There are hundreds of stock market websites, and nobody can follow them all. For Indian investors, a short list covers almost everything: official filings, company financials, charts and news. These are the seven I would bookmark, and what each one is best for.

Key takeaways

• Use the exchange websites, NSE and BSE, for official filings and announcements.
• Use Screener for fast fundamental analysis of a company.
• Use Moneycontrol or Investing.com for prices, charts and portfolio tracking.
• Use ET Markets and Mint for news and context.
• Treat forum comments and tips as noise until you have checked the filing yourself.

The seven websites at a glance

1. NSE India

NSE India is the official website of the National Stock Exchange. Because listed companies must file with the exchange, this is the primary source for quarterly results, shareholding patterns, corporate announcements and bulk and block deals. It also carries historical data for the Nifty indices, IPO information and derivatives data. If a number matters to your decision, check it here.

2. BSE India

BSE India is the website of the Bombay Stock Exchange. It offers much the same official information as NSE, and covers more companies, because more companies are listed on the BSE. For smaller companies that are not on the NSE, this is where the filings are.

3. Moneycontrol

Moneycontrol is one of the most widely used finance sites among Indian investors. It combines live prices, news, mutual fund data, company information and charts, and lets you track a portfolio and build watchlists. It also has a mobile app.

Its stock discussion forums can help you find out why a share is moving, but be careful. Many posts are speculation or promotion, so verify anything you read there against the company’s filings.

4. Screener

Screener is an excellent site for fundamental analysis. It lays out a company’s profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, ratios, quarterly results and peer comparison on one clean page, and lets you filter the market by your own criteria. Much of it is free. I use it often to get a quick read on a company’s financials, and it saves a great deal of time compared with digging through annual reports.

5. Investing.com

Investing.com is useful for charts, technical indicators and a stock screener, along with global indices, commodities and currencies. I use it for technical analysis because the indicators are easy to apply.

6. ET Markets

ET Markets, from The Economic Times, is a good way to keep up with market news through the day, with morning and evening summaries if you missed the session. It also offers portfolio tools, charts and mutual fund coverage.

7. Mint

Mint is strong on explanatory reporting across markets, companies, the economy and policy. It is where I go for context, not for prices.

How to use them together

1. Find an idea or a news item on ET Markets, Mint or Moneycontrol.
2. Open the company on Screener to see whether the numbers support the story.
3. Confirm the key facts in the original filing on NSE or BSE.
4. Look at the chart on Investing.com or Moneycontrol if timing matters to you.

Features and pricing on these sites change, so check each one for what is currently free.

FAQ

Which is the best website for Indian stock market analysis?

For fundamentals, Screener is one of the most useful. For official information, the NSE and BSE websites are the primary sources.

Where can I find official company filings in India?

On the NSE India and BSE India websites, where listed companies are required to file results, shareholding patterns and announcements.

Are stock market forums reliable?

Not on their own. Forum posts are often speculative, so check any claim against the company’s filings before acting.

Related reading

• How to start investing in the Indian stock market
• The 50-day and 200-day moving averages
• Investing or trading: which is right for you?

The post 7 Important Websites for Indian Stock Market Investors appeared first on PRASHANT AGGARWAL.

A moving average is the average closing price of a stock over a set number of days, recalculated each day. It smooths out daily noise so you can see the underlying trend. Of all the lengths traders use, two are watched far more than the rest: the 50-day and the 200-day.

Key takeaways

• The 50-day moving average shows the medium-term trend. The 200-day shows the long-term trend.
• Price above a rising average suggests an uptrend. Price below a falling average suggests a downtrend.
• A golden cross is the 50-day rising above the 200-day. A death cross is the reverse.
• Moving averages often act as support in uptrends and resistance in downtrends.
• They lag price and give false signals in sideways markets, so never use them alone.

Why these two averages matter

Part of their power is simply that so many participants watch them. When a large number of traders act around the same level, that level tends to matter.

