Probability is the likelihood or chance that a certain event will happen.
A blog by an Investor & Trader for Investors & Traders since 2010
First Full Quarter under new management. Its the most important quarter which will show the way for investors and buildup of terminal value. When a stocks terminal value assessment becomes dicey the stock comes to its replacement cost which is book value for financial companies. Once terminal values which contributes to the bulk of a stock's value and premium to book starts getting built in the stock price rise to reflect that change. Indusind bank stock price should start going up after result as terminal value starts getting built in and 850 being the book value becomes the base on which this buildup happens.
Major global exchanges for gold and silver trading operate during the following windows in Indian Standard Time (IST). These timings are critical for Indian traders as they dictate when domestic prices are most volatile.
The paradox of easy wealth, weak nations, and the silent advantage of scarcity
For decades, oil has been viewed as the ultimate economic blessing. A natural lottery ticket. Black gold beneath the soil promising prosperity, power, and permanence.
And yet, history tells a far more uncomfortable story.
Many of the world’s most oil-rich countries — Venezuela, Nigeria, Iraq, Angola, Libya — have underperformed economically, politically, and socially over long periods. Meanwhile, countries with little or no natural resources — Japan, South Korea, Germany, Taiwan — have built resilient, innovative, and wealthy societies.
This contradiction is known as the resource curse. But the phrase understates what is really happening.
This is not a curse.
It is a structural distortion.
I’m using the following monthly closing pivots (rounded to sensible precision):
Covid low (2020) = ₹235.20 (your CSV / earlier discussion)
Jan-2024 high (Wave-1 top in the bullish count) ≈ ₹1,700 (your chart / earlier statements)
Mar-2025 low (the recent corrective low / Wave-2 low in bullish count) = ₹649.85 (appears in your uploaded monthly file)
Latest monthly close (Dec 2025 in your file) = ₹870.10
2018 peak (prior large cycle top) ≈ ₹2,000 (reference level mentioned earlier)
If any of these exact pivot values differ on your side, tell me the corrected figure and I'll immediately re-run the numeric section — but the analysis below assumes the numbers above.
— Understanding Drawdowns, Time Corrections & the Psychological Cost of Compounding
Every investor dreams of buying a multibagger, going to sleep, and waking up wealthier. Charts showing 10x, 20x, and 50x returns make us fantasize:
“2 crores will become 10 crores… life will change.”
But this fantasy hides the real truth.
Multibaggers don’t move in a straight line.
They move through chaos, confusion, deep drawdowns, and painful time corrections.
The journey of a great stock is a journey of doubt.
And unless you develop the emotional capacity—the iron gut—to sit through that pain, you will never see the end result.
This article is about understanding that pain so deeply and clearly that you accept it as normal, not as a mistake.
🧩 What “Expected Move” Means
The expected move tells you how much the stock is expected to move (up or down) over a given period — based purely on option prices (i.e., implied volatility), not on direction.
It’s derived from the standard deviation implied by option prices — essentially, a 1σ (one standard deviation) move in probability terms.
That means:
There’s about a 68% probability the stock stays within ±1σ range over that time.
The Indian microfinance industry was once hailed as the most powerful tool for financial inclusion — small-ticket loans, group discipline, and high repayment rates made it look like a social and economic miracle. But beneath this seemingly robust model lies an uncomfortable truth few market participants want to acknowledge: the traditional microfinance engine — the local ring leader system — is breaking down.
And when the distribution engine fails, scalability vanishes.
On paper, microfinance runs on Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) — groups of 5–10 women taking collective responsibility for each other’s loans. In practice, this structure functions only because of a local intermediary — the ring leader or center leader — who brings together women from different sections of the village, helps form the JLGs, and coordinates weekly repayment meetings.
The field officer from the microfinance institution (MFI) depends completely on these ring leaders. They mobilize borrowers, maintain social discipline, and ensure repayment. In return, they earn an informal commission — often 5–10% of the loan disbursed.
This unofficial layer made the model scalable. Without it, disbursing and collecting thousands of small ₹30,000–₹50,000 loans in rural areas is operationally unviable.
