'I See Market Volatility As An Opportunity'

NEELESH SURANA, Chief Investment Officer, Mirae Asset AMC talks about his investing journey from his college years, including his mistakes and achievements, and why he sees market volatility as an opportunity rather than a threat

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At what age did you start investing and in which instruments? How much did you invest then?

I started investing during my college years, mainly in initial public offerings (IPOs), as more of a fun experiment, rather than a serious financial decision. The amounts were very small, but it happened to coincide with the Harshad Mehta bull run, where even a modest investment yielded strong returns. That early experience triggered a deep and lasting interest in investing, which eventually led me to pursue it professionally, despite coming from an engineering background.

Which is your favourite investing instrument and why?

Equity mutual funds are my preferred investment vehicle due to their transparency, cost and tax efficiency, and solid risk-adjusted performance. Strong regulatory oversight and healthy industry competition make them a well-diversified and efficient option for long-term wealth creation.

Could you share with us a rough breakup of your total asset allocation?

Around 85 per cent of my portfolio is allocated to equity mutual funds, with the balance in fixed income instruments. I believe in keeping at least three years’ worth of expenses in non-equity and low-volatility assets like fixed income, to ensure more stability and liquidity for near-term requirements.