1️⃣ “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”
➤ Meaning:**
When markets rise sharply, almost everything begins to go up — good businesses, bad businesses, speculative plays, and even loss-making startups.
➤ Indian Market Example:
2020–2021 Bull Run (Post-Covid Rally)
During this period:
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Even fundamentally weak microcaps delivered 3x–5x returns.
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Newly listed IPOs like Zomato, Nykaa, Paytm, CarTrade surged on listing day despite unproven profitability.
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Retail participation hit all-time highs as everyone felt like a market expert.
This wasn’t because every company suddenly became great — it was simply that liquidity and optimism lifted everything.
2️⃣ “Everyone is a Genius in a Bull Market”
➤ Meaning:**
In rising markets, inexperienced investors often mistake luck for skill.
➤ Indian Market Example:
During the 2021 small-cap frenzy:
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Many traders believed they had a “system” because they doubled money in weeks.
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Stocks like Tanla Platforms, Happiest Minds, Adani group stocks, Brightcom Group shot up rapidly.
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Social media was filled with people claiming to have “cracked” momentum trading.
When the cycle reversed in 2022–2023:
3️⃣ “Only When the Tide Goes Out Do You Discover Who’s Swimming Naked”
➤ Meaning:**
When markets fall, companies with weak fundamentals, excessive leverage, or inflated valuations get exposed.
➤ Indian Market Example:
The Adani Group Shock (2023)
When volatility hit:
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Companies with stretched valuations corrected sharply.
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Businesses that had grown too fast became vulnerable to sentiment-driven selloffs.
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Investors who entered near the top realized they didn’t understand the underlying fundamentals.
Another example:
Yes Bank (2018–2020)
When the “tide went out,” it became clear that:
The stock collapsed by nearly 90%, exposing the risks that were invisible during the boom.
4️⃣ “Cycles Will Humble You”
➤ Meaning:**
Market cycles are bigger than any individual investor. Those who ignore them eventually face painful losses.
➤ Indian Market Example:
IT, Real Estate, and Banking Cycles
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The 2008 crash humbled aggressive investors who believed the Sensex would only go up.
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The 2017–2020 NBFC crisis exposed companies like IL&FS, DHFL, and even strong players like Reliance Capital.
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The 2022 tech correction hit newly listed digital IPOs (Zomato, Paytm, PolicyBazaar, Nykaa) that were priced for perfection.
Cycles repeatedly remind investors that:
“What works today may not work tomorrow.”
5️⃣ “Bull Markets Hide Weakness, Bear Markets Reveal It”
➤ Meaning:**
In good times, companies with flawed business models appear successful. But when conditions worsen, their weaknesses become impossible to ignore.
➤ Indian Market Example:
Midcap and Smallcap Euphoria → Correction
Many stocks that rose 300–500% between 2020 and 2021 collapsed by 60–90% in 2022–2023 because:
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Earnings didn’t justify the valuations
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Promoter pledging was high
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Growth projections were unrealistic
Example sectors hit hard:
Bull markets hid the fragility, but as liquidity dried up, their weaknesses came to light.
6️⃣ “Process Over Outcome”
➤ Meaning:**
Short-term stock movement is not proof of skill — what matters is whether the investment decision was backed by logic, valuation, and risk management.
➤ Indian Market Example:
Investor A buys DMart (Avenue Supermarts) after studying the retail sector, margins, and runway for expansion.
Investor B buys a random penny stock that doubles in two weeks.
In the short term, both show profit.
But only A’s decision is repeatable.
This is exactly what Buffett teaches:
“Judge decisions by the quality of the process, not the outcome.”
7️⃣ “Patience Is a Superpower”
➤ Meaning:**
Long-term compounding outperforms constant trading.
➤ Indian Market Example:
Investors who held:
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Asian Paints for 10+ years
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HDFC Bank since the early 2000s
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TCS and Infosys across multiple cycles
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Titan during periods of underperformance
…saw massive wealth creation despite several temporary crashes.
Meanwhile, people who kept jumping between trending stocks often underperformed even the Nifty index.
8️⃣ “Crowd Psychology Is More Dangerous Than Volatility”
➤ Meaning:**
Investor emotions — greed, fear, FOMO — cause more damage than market fluctuations.
➤ Indian Market Example:
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FOMO during the 2021 IPO rush
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Panic-selling during the March 2020 Covid crash
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Blind copying of “Twitter stock tips” and Telegram groups
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Herd movement into Adani stocks during the peak
Most investors who lost money weren’t victims of volatility — they were victims of emotional decisions.
9️⃣ “Enduring Skill Survives the Tide”
➤ Meaning:**
Temporary luck fades. Only a disciplined, repeatable strategy survives across market cycles.
➤ Indian Market Example:
Asset managers like:
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SBI MF’s R. Srinivasan (Small & Midcap)
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Prashant Jain (HDFC MF)
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Nimesh Shah (ICICI Pru)
…have delivered over multiple cycles — bull, bear, and sideways.
Their outperformance is not due to luck, but consistent frameworks:
That is why they are still relevant after decades.
Discalimer!
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