In my view more than gold and silver rise, its the end game for crypto currency it seems. Too many digital numbers valued absurdly. 110000 dollar or around 1 crore for 1 bitcoin which is nothing but a number in computer.
Crypto bubble has lasted tool long and is bound to fall 99% like all bubble bursts and the smart investors and insiders are already shifting to gold and silver it appears. When crypto is worth nothing then to protect wealth their investors can buy gold at even 5 times price and will still be able to protect 20% of their holding in crypto.
There is some group who has cordinated and created this crypto mania and they eventually have to exit and shift to something tangible. In my view GOLD and silver sudden rise is the result of that crpto collapse which has just started.
Lets SEE!
| Bank | Crisis Period & Nature | Stock Crash | Turnaround Driver | Recovery & Returns | Key Learnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo (U.S.) | (2016–2020) Fake accounts scandal, CEO resignation, $3B fine. | $60 → $22 (−63%) | CEO Charlie Scharf (ex-JPMorgan) focused on governance cleanup. | $22 → $60 (≈3x in 4 yrs) | Retail trust can return if culture + controls are rebuilt. |
| JPMorgan Chase (U.S.) | (Early 2000s, merger & risk scandal from derivatives exposure, “London Whale” 2012 loss) | $65 → $32 (−50%) | Jamie Dimon restored discipline, fortress balance sheet, strong risk management. | Became top global bank, $32 → $200+ | Culture, risk management, and leadership credibility define premium valuation. |
| Bank of America | (2008–2011) Countrywide & Merrill Lynch acquisitions; mortgage fraud, massive losses. | $55 → $5 (−90%) | CEO Brian Moynihan rebuilt capital, shed toxic assets, stabilized business. | $5 → $45 (≈9x in 10 yrs) | Balance sheet cleanup and capital rebuilding restore long-term confidence. |
| Citigroup | (2008 crisis & earlier frauds, recurring leadership turmoil) | $550 → $10 (split-adjusted) | Rebuilt under Vikram Pandit, then Michael Corbat, now Jane Fraser. | Partial recovery only | Cultural repair incomplete; franchise remains undervalued. |
| Standard Chartered (UK/Asia) | (2013–2016) Money-laundering violations, compliance issues, overexposure to risky EMs. | £19 → £4.5 (−75%) | CEO Bill Winters (ex-JPMorgan) restructured business, cut costs. | £4.5 → £8 (≈2x) | Emerging market focus needs strong compliance systems to regain trust. |
| Deutsche Bank (Germany) | (2010s–2019) Libor manipulation, money laundering, weak capital ratios. | €100 → €6 (−94%) | CEO Christian Sewing restored capital, exited investment banking exposure. | €6 → €14 (≈2.3x) | Credibility still rebuilding, but shows early signs of turnaround. |
| Bank | Crisis Low (Approx.) | Time to Double | 3-Year Return | 5-Year Return | Catalyst / Leadership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo | $22 (2020 COVID + scandal low) | ~10 months ($45 by 2021) | ~2.5× ($22→$55 by 2023) | ~3× ($22→$65 by 2025) | CEO Charlie Scharf; governance rebuild |
| JPMorgan Chase | $32 (2009 crisis low) | ~11 months ($64 by 2010) | ~2.5× ($32→$80 by 2012) | ~6× ($32→$190 by 2014) | Jamie Dimon’s “fortress balance sheet” era |
| Bank of America | $5 (2011) | ~14 months ($10 by 2012) | ~3.5× ($5→$18 by 2014) | ~9× ($5→$45 by 2019) | Brian Moynihan rebuilt capital, cost discipline |
| Standard Chartered | £4.5 (2016) | ~18 months (£9 by 2018) | ~2× | ~2.3× | CEO Bill Winters stabilized EM franchise |
| Deutsche Bank | €6 (2019) | ~24 months (€12 by 2021) | ~2.3× | ~2.5× | Christian Sewing restored capital & focus |
📍 Background
Britain’s first major speculative boom in industrial equities.
The trigger: 1843–1844 saw real success stories (Great Western, Midland, London & Birmingham).
Parliament approved over 1,000 railway companies and projects during the boom.
Many were paper companies with no track built — funded via deposits and leverage.
