Category: Finance Related

  • Becoming an Investor in Nepal

    Becoming an Investor in Nepal


    Before we get into how to become an investor in Nepal, it’s important to understand who an investor is. An investor is someone who puts money into something with the hope of profiting in the future. A return is the benefit derived from such an investment. Investors are always on the lookout for high-yielding investment opportunities.

    What distinguishes an investor from others?

    Based on a book written by Robert Kiyosaki Rich Dad Poor Dad, people can be divided into four distinct categories in terms of generating income. They are:

    1. Employee (Salary-based) are those who work for others in order to meet their needs. They are paid at the end of the month for their work. Job holders are included in this category. Employees benefit from security because they know they will be paid at the end of the month. The main disadvantage of being an employee is the lack of freedom.

    2. Self-employed are individuals who work for themselves. They have more freedom than salaried employees, but they must work like salaried employees to meet their demands.

    3. Businessmen are the owners of the company Business owners hire others to work for them. They create products and services in order to make money.

    4. Investors invest in businesses and stocks for profit.

    According to the book, in order to become wealthy, you must be either a businessman or an investor, or both.

    Investing characteristics

    Not all of your money can be considered an investment. There are a few factors that distinguish between spending and investing. The following are the two most important characteristics that every investor should possess:

    1. Safety of principal

    The principal is your machine, which can print money for you. It is in your best interest to keep your machine in good working order. When you lose your principal, you can’t make money off of it. As a result, the safety of the principal should be your top priority.

    2. Adequate return

    When you put your money into a good business, you get something in return. Your return can take the form of cash, shares, or stocks. What you should remember is that your principal earns you some level of return. You should not expect a return on your investment that is exponential or even out of the realm of possibility. Investing with a non-realistic expectation of return is gambling. Never put your principal at risk. It is all you have.

    Benefits of being an investor

    1. Beating inflation

    Inflation is a term used to describe the gradual decline in the purchasing power of money. A popular saying goes, “A dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow.” As an investor, you have the ability to outperform inflation and keep your money’s value constant. You should always keep an eye on inflation and strive to outperform it. Your investment return should always be greater than your country’s inflation rate.

    2. Own businesses of different types

    It is yet another advantage of being an investor. You can own as many and as varied businesses as you want. What you should have are some investing principles that you can use before you start investing. After you’ve established your investing principle, the world is yours to explore.

    A popular investing field in Nepal

    There are three main popular fields of investing in Nepal. They are:

    Land and Real estate

    Real estate is and has always been the best investment opportunity. Real estate investment generates income from two sources: renting and selling real estate. It can be both active and passive investment. You can actively buy and sell properties, or you can simply invest in real estate and let time do the work of calculating your income. You can always expect your property’s value to rise over time. In the meantime, you can use the money you earn from renting to cover your day-to-day expenses.

    Interest yielding deposits

    Banks in Nepal offer competitive interest rates on fixed deposit savings. You can protect your principal by using fixed-deposit schemes offered by commercial banks or development banks in Nepal. While cooperative companies in Nepal have high rates of return, they have a bad reputation for fraud or scams. It is not a good idea to put all of your money in cooperatives.

    In Nepal, there is also peer-to-peer lending. It pays a higher interest rate on your money than institutions, but it also carries a higher risk.

    Interest-bearing deposits are one of the best passive income ideas in Nepal, regardless of where you choose to invest.

    Nepal Stock Exchange

    Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) is the country’s sole stock exchange. If you are new to this, you can read the NEPSE beginner’s guide. Investing in stocks provides you with two significant benefits. You can be a shareholder in any company you want, and you will receive an annual return. Alternatively, you can sell your stocks if the price rises. Stock investing, like real estate investing, allows you to be either an active trader or a passive investor. Stock investing can begin with as little as 100 rupees. Stocks could be the next best small business in Nepal for you.

    Furthermore, the best investment you can make is in yourself. Always seek to broaden your knowledge. Read books, websites, and news to stay current. One thing that all of the best investors have in common is that they are voracious readers. As the saying goes, the more you learn, the more you earn.

    Lastly…

    It is not easy to become an investor. To become a good investor in Nepal and other countries, a certain set of principles and hard work are required. However, it is not as difficult as learning rocket science. Anyone can become a good investor with careful planning and dedication. There are a few things you should never forget and a few things you should never forget. Best wishes for your investment.

  • Bitcoin Has Dropped 50% From Its All-Time High

    Bitcoin Has Dropped 50% From Its All-Time High


    Bitcoin prices have plummeted in recent months, losing more than half their value since mid-April and falling to just under $30,000 this morning.

    According to CoinDesk numbers, the world’s most common digital currency reached $30,201.96 today.

    According to additional CoinDesk data, it was down more than 55 percent from its all-time high of nearly $65,000 at this point.

    At the time of writing, the cryptocurrency was trading around $37,000, and many market analysts weighed in, shedding light on the digital asset’s recent price fluctuations and evaluating its short-term prospects.

    [Editor’s note: Investing in cryptocoins or tokens is extremely risky, and the market is largely unregulated.] Anyone thinking about it should be aware that they might lose their entire investment.]

    Selling Pressure That Is ‘Relentless’

    “Over the last 24 hours, the selling pressure in the BTC market has been relentless, perfectly aligning with elevated bitcoin inflows to exchanges seen on-chain,” said Sean Rooney, head of research at Valkyrie Investments.

    “Binance led the charge on Monday, with over 53,000 BTC dumped into the exchange to be sold,” he explained.

    Nick Mancini, a research analyst at Trade The Chain, a crypto sentiment data provider, discussed how events like these influenced prices.

    —

    “Bitcoin is now down 45 percent from its April high of nearly $65,000,” he said.

