Nilesh Shah of Kotak Mahindra AMC advocates a pragmatic 2026 investment strategy, emphasizing earnings visibility and valuation comfort. He suggests a multi-asset allocation of 55% equities (midcap, largecap, smallcap), 20% precious metals (favoring gold), and 30% fixed income, balancing risk and return amid market shifts.

Gold and silver have experienced a remarkable rally in 2025, with gold surging over 60% and silver by nearly 120%. Analysts suggest the upward trend may continue, with potential for further gains driven by global uncertainties and central bank buying. Investors are advised to maintain exposure, with gold as a core hedge and silver for tactical growth.

Motilal Oswal's latest wealth creation study highlights how a narrow set of companies delivered fastest shareholder returns between 2020 and 2025, a period marked by Covid disruption, a sharp earnings rebound, and a structural re-rating of select sectors. The study tracks total shareholder returns, profit growth and market capitalisation expansion to identify the fastest wealth creators over five years.

Conservative hybrid mutual funds are similar to erstwhile monthly income plans or MIPs. MIPs were extremely popular at one point. They used to invest a small part of their portfolio in stocks. But their USP, as the name suggests, was regular income in the form of dividends. However, regular dividends stopped when the market got into a bad phase. That was the end of MIPs. The lesson: do not bank on hybrid funds to secure a regular income.

As the year draws to a close, domestic brokerage firm Axis Direct highlights companies that have consistently rewarded shareholders with strong payouts over the last 12 months. A dividend yield is a financial ratio that shows how much a company pays out in dividends each year relative to its stock price. It is a key metric for investors, particularly those focused on income generation, as it indicates the return on investment strictly from dividends. Here’s the full list.

Rekha Jhunjhunwala emerged as a rare outperformer in a tough 2025 for Indian equities, when many marquee investors were hit by the smallcap slump. Her portfolio of 25 listed stocks avoided major losses and ended the year slightly higher, with its value rising from about Rs 40,589 crore to Rs 41,379 crore, highlighting relative resilience in a challenging market cycle.

ICICI Prudential AMC has received its first buy rating ahead of listing, with PL Capital setting a Rs 3,000 target, implying 39% upside from the IPO price. The brokerage cites strong parentage, market-leading equity flows, consistent fund performance and superior profitability as key drivers for long-term growth.

India's SME IPO market has had a tough year as listing gains crashed and most of these companies are trading below issue prices. However, a few of them have been wealth creators, more than doubling investor wealth within months of debut. Here are 10 SME IPOs from 2025 that turned out to be standout multibaggers.

Motilal Oswal Financial Services has built a Rs 9,000-crore treasury, doubling every two years, inspired by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. This strategy, a contrarian shift in FY15, has become a powerful second growth engine, enabling 31% decadal operating profit CAGR without external equity. The firm achieved multibagger returns in AU Small Finance Bank and the unlisted National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Indian equities are poised for a blockbuster 2026, with a poll of 13 brokerages predicting the Sensex will surpass 90,000. This optimism stems from expected Fed rate cuts, accelerating earnings, and a potential reversal of foreign selloffs, with many anticipating foreign investor inflows.