What investors can look forward to in 2023?

As the festivities of the year-end begin, the world of finance is going to look back at this year as one that brought hordes of new investors, one that witnessed rapid recovery from the pandemic, and one that renewed the investor’s sense of optimism in the markets.  

The markets have hit all-time highs this year and it is natural to wonder what is to be expected of the new year.

In this article, we dive into the trends that might continue, and some that might fade away.  

1. Another year of the bulls? 

The markets might have recovered well from the historical lows of the pandemic but the supply chains are still yet to function at a hundred.

In the new year, companies around the world would look at consolidating their supply chains and getting back to leaner ways. 

The profitability that took a hit for most companies due to their logistical inability to meet demand, would likely get back on track with most of the world opening back up.

And if there is one thing that drives a bull run, it is profits and dividends.  

2. New investors this new year  

According to the NSE, over 5 million new investors registered on its platform since April of this year. This is partly to be credited to the emerging platforms that have made investing accessible to the common man. Another key factor has been the educational efforts from various agencies to bring the markets to the people.  

For India, it is a bright sign of advancement as more capital is being poured into the equities market by newer investors. This is a trend that we might see more of in the coming year and thankfully so.  

3. The focus on goal-based investing  

A rising trend among Indian investors has been goal-based investing. For some, the goal is long-term like their retirement, for others, it is medium-term goals like housing and education.  

With EduFund, our education-focused investment platform, we’ve seen more and more parents starting an education fund to beat the rising education inflation worldwide.

It has been through SIPs, where they set aside a small sum each month to generate that education corpus for their children.  

As is with any action, with a purposeful goal, investing too becomes easier. This trend might be here to stay for the next year and beyond. 

4. The Web 3.0 phenomenon 

It does seem like an eternity ago when investment vehicles were limited. Today, the number of options available for investment is nearly countless, with new ones emerging every passing day.  

From NFTs and the Metaverse to cryptocurrency and other resultant products of Web 3.0, the investor of today is exposed to many newer options. Naturally, the volatility of these untested waters is a concern.

It is surely wise to restrict these investments to a small percentage of your portfolio, and stick to the tried and tested regulated markets.  

Nevertheless, the coming year is sure to see more capital poured into channels emerging from Web 3.0.  

5. The Internet educators  

If India has to see a large percentage of its population participating in the markets, content creators creating shorts, reels, slides and long-form videos are going to play a key role.  

A delightful addition to the financial realm this year has been internet content creators who have been making exceptional content on finance and educating the young and old.

This wave of creators has seen their following and influence increase and the coming year is sure to see more creators emerging and driving educated decisions from investors. 

Conclusion  

Timing the markets is an art form that hasn’t been mastered yet. Wise investors are ones that are disciplined and invest regularly despite market ups and downs.

The all-time highs are going to be sooner or later surpassed, and that’s us counting on India and its vast potential – this year, this coming year, this decade and beyond.