Jyotivardhan Jaipuria

From their February 27, 2026, level, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index rallied 6.5 per cent, while the Nifty Midcap 100 index gained 2.2 per cent. In comparison, the Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex are still down.

Small-caps, according to Jaipuria, are a classic "buy pessimism, sell euphoria" trade, he said.

A significant drag comes from the private banking sector, which is expected to report its second consecutive quarter of declining earnings since March 2020

As things stand, the small-and mid-caps look relatively more expensive, said Jyotivardhan Jaipuria, founder & managing director, Valentis Advisors, and can underperform in the early part of FY26

On the technical front, too, analysts remain bullish on the markets and suggest the Sensex is set to reach higher levels in the months ahead.

"The market is not factoring in any major interest rate hike. The consensus is that we are close to a prolonged pause in the rate-hike cycle"

In conversation with Sundar Sethuraman, he says foreign flows may move to some of the under-performing markets within the emerging markets (EMs)

Over the next five years, there will be a greater allocation of retail savings to equities - both directly and via mutual funds, portfolio management services, etc., says Valentis Advisors MD

Interview with Jyotivardhan Jaipuria Founder and managing director, Veda Investment Managers