Ravi Sumanth, 24
Software engineer, Hyderabad
His strategy: Scouting for stocks that may benefit from the war
Ravi Sumanth, who began investing during the pandemic, says that the recent geopolitical tensions have reinforced a lesson he learnt early in his investing journey: markets are often driven more by sentiment than by fundamentals.
The conflict has not pushed him to exit equities, but it has made him more tactical. When tensions around Iran began escalating, he started tracking how global oil trade routes could be affected and took short-term positions accordingly. Despite the volatility, Sumanth has largely stayed invested, maintaining a heavy allocation to global technology companies that he believes will remain resilient over the long run. However, the situation has also made him more open to defensive assets. Watching his mother’s gold investments outperform his portfolio during the rally in precious metals has pushed him to study commodities and energy markets more closely.
If the conflict escalates further, he says he would likely shift a larger portion of his portfolio into traditional safe havens such as gold and silver while keeping some exposure to technology.
For someone who began investing only during the pandemic, the current crisis has compressed years of market education into a few months. “Markets are not run by facts,” he says. “It’s the emotional drive of investors—and once you understand that, volatility stops being frightening.”
Aastha Gaur Aggarwal, 39
CFO at a tech company, Delhi
Her move: Deploying money in parts
The geopolitical environment has not fundamentally changed how Aastha Gaur Aggarwal invests, but it has made her more cautious in how she deploys money. She says she has continued her Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) without interruption because such plans tend to work well in volatile markets. “Volatile markets are precisely when SIPs earn their keep. Every dip gives you a better entry point and brings your average cost down,” she says, explaining why she won’t stop her SIPs, which allow investors to average their purchase price over time.
However, when it comes to deploying fresh lump sum investments, Aggarwal says she is investing more carefully. Instead of committing the entire amount at once, she is investing in smaller tranches and keeping a larger cash buffer. “If I have Rs.100 to deploy, I am putting in Rs.20 or Rs.30 now and keeping the rest in reserve. Geopolitical conflicts don’t resolve overnight; there will be more entry points.” As someone who also trades occasionally, she says heightened volatility has created more short-term opportunities. At the same time, she cautions that sudden geopolitical developments can quickly shift market sentiment.
The war has reinforced the need to stay patient, she says.
“This is not the time to go all in at once. Patience and tranches are the strategy right now,” she points out.
Kunjan Bhavsar, 33
Electrical Engineer, Ahmedabad
His call: Stay invested, ignore the noise
Kunjan Bhavsar has not altered his investment strategy because he believes that the current market situation is only short term. He says his investments are largely aligned with long-term financial goals that are more than a decade away.
“I invest for long-term planning, so I am not too worried about short-term market movements,” he says. Drawing parallels with previous downturns, Bhavsar points out that markets have recovered from crises in the past, including the 2008 financial crisis and the sharp decline during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Even when markets fell nearly 30% during Covid-19, they recovered within months,” he says.
He has continued his SIPs without making any changes despite the current uncertainty. His portfolio is largely equity oriented, with around 70% in large- and mid-cap funds, roughly 20% in small-caps, while about 10% of his portfolio is invested in gold.
Bhavsar says he is not particularly anxious about the ongoing conflict unless it escalates into a prolonged global crisis. If tensions were to persist for several months or develop into a broader conflict, he says he may become more cautious and consider shifting some fresh investments towards safer assets such as fixed deposits or gold.
Nakul Subramanyam, 64
Retired corporate executive, Bengaluru
His call: A seven-year plan that war couldn’t unsettle
When Nakul Subramanyam retired, he did something most investors never do. He mapped out exactly how his portfolio would fund his life, year by year, for the next seven years. That exercise, done well before the current geopolitical turmoil began, is precisely why he has not lost a night’s sleep over it. “Volatility is high, but my portfolio hasn’t flinched, because the planning was done long before the war began,” he says.
Subramanyam manages his investments largely through mutual funds. The first four years of expenses are supported by relatively stable instruments such as the Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme, Public Provident Fund, debt funds, and target-maturity funds. The remaining three years are backed by multi-asset and balanced advantage funds, which provide some exposure to equities while cushioning downside risks.
He says having a financial planner has played an important role in maintaining discipline in his portfolio. While he has historically maintained a higher allocation to equities, professional guidance has helped him stick to a balanced asset allocation even during uncertain market conditions. If the conflict were to drag on for more than six months, he says he may consider moving some equity exposure into multi-asset or balanced advantage funds to extend his portfolio’s cash flow buffer.