    “Short-term sentiment seemed to be bottoming out with price, but it appears that they were only consolidating for a further decline,” Mancini said.

    “The good news is that Bitcoin’s primary liquidity levels in the $30,000 range remained stable throughout the decline, causing the price to recover from $30,000 to near $37,000 in less than an hour.”

    “Key support levels are $28,500, $24,000, and $20,000, which all correspond to order book liquidity levels,” Mancini said.

    StockCharts.com’s chief market strategist, David Keller, added:

    “Bitcoin’s drop to $30,000 made technical sense because it’s a 100 percent retracement back to the January lows. It’s all about seeking equilibrium after a serious selloff like this.”

    “Where do we see investors with enough clout to drive the price back up?”

    “Based on previous price support and the influx of buyers this morning, $30,000 is the new floor for Bitcoin,” Keller said.

    Market Is ‘Oversold’

    The market may have overreacted in light of recent events and bitcoin’s losses since roughly mid-April, according to analysts.

    According to Mancini, Bitcoin’s relative strength index (RSI), a technical measure used to gauge an asset’s momentum, recently dropped to “the lowest level since March 2020,” meaning the digital currency is “highly oversold.”

    He also stated that the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), a momentum indicator used by technical analysts, is “at its lowest level in Bitcoin’s history, further suggesting Bitcoin is oversold.”

    “The market is due for a bounce,” according to Rooney, but “a fast turnaround in the short term is unlikely.”

    “A correction of this magnitude in the middle of a bull market seems out of place, but the absence of mania topping trends indicates the bull run is not over,” he said.

    “With new users joining the network, long-term fundamentals on-chain remain strong.”

  • How Does Hindsight Bias Influence Investing Decisions?

    How Does Hindsight Bias Influence Investing Decisions?


    Since its top of 1881 in 2016, the Nepal Stock Exchange has been on a downward trend. The market dropped to as low as 1100, a drop of nearly 40% from its peak. Many investors lost a lot of money as a result of the devastating market meltdown.

    If we ask investors right now if they thought the market was going to tumble after 2016, many will say yes. However, at the peak, investors were more bullish on the market. The massive quantity of everyday turnover demonstrates this. The daily transaction amount was between 1.5 and 2 billion rupees.

    So, how does an investor’s opinion of the same event change? This is a psychological phenomena known as ‘Hindsight bias.’

    The tendency of people to perceive events as more predictable than they actually are is referred to as hindsight bias. In other words, it makes the past appear less predictable than it was. Things always appear more evident after they have occurred.

    Decision making is difficult prior to the occurrence due to a lack of information and foresight. However, looking at the available results after the event, the outcome appears more predictable.

    During the bullish era in our market, investors were uninformed of the oncoming market disaster. As a result, many people were highly involved in stocks. Some people predicted that the market would crash. However, no one was certain at the moment.

    However, after the market fall, investors believe that they were forewarned that the market would drop. With more information regarding the market crash becomes accessible, investors appear to be more sure about the event’s predictability.

    Why is hindsight bias dangerous in investing?

    Consider the following scenario: You are considering purchasing a stock called ABC. However, you do not purchase it for some reason. The price of ABC stock then skyrockets. What are your thoughts?

    The answer is that you are stupid. You kick yourself for squandering the opportunity. You are remorseful for not purchasing the stock when you realized it was a winner. You tell yourself, ‘I knew the stock would soar.’ This is what we mean by hindsight bias.

    So, what makes it dangerous? This is because you have made a promise to yourself that you would not make the same mistake again. You are more confident in your decision-making abilities, and you vow to seize the next opportunity. This is the danger that hindsight bias can cause. The next time might not be the same as the previous.

    Let’s have a look at another scenario: You consider purchasing a stock called ABC. However, you do not purchase it for some reason. The price of ABC stock then plummets. Now consider if you would have felt the same way in the first situation.

    No, it does not. You congratulate yourself on making a wise decision not to buy ABC stock. You knew the stock would decline, which is why you didn’t buy it in the first place.

    Why is the response different in these two cases? In an ideal world, the answer in both cirplusstances would be the same. In both cirplusstances, you made the same decision not to acquire stock ABC prior to the rise or fall in its price. However, after the event occurs, such as a price rise or decline, you change your reaction in accordance with the nature of the occurrence.

    This is risky because it gives you the impression that you knew it all along, giving you a false sense of security in your judgment. This can lead to overconfidence in your financial abilities and reckless decisions.

    How do you prevent falling into the Hindsight Bias trap?

    Several behavioral experts have recommended producing a list of everything that was considered when making the decision. This could be a good plan. We will know what our thought process was at the time of decision making if we make a record of the reasoning behind our decisions. We cannot change our statements after the event has occurred. This will aid us in making an accurate assessment of our abilities.

    Investors may not consider hindsight bias as a concern. However, it may lead you to make decisions based on your perspective rather than facts.

    In conclusion

    In our daily lives, we experience hindsight bias. Whether it’s investing, gaming, exams, or anything else, the outcome makes us feel much more confident in our abilities. If Real Madrid beats Sevilla, we’ll tell ourselves and others that we knew Madrid was going to win. Similarly, if the stock/real estate price is rising, ‘I knew it’ comes into play.

    Even if it hasn’t caused any immediate harm, it can make you overconfident, causing your next bet to be more illogical. Real Madrid won, but the outcome might be different the next time. Past events cannot be utilized to predict the future completely. Information and strategies evolve in tandem with the passage of time.

    As a result, it is preferable to treat each possibility as new and base your judgment on facts. The past appears to be easy to anticipate, yet this is not the case. It is a hallucination that arises following the occurrence of the result. As a result, it is preferable to stick to your investing ideas and tactics.