He is known as one of the great bulls of the Indian markets, and while his success has coincided with the recent decades' secular uptrend in Indian shares, Rakesh is also an adept trader who has made money selling short.
CNBC-TV 18 profiles the Indian share trader and investor in this biography special, Wizards of Dalal Street. Rakesh tells Ramesh Damani the story of how he got his start in the share markets and how he searches for attractive investments today.
Here are a few excerpts from the discussion, in which Jhunjhunwala talks about his childhood interest in the workings of share market and shares a few lessons on speculation:
CNBC: "But you're a bureaucrat's son. I mean, weren't you compelled into [that area]?"
Rakesh: "I was a bureaucrat's son, but fortunately I had a very democratic father. And also we had a business background...my father was an intelligent man and he encouraged me to do whatever I had an interest in."
On speculation and reality:
CNBC: "Does speculation teach you to be realistic, because you are betting on leveraged money?"
Rakesh: "I think so, because speculation requires and teaches you to accept reality as it is, rather than reality as you would like to have it."
An important point on risk taking and concentration:
CNBC: "But is one of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's tenets is when he finds an idea to bet big?"
Rakesh: "Big is relative, Ramesh. But when I find an idea whose prospects are very good...you have to be conscience of one thing - the great investment opportunities are very rare. So when you get them, seize them. And seize them in a manner that if you're right, it makes some difference to your balance sheet."
Check out the full interview here. Much great wisdom and insights within.
If you enjoyed the interview and would like to read and hear more, please follow the links in our related posts section for a wealth of articles and interview transcripts.
Related articles and posts:
1. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala interview on FT.com - Finance Trends.
2. FY 2012 has been the worst trading year of my life: Jhunjhunwala - Moneycontrol.
3. Rakesh interview CNBC-TV 18 transcript: Momentum and risk - Moneycontrol.