Between 1843–1846, the market capitalization of railway shares quadrupled.
In equity valuation, three key concepts often create confusion for investors: beta, the equity risk premium (ERP), and the company-specific risk premium (CRP). Together, these drive the cost of equity, which directly impacts how we value stocks.
Beta measures a stock’s sensitivity to the overall market. If the market goes up by 1%, a stock with:
Beta > 1 usually rises by more than 1% (more volatile than the market).
Beta < 1 usually rises by less than 1% (less volatile than the market).
Beta ≈ 1 tends to move in line with the market.
Important: Beta captures systematic risk (linked to the market), not company-specific problems. A stock can underperform massively over 5 years and still have a beta above 1 if it tends to move sharply with market cycles.
Investors often struggle to evaluate whether a bank or financial stock is cheap, fairly valued, or expensive. Traditional valuation metrics like P/E ratios can be misleading in financials, where Return on Equity (ROE) and Book Value (BVPS) growth drive long-term value. This is where the Gordon Growth Model (GGM) provides an elegant framework.
In this article, we’ll:
Break down how GGM works for banks.
Use Shriram Finance (FY22–FY25) as a real-world case study.
Apply the model to project potential IndusInd Bank valuations by FY27 under different ROE scenarios.
The GGM is derived from the Dividend Discount Model but adapted for banks, where P/BV multiples are closely linked to profitability.
The formula for justified P/B multiple is:
P/B=r−gROE−g
Where:
ROE = Return on Equity
g = Sustainable growth = ROE × Retention ratio
r = Cost of Equity (typically 12% in India)
👉 The intuition: Banks that deliver higher ROE relative to their cost of equity deserve higher P/B multiples.
Rajiv Anand’s background is actually a quiet but important edge for IndusInd right now. Let’s break it down point-wise:
Early in his career, Rajiv spent time in equity research and capital markets before moving into banking/AMC.
This gave him direct exposure to how analysts and investors model banks: what line items they reward (e.g. ROA, ROE, NIM stability, fee income quality, provisioning discipline) and what red flags crush valuation (e.g. weak governance, opaque disclosures, asset-quality surprises).
That lens is not common for most career bankers — but it is second nature for Rajiv.
Warren Buffett Warns Markets Aren’t Always Rational, Says If There Was ‘Oil Discovered in Hell’ Then ‘All of the Oil Men’ Would March There.
Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) (BRK.A), has often used parables and anecdotes to illustrate deeper truths about markets and human behavior. One of the more memorable is the story passed down from his mentor Benjamin Graham: “Oil discovered in hell.” The phrase comes from an old story Graham told to explain why investment professionals often act in ways that defy rational analysis. In the tale, an oil prospector arrives at the gates of heaven, only to be told by St. Peter that the compound reserved for oil men is already full. The prospector asks for permission to say just four words to those inside. Granted the chance, he shouts, “Oil discovered in hell.” At once, the entire group of oil men rushes off, leaving heaven’s gates open. When St. Peter offers the prospector a place inside, the prospector hesitates, saying he may as well join the others — after all, there might be some truth to the rumor.
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“It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.”
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, do not adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”
“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.”
“An unexamined life is not worth living.”
“Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
Considering the shaken confidence of the world in USD, all thanks to its gigantic money printing and Trump policies, INR appreciating to USD is not a fiction and can be a reality even though everyone alive today has seen only the opposite of this phenomenon. But given the backdrop of whats happening with USA and its 37+ trillion debt going out of hand why can't a country like India which is growing the fastest, is politically stable and ticking the right policy boxes get stronger relatively on currency front or at least get disparity to its PPP a little less.
