Learning The Tricks Of The Trade

A new breed of traders wants to become financially literate before venturing into the stock market.

- Yagnesh Kansara

Sandeep Sahal, a third-year BCom student from the University of Calcutta, recently started trading in the stock market after finishing a six-month certification course in research trading and advisory from online learning platform Elearnmarkets. A chartered accountant aspirant, Sahal took up the course as he hopes to make some extra money through trading even after he starts working.

Sahal is among a new breed of stock market investors who started online trading during the lockdown. As they worked or studied from their smart devices and saved on discretionary and travel expenses, they took to stock trading with the extra money and time in hand.

According to figures released by the capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), close to 15 million new investors entered the market between April 2020 and August 2021. Data from the Central Depositories Services India Ltd, one of India’s largest and only listed securities depositories, reported a nearly 20 per cent increase in its demat accounts over the same period.

Most of these investors are young, educated and in the age group of 18-35 years, according to experts.

Talking about the participation and enthusiasm of Gen-Z in the stock market, Vivek Bajaj, one of the founders of Elearnmarkets and Knowledge Head, says, “The term stock market doesn’t bring a sense of fear among Gen-Z. Unlike the previous generation, they are better connected and better informed. They take their own decisions and small calculated risks in the markets. The entire stock market ecosystem has evolved in the last five years and is conducive for new young participants.”