Only 2 of past 5 Samvats gave double-digit returns; 2074 was lackluster

Samvat 2074, which ended on Tuesday, was yet another year of lacklustre performance for the benchmark BSE Sensex. It clocked gains of only 7.4 per cent, less than the 7.8 per cent yield on the risk-free 10-year government bond. In the past five years — except Diwali 2014, when it shot up 26.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY), and 16.6 per cent last year — Sensex returns have been disappointing.  

During this year, the Sensex had hit an all-time high of 38,897; the Nifty had climbed to 11,739 on August 29, before running into rough weather amid a rising dollar and bond yields, trade tensions between the US and China, and a deteriorating macro environment at home. After a 15 per cent decline in September and October, the markets have managed to recoup some of the losses this month as the dollar and crude oil declined. 

Experts, however, say the markets are not out of the woods yet, and stocks will be highly volatile till the general elections next year. Investors will get a good opportunity to build a good portfolio over the long term.