In terms of PPP USD is 21 while on exchange rate it is 88. This results in a disparity factor of ~4.2. China has diparity factor of 1.8x, Japan 1.1x, Germany similar.
| Rank | Economy | Economic Type | Estimated Ratio (PPP ÷ Market) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | Emerging | ≈ 4.0× |
| 2 | China | Emerging | ≈ 1.8× |
| 3 | United States | Advanced | ≈ 1.0× |
| 4 | Japan | Advanced | ≈ 0.9–1.1× |
| 5 | Germany | Advanced | ≈ 1.0–1.2× |
| 6 | UK | Advanced | ≈ 1.1× |
| 7 | France | Advanced | ≈ 1.0–1.2× |
| 8 | Brazil | Emerging | ≈ 2.0–3.0× |
| 9 | Italy | Advanced | ≈ 1.0–1.2× |
| 10 | Canada | Advanced | ≈ 1.0× |
Foreign banks can currently hold up to 15% in an Indian private sector bank (with prior RBI approval).
Aggregate FDI limit for private banks is 74%, but individual entities (especially foreign banks) are restricted to 10–15%.
Exemptions are given on a case-by-case basis (e.g., RBI allowed DBS to fully merge Lakshmi Vilas Bank).
Post-demerger:
ABFRL (the listed entity) = Pantaloons + TMRW (D2C platform) + Ethnic wear brands + TCNS Clothing
Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Ltd (ALBL) = Van Heusen, Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Peter England, Innerwear, Reebok, American Eagle etc.
✅ 1. Definitions
| Metric | Meaning | What it reveals |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | = (Revenue - Cost of Goods Sold) / Revenue | Measures core value addition; how much profit is made after producing the product |
| Operating Margin | = Operating Profit (EBIT) / Revenue | Measures overall business efficiency, including marketing, R&D, employee costs, admin, etc. |
Matthew Berry and his paper “Mean Reversion in Corporate Returns”:
Here are some key red flags to watch for before investing in banks like Axis Bank (or any other financial institution):
1. Pan-India Scale with Strong Rural Penetration
🧭 Key Industry Insights (from CEO & MD commentary)
The industry experienced severe stress and a credit downcycle in FY25.
Gross Loan Portfolio (GLP) declined 13.9% YoY to ₹3.81 lakh crore.
Disbursements fell 38% YoY to ₹71,500 crore as of March 2025.
Delinquency remained high, especially in the PAR180+ bucket, but early delinquency (PAR1–30) showed improvement:
PAR1–30 dropped to 1.4% by March 2025 (from 2.1% in Sept 2024).
PAR31–180 dropped slightly to 6.2% by March 2025.
Key takeaway: The sector was hit hard by overleveraging and external shocks, but early signs of recovery were visible in Q4FY25.
🚨 Negatives (Short-Term Perception Risk)
Abrupt CEO + ED Exit
– In banking, sudden exits without succession planning raise red flags.
– Markets hate surprises—especially in a sector that runs on trust.
Internal Rift with the Board
– Shows lack of alignment at the top. Even a ₹1.5 crore dispute indicates breakdown of communication or trust.
– Raises concern whether the transformation drive (tech, digital, profitability) will lose momentum.
No Immediate Replacement
– Delay in naming a credible successor may spook some investors.
In 2017, a behavioral economics study in rural Bangladesh posed a simple choice to poor participants:
Would you prefer $6 now or $18 after three months?
Surprisingly, 70% chose the $6 — a guaranteed but far smaller reward.
The researchers were puzzled. Why would someone reject a 200% return in just 90 days?
The answer lies in something deeper than numbers — and it reveals a psychological pattern that dominates even the modern stock market.
Logistics Sector Growth: Expected CAGR of 9.3%, with premium warehousing (Grade A) growing at 15%. Demand is rising due to e-commerce, consumption, infrastructure build-out, and government initiatives like Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy.
Multimodal Logistics Push: Driven by Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), port-rail-road connectivity, and cost efficiency, India is seeing a shift to integrated logistics platforms. MLL is building multimodal capabilities to meet demand.
E-commerce & Quick Commerce: Hyperlocal delivery is booming, especially in Tier 2/3 cities. Quick commerce alone accounts for 65% of e-grocery orders, up from 13% in 2022. This trend is reshaping warehousing, last-mile delivery, and tech investment.
Digital Transformation: Indian logistics is embracing AI, IoT, drones, AR, real-time tracking, and digital twins. Tech is now key to operational efficiency and customer experience.
