delhi's posh GK-1 The woman, identified as Shashi, was declared brought dead at the hospital, while her husband Kulbhushan (65), was left injured. Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 11:00:26 IST By HT News Desk Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy
11 hours ago
Woman reflects on high-rise living in big cities: ‘Even the slice of the sky is fixed for us’ A woman shared her thoughts on high-rise life, saying big-city living can feel confined despite better work opportunities. Published on: Aug 24, 2026
11 hours ago
Governor Abdullah Sarhadi gives money to treat a boy's broken arm and hands out funds for a local mosque - then, in his office in northern Afghanistan, an astonishing exchange unfolds. A young woman tells the grey-bearded former Taliban commander that she wants to divorce her husband
11 hours ago
Andy Burnham is marking his first foreign visit as prime minister with a trip to Kyiv - and will hand over blueprints so Ukraine can build its own long-range missiles. The prime minister will chair his first meeting of the "coalition of the willing"
11 hours ago
Apple’s next iPhone launch is getting closer, and the company’s usual September schedule is beginning to take shape. According to a recent Forbes report, Apple could hold its special event on Wednesday, September 9, where it is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
11 hours ago
Fugitive gangster Goldy Brar has, in an audio clip, purportedly claimed responsibility for the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, The Indian Express reported. The newspaper said it could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio clip
11 hours ago
Dad crashes daughter’s late-night work meeting over parcels: ‘Ek paise ki saving nahi karti’ A father’s surprise appearance during his daughter’s work call turns into a lecture on spending and saving. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 10:56:44 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via
11 hours ago
A Zimbabwean content creator’s tongue-in-cheek take on life in India has caught the attention of social media users after he shared 10 everyday conveniences that have completely changed his standard of living. From paying for almost everything with just a phone to having food
11 hours ago
Starting September 1, passengers traveling internationally will be required to use an e-boarding pass on their smartphones for immigration clearance, as announced by immigration authorities. This significant change comes as the Bureau of Immigration (BOI)
14 hours ago
The September 2026 US Visa Bulletin brings a mixed picture for Indian green card applicants. While some family-sponsored categories have moved forward, several employment-based categories remain severely constrained, with two India-specific categories listed as unavailable and the State Department
14 hours ago
The Maharashtra Transport Department has issued notices to 777 drivers for lacking practical knowledge of Marathi, The Hindu quoted unidentified officials as saying on Saturday. A total of 5,211 drivers were tested during a statewide inspection campaign that began on August 20, including 3
14 hours ago
19-year-old killed, friend injured after truck hits motorcycle on Delhi's Indraprastha flyover A police team reached the spot and found a motorcycle lying in a damaged condition and two people seriously injured. One of them died in the hospital. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026
14 hours ago
Indian woman reveals why her family returned to India after 13 years in US: ‘You don’t really belong here’ A woman shared five reasons her family decided to leave the US and return to India after 13 years. Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 07:43:56 IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Prefer HTon Google
14 hours ago
New UK PM Andy Burnham to make visit to Kyiv on Monday: office New UK PM Andy Burnham to make visit to Kyiv on Monday: office Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 07:41:28 IST AFP Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Kyiv on Monday on his first international
14 hours ago
Bengaluru vs Gurgaon? Man who lived in both cities explains why the comparison is ‘completely pointless’ A man said the Bengaluru versus Gurgaon debate was pointless and urged people to live in both cities before deciding. Published on: Aug 24, 2026
14 hours ago
Circle Wealth CIO and Managing Partner Chadha said the market was rewarding companies with strong earnings and improving outlooks, even as large-cap stocks remained under pressure. Diwali season is expected to bring a fresh boost for Indian equities following strong corporate earnings
14 hours ago
The restriction was imposed under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, which governs the import, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs and cosmetics. The central government on Saturday restricted the manufacturing, sale and distribution of all fixed-dose combinations (FDCs)
14 hours ago
Ukraine backers gather as war escalates, air defence runs low Ukraine backers gather as war escalates, air defence runs low Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 07:41:29 IST AFP Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Ukraine on Monday hosts a meeting of its key European backers to press for critical
14 hours ago
'Trouble proving citizenship after representing India in 3 countries': Ex-envoy to ECI over Punjab SIR Suri served as India’s ambassador to the UAE and Egypt and high commissioner to Australia. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 07:34:33 IST By HT Correspondent Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
14 hours ago
2 killed after illegal building in Hyderabad's Gachibowli caves in Officials alleged that the building was built over or adjacent to a drain without the required permissions. Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 14:41:02 IST By Srinivasa Rao Apparasu Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link At least two
1 days ago
J'khand: Compensation of ₹31 lakh each given to families of 3 engineers burnt alive at steel plant J'khand: Compensation of ₹31 lakh each given to families of 3 engineers burnt alive at steel plant Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 14:43:04 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Ramgarh
1 days ago
Jaiñtia Hills to the G7: Can Meghalaya turn ‘Lakadong’ into a global brand? The high-curcumin turmeric has gone from an obscure hill crop to a GI-tagged premium product showcased before world leaders. Updated on: Aug 23, 2026, 14:48:20 IST By David Laitphlang
1 days ago
Ex-NRI shares why she takes auto for 1 km ride to gym after moving to India: 'Life here is a compromise' The woman shared that she has to walk through an area where "everybody stares", while the pathway is "ubad-khabad", dirty and encroached. Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
