Manish Bhandari,
Fund Manager, ING Investment Management
Past positions: Worked as institutional equity research analyst for HDFC Securities till May 2004.
Investment mantra: Buy businesses that are in sync with your core competencies.
Best call over the past few months: We reduced our exposure in mid caps in December 2007, before the market fall.
Worst call over the past few months: Invested in IT sector, which failed to deliver.
Top picks right now: Banking, capital goods and energy.
Advice to small investors: Be prepared for the unexpected and have an alternate plan. Diversify across asset classes and geographies, as the Indian economy and capital markets are increasingly being influenced by global forces.
Worst mistake small investors make: They confuse trading with investing. Both have different time horizons.They buy yesterday’s stories and don’t use their judgement to gauge tomorrow’s success.