Imagine you're sitting in a packed theater. Suddenly, smoke starts seeping in from the back. Maybe it's a minor issue, or maybe there's a fire — no one knows yet. But instinct kicks in. Some people rush for the exits. Others freeze. A few even shout warnings. The calm dissolves into chaos.
This scene perfectly captures what happens in the stock market when a company or sector experiences a major negative event — whether macro (like a global crisis) or micro (like a governance issue, regulatory overhang, or earnings collapse).
The geometric (non-linear) relationship between Return on Equity (ROE) and Price-to-Book Value (PBV) is deeply tied to the long-term compounding of earnings and value creation.
The reason PBV expands geometrically with ROE is:
A higher ROE allows the company to compound book value faster
That higher compounding justifies a higher multiple today, because:
Future earnings are much larger
Market discounts future cash flows; higher ROE implies better reinvestment opportunities
A 30% ROE business can double book value in ~2.5 years, while a 10% ROE business takes ~7 years
This difference in earnings growth and reinvestment efficiency leads to an exponential divergence in intrinsic value over 5, 10, 15 years — hence, the PBV market assigns also diverges non-linearly.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has barred former IndusInd Bank CEO Sumant Kathpalia and four other senior officials from trading in the securities market, following allegations of insider trading linked to a massive accounting discrepancy.
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) has successfully demerged its Madura Fashion & Lifestyle (MFL) division into a new, separately listed entity named Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Ltd (ABLBL). This strategic move aims to unlock value by allowing each business to pursue tailored growth strategies and optimize capital structures.
Delinquent Loans (PAR 31+ Days):
📈 ₹43,075 crore – up 163% from ₹16,379 crore in FY2024.
Gross Loan Portfolio (GLP):
📉 Declined 13.9% to ₹3.81 lakh crore, from ₹4.43 lakh crore in FY2024.
PAR 31–180 Days:
⬆️ Rose to 6.2% (from 2.1%).
PAR >180 Days:
⬆️ Increased to 5.1% (from 1.6%).
90+ Days Past Due (DPD):
⬆️ More than doubled to 6.0%, from 2.4% a year earlier.
The term "kitchen sink" in the context of corporate earnings refers to a strategy where a company takes significant one-time charges, write-offs, or provisions in a single quarter to clean up its balance sheet, often to address accumulated issues and set a lower base for future performance. IndusInd Bank's Q4 FY25 results, announced on May 21, 2025, are a recent example, with a reported net loss of ₹2,328.92 crore, driven by ₹1,979 crore in derivative losses, ₹674 crore in overstated interest income, and microfinance portfolio stress.
🧠 What is Probability?
Probability is the likelihood or chance that a certain event will happen.
While AI can excel at pattern recognition and data analysis, experienced human traders have unique advantages that can outperform AI in specific market conditions. This checklist is designed to help you identify and exploit these edge cases effectively.
The Indian financial sector is broadly divided into two key segments: banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). While both play critical roles in credit delivery and financial intermediation, their business models, risk profiles, and income generation capacities differ significantly. These differences translate into varied valuation levels in the stock market.
There is an interesting parallel between IndusInd Bank's current situation and Axis Bank's 2018 episode—both involve:
A regulator-triggered disruption (Axis: NPA divergence, IndusInd: derivative accounting issues).
CEO's tenure cut short or not extended (Shikha Sharma denied extension; Sumant Kathpalia exiting before term completion as on 29th april 2025).
A committee of executives managing operations temporarily.
Let’s break this down:
“The best business at the wrong price is a bad investment.” - Warren Buffett
The 1970s "Nifty Fifty" episode is one of the most important and misunderstood lessons in market history, and Howard Marks often refers to it to illustrate the dangers of overpaying, regardless of business quality.
In the rhythms of history and markets, there’s a fascinating Greek term that captures the essence of dramatic turnarounds: enantiodromia. Coined by the philosopher Heraclitus and popularized by Carl Jung, enantiodromia means that anything that reaches an extreme will eventually turn into its opposite. In simple terms, when a system goes too far in one direction, it corrects by swinging back the other way. And nowhere is this psychological and philosophical concept more relevant today than in the Indian tea industry.
1. Always go against tide. Buy when others are selling and sell when others are buying. 2. If you believe in the growth prospects o...