Guest lecture by Mr. Prashant Jain[/b]
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai hosted Mr. Prashant Jain (CIO and Executive Director, HDFC Mutual Fund) on campus for a guest lecture on ‘Investment Philosophy in Capital Markets’. Mr. Jain has had a phenomenal track record over the years and he is widely recognised as one of the top fund managers in the country. He is often voted as one of the best CIOs by international research houses and media publications. Mr. Jain’s perspective on various investment strategies kept the students enthralled right through the session. They could not have asked for a more enriching experience at this stage of their careers when they are about to step into the industry as budding management professionals.[/b]
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Unlike conventional lectures where professors teach straight from the book, Mr. Prashant Jain started his presentation by stimulating the minds of the audience. The first slide itself demonstrated the trends seen in the return on investments in mutual funds over a 15 year period. The students were puzzled at first, looking at the array of figures presented before them. But a more educated look at the slide revealed a well-defined pattern. In no time, the students were decrypting the various patterns observed by them. They also gave their perceived reasons to substantiate the trends observed. After the students having given their opinions, the most awaited part of the session unfolded wherein Mr. Jain presented the students with his vital insights. He focused on the primary reasons why markets grew at such an exponential rate over the long term and advised students to hold onto their investments during turbulent times. He opined that nobody can forecast or predict short term fluctuations in the market but as the holding period of an investment increases, the volatility associated with it reduces drastically. He advised the students to only invest their risk capital while trading in the equity market. The examples he churned out from the wealth of experience he possesses captivated the students and gave them a fresh perspective on investment philosophies. The exponential changes unfolding across India and their consequent transformational impacts have laid open an entire plethora of opportunities waiting to be exploited. India’s gift of demographic dividend, the advent of the nuclear family culture and the rapidly increasing disposable incomes of the population were some of the prime factors Mr. Jain highlighted that gives the country a competitive edge over others. It is therefore imperative for future managers to realise the sheer magnitude of these opportunities and the prospects they hold.[/b]
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Mr. Jain underlined that as future professionals, students will have to constantly rediscover themselves for which curiosity, the undying urge to learn and the quest for perfection are extremely essential. According to Aditya Iyer, a student of MMS-1, “Mr. Jain gave the students a lucid insight on how to predict the equity indices over the long term. In the Q&A session, he answered questions ranging from diversification to multiple expansions. I am sure the session would greatly help the students become informed investors & wealth creators.” By the end of this lecture, the students were left asking for more and JBIMS looks forward to hosting Mr. Prashant Jain more often on campus.[/b]
