The upcoming Union Budget 2024-25 is crucial for India's green energy ambitions, particularly the solar industry.

Fueled by global exposure to international trends and cutting-edge architectural designs Luxury real estate saw a remarkable 151 per cent YoY sales surge in Q1 2023.

Today, there are 8.5 crore investors, out of which more than 2 crore are ladies and more than 5 crore households which invest directly through stock markets account for 17 or 18 per cent of India's total households.

In 2024, the outlook for GCCs seems promising and I expect them to play a pivotal role in shaping the future, albeit we take steps to consolidate our position in the rapidly changing world. 

In the calendar year 2023, the Nifty 50 has delivered a remarkable return of 19.9 per cent. Riding on this bullish momentum, the Nifty Mid-cap and Small-cap indices have outshone with impressive returns of 47.4 per cent and 57.1 per cent, respectively.

Swapping such stocks with outperformers can optimize portfolio performance, akin to building a winning cricket team with top-performing players.

Alpha is hopefully created by being ahead of the curve and coming in just as the party starts rather than when people have started swinging off the chandeliers.

Our view is that retail investors should make the most of the situation ahead by diversifying into long-term Gilt funds apart from taking small exposures into a hitherto ignored category, Credit Risk Mutual funds.

Factor funds lie somewhere between discretionary active and rule-based passive funds. These are also called ‘smart beta’ funds. We like to think of them as “Active Beta” or Rules-Based Active Funds.

Authored by Nityanand Prabhu, Executive Director and Business Head, LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management Ltd.