Investments in 2021 during the Covid Pandemic 22 April, 2021

First thing I’d like to admit is that I am no expert in finance or even economics for that matter. I am a software engineer which has been in the technology industry for three years.

I have been trying to invest my money in places so that I can beat the inflation rate and at least match stock market indexes.

Add all three stats and the comparative graphs here:

• India Inflation
• World Inflation
• Nifty Index
• Dow Jones
• S&P 500

During the COVID pandemic most of the investment I’ve done was in Mutual Funds. Tried to find all kinds of different funds. I have invested Debt Funds, Index Funds and all kinds of different funds around. Recently I found Greater China funds and NASDAQ Funds, just to allow myself to be involved in that international markets as well.

As of 22 April 2021, I have invested around 10 lakhs and standing on 8% growth. I started out investing in the year 2019 around January. So we can assume it to be 2 years. But now in the pandemic, this is influencing what is stock market and businesses especially with the lockdowns and huge number of cases across all parts of India. India has been experiencing the worst hit of COVID with maximum numbers in the world, and as was expected struggling for basic things like oxygen.

Best businesses in the world are the ones making things required for treatment for COVID in the world.

• Vaccines are not a good investment in my opinion. Because vaccines are showing signs of failure. Vaccines will need to be given for every new stain with gap 3 mutations in the virus, as it is already showing signs of failure. This fact could help them as well, as they will have permanent consumers for at least 5 years will the pandemic lasts
• Second in Oxygen and related equipment manufacturers
• Pharmaceutical firms making medicines required in COVID treatment and symptom medicines.
• Test Labs

As important as it is know the best stocks. It’s good to know the ones that will perform the worst as well. That is where the heaviest chunk of money lies. Worst industries would be the following in my opinion:

• Travel- As travel restrictions on India increase and travel to and from India is banned. Most hard it would be these. Hospitality will lose its major share of customers. Meaning no revenue, that mean defaulting on loans implying the next one
• Loans. Banks will start reporting losses as NPA’s increase. As people and corporates fail to pay monthly instalments, people will start withdrawing from savings and investment funds which again will come from banks. Their profits will go down as well. And giving out loans will become harder because of the cash crunch.
• Realty business will go down as well. As work from home increases, and people stop going to offices. This might lead to increase in home improvement businesses like paints, furniture and home appliances though