How to read them

Trend direction

If the price is above a rising 200-day average, the long-term trend is up. If it is below a falling 200-day average, the long-term trend is down. The 50-day does the same job for the medium term.

Support and resistance

Support is a level where buying has tended to stop a fall. Resistance is a level where selling has tended to stop a rise. In an uptrend, prices often pull back to the 50-day or 200-day average and bounce, so the average behaves like support. In a downtrend, rallies often stall at the average, so it behaves like resistance.

Golden cross and death cross

When the 50-day average crosses above the 200-day, it is called a golden cross and is read as a sign that momentum has turned up. When the 50-day crosses below the 200-day, it is called a death cross and is read as a sign that momentum has turned down.

The limits you need to respect

• They lag. A moving average is built from past prices, so signals arrive after the move has started.
• They whipsaw. In a sideways market the price crosses back and forth, producing a string of false signals.
• They are not predictions. A cross tells you what has happened to the trend, not what will happen next.
• They ignore the business. No average can tell you whether a company is sound.

A simple way to use them

1. Check the 200-day average first to decide which direction you are willing to trade.
2. Use the 50-day average to look for pullbacks in that direction.
3. Confirm with volume, price action or another indicator.
4. Decide your exit and position size before you enter.

Used this way, moving averages are a filter that keeps you on the right side of the trend. They are a tool for discipline, not a system that guarantees profit.

FAQ

What is a moving average in the stock market?

It is the average closing price over a set number of days, updated daily, used to smooth price movements and show the trend.

What is a golden cross?

A golden cross occurs when the 50-day moving average rises above the 200-day moving average, which traders read as a bullish signal.

What is a death cross?

A death cross occurs when the 50-day moving average falls below the 200-day moving average, which traders read as a bearish signal.

Are moving averages reliable?

They are useful for identifying trends but they lag price and give false signals in sideways markets, so they should be combined with other analysis.

Related reading

• Investing or trading: which is right for you?
• 7 websites for Indian stock market investors
• Thinking, Fast and Slow: lessons for traders

The post The 2 Most Powerful Moving Averages in the Stock Market: 50-Day and 200-Day appeared first on PRASHANT AGGARWAL.

The National Pension System (NPS) is a government-backed, market-linked retirement savings scheme regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). You contribute during your working years, the money is invested in a mix of equity and debt, and at retirement you take part as a lump sum and use part to buy a pension.

The rules changed substantially with amendments PFRDA notified in December 2025, so much of what was written about NPS before then is out of date.

Key takeaways

• NPS is a low-cost, market-linked retirement account regulated by PFRDA.
• Non-government subscribers can now take up to 80% of a larger corpus as a lump sum, up from 60%.
• Only 60% of the corpus is reported to be tax-free. The extra 20% is taxed at your slab rate unless the tax law is amended.
• Pension income from the annuity is taxable.
• It suits disciplined long-term savers who accept limited access to the money.

How NPS works

• Tier I is the main retirement account, with restrictions on withdrawal and the tax benefits.
• Tier II is an optional, flexible savings account with no lock-in and, for most people, no tax benefit.
• Your money is managed by a pension fund manager you choose, across equity, corporate bonds, government securities and a small alternatives bucket.
• You can set the mix yourself (active choice) or let it shift automatically towards debt as you age (auto choice).

Returns are not guaranteed. They depend on how the markets and your chosen funds perform.

NPS exit rules after the December 2025 changes

These are the rules for non-government subscribers at normal exit, as summarised by Finnovate and 1 Finance. Confirm them on the NPS Trust website before relying on them.

Other reported changes:

• Normal exit is available after 15 years in the scheme or at age 60, whichever comes first.
• You can defer withdrawals and stay invested up to age 85.
• Partial withdrawals are allowed up to four times, each up to 25% of your own contributions, for purposes such as education, a home or medical treatment.
• Leaving early is costly: above a small corpus, at least 80% must go into an annuity.

Government employees remain on a 60% lump sum and 40% annuity split.

How NPS is taxed

• Contributions: your own contributions have qualified for deduction within the overall ₹1.5 lakh limit, plus an additional ₹50,000 exclusively for NPS, under the old tax regime. Employer contributions are deductible within limits under both regimes.
• Lump sum at exit: 60% of the corpus is tax-free. The reports above say the additional 20% now permitted is taxed at your slab rate until the income tax law is changed to match.
• Annuity: no tax when you buy it, but the pension you receive is taxed as income each year.

Tax rules and section numbers have been changing, so confirm the current position with the Income Tax Department or a tax adviser.

Pros and cons of NPS

So, is NPS worth it in 2026?

It depends on what you need from it.

• It tends to suit salaried people whose employer contributes, people on the old tax regime who use the extra deduction, and anyone who would otherwise spend the money before retirement.
• It suits less well people who need flexibility, who are on the new tax regime with no employer contribution, or who already invest steadily in low-cost equity funds.

The December 2025 changes make NPS noticeably more flexible than it was. The lock-in and the taxable pension remain the main trade-offs.

FAQ

What is NPS?

NPS is the National Pension System, a market-linked retirement savings scheme regulated by PFRDA in which contributions are invested and paid out as a lump sum and pension at retirement.

How much of NPS can I withdraw at retirement?

Non-government subscribers with a corpus above ₹12 lakh can reportedly take up to 80% as a lump sum, with at least 20% used to buy an annuity. Smaller balances can be withdrawn more fully.

Is the NPS lump sum tax-free?

60% of the corpus is tax-free. The extra 20% now allowed is reported to be taxable at slab rates unless the tax law is amended.

Who can open an NPS account?

Indian citizens, resident or non-resident, within the age limits set by PFRDA. Check the NPS Trust website for the current limits.

Related reading

• Why investing early in your 20s matters
• The Psychology of Money: 12 ideas
• The Cashflow Quadrant explained

The post NPS Explained: Is India’s National Pension System Worth It in 2026? appeared first on PRASHANT AGGARWAL.

Starting to invest in the Indian stock market takes three things: a PAN, a bank account and a demat-cum-trading account with a SEBI-registered broker. The account opening is the easy part. The decisions that matter are what you buy, how much, and how long you hold.

Key takeaways

• You need a PAN, a bank account and a demat and trading account to begin.
• Use only a SEBI-registered broker, and compare charges before you choose.
• Beginners are usually better served by index or diversified mutual funds than by picking individual shares.
• Avoid penny stocks, tips and borrowed money.
• Invest only money you will not need for at least five years.

Step 1: Get the basics in place

• PAN and Aadhaar for identity and KYC.
• A bank account linked for payments.
• A demat account to hold your shares electronically, and a trading account to place orders. Brokers open both together, usually online.

Step 2: Choose a broker

Brokers in India fall into two broad types:

Whichever you pick, confirm that the broker is registered with SEBI, the market regulator, and read the full schedule of charges. Brokerage is only one of them. There are also account maintenance fees, exchange charges and taxes on each trade.

Step 3: Decide what to buy first

• Index funds and ETFs track an index such as the Nifty 50. They are low-cost and spread your money across many companies.
• Diversified mutual funds are run by a fund manager who chooses the shares for you.
• Individual shares can deliver more, and can lose more. They require you to understand the business you are buying.

For most beginners, starting with a monthly SIP in an index fund or a diversified fund is the simpler route. You can add individual shares as your knowledge grows.

Step 4: Understand the risks

Share prices can fall sharply and stay down for years. Mutual funds carry market risk too. A few rules keep the risk manageable:

• Keep an emergency fund outside the market first.
• Invest money you will not need for five years or more.
• Spread your money across companies and sectors.
• Do not invest with borrowed money.

Step 5: Know the costs and taxes

Gains on shares and equity funds are taxed, at different rates depending on whether you held for more or less than a year. Dividends are taxed as income. The rates and exemption limits have changed in recent budgets, so check the current rules on the Income Tax Department website or with a tax adviser before you sell.

Mistakes to avoid

• Penny stocks. A low share price does not make a company cheap. Many are illiquid and easy to manipulate.
• Tips and social media calls. If you cannot explain why you own something, you will not know when to sell it.
• Starting with derivatives. Futures and options are leveraged and unforgiving for beginners.
• Checking prices all day. It encourages decisions you will regret.

FAQ

How do I start investing in the Indian stock market?

Open a demat and trading account with a SEBI-registered broker using your PAN and bank account, then begin with a diversified investment such as an index fund.

How much money do I need to start investing in India?

Very little. Many mutual fund SIPs start at a few hundred rupees a month, and you can buy a single share of most companies.

Is a demat account necessary to buy shares?

Yes. Shares in India are held electronically in a demat account.

Should beginners buy individual stocks or mutual funds?

Most beginners are better served by index funds or diversified mutual funds, adding individual shares once they understand how to assess a business.

Related reading

• 7 websites for Indian stock market investors
• Why investing early in your 20s matters
• Investing or trading: which is right for you?

The post How to Start Investing in the Indian Stock Market: A No-Nonsense Guide appeared first on PRASHANT AGGARWAL.

When I first wrote about the Zomato IPO in July 2021, my view was that it was a good long-term opportunity and that it would be oversubscribed and deliver listing gains for short-term traders. Five years on, the listing-gain call was right and the long-term journey turned out far bumpier than the first day suggested. Here is the record, and what it teaches.

Key takeaways

• Zomato’s IPO in July 2021 was priced at ₹72 to ₹76 a share and raised about ₹9,375 crore.
• It was subscribed more than 38 times and listed 53% above the issue price on the NSE.
• The share price later fell well below the issue price before recovering.
• The company was renamed Eternal Limited in 2025 and now also owns Blinkit, Hyperpure and District.
• A strong listing day says little about the years that follow.

Zomato IPO: the key facts

Source for these figures: Business Standard’s listing-day report. The market value briefly crossed ₹1 trillion that day.

Why the IPO mattered

Zomato was one of the first large, loss-making Indian internet companies to list on the domestic exchanges. Investors could not value it on profits, because there were none. They were buying growth, brand and the expectation of future earnings. That made it a test case for a wave of technology listings that followed.

What happened after listing

The first day was the easy part. During 2022 the share price fell well below the ₹76 issue price, as sentiment towards loss-making technology companies turned and early investors became free to sell. Anyone who bought on listing day at a premium sat on a heavy loss for a long stretch.

The business kept developing. Zomato acquired the quick-commerce company Blinkit in 2022, moved towards profitability, and the share price recovered strongly in the years after. In February 2025 the company announced it would rename itself Eternal Limited, reflecting that it had become a group of businesses: Zomato for food delivery, Blinkit for quick commerce, Hyperpure for restaurant supplies and District for going out. It is now a constituent of both the Sensex and the Nifty 50.

For the year ending March 2025, Eternal reported revenue of about ₹20,243 crore and net profit of about ₹527 crore. Check the company’s latest results for current numbers.

Five lessons from the Zomato IPO

1. Listing gains and long-term returns are different bets. The same share gave a quick gain to allottees and a painful year to those who bought on day one.
2. Oversubscription measures demand, not value. A 38-times subscription told you about enthusiasm, nothing more.
3. Watch lock-in expiries. When pre-IPO shareholders are allowed to sell, supply rises.
4. Loss-making companies need a different lens. Read the path to profitability in the prospectus, not only the growth rate.
5. Patience was rewarded here, but that is not a rule. Several other technology listings from the same period have not recovered in the same way.

How to evaluate the next IPO

• Read the red herring prospectus, especially the risk factors and use of proceeds.
• Check how much of the issue is fresh capital and how much is existing shareholders selling.
• Compare the valuation with listed peers, where they exist.
• Decide before you apply whether you are in it for listing day or for years.

FAQ

What was the Zomato IPO price?

The price band was ₹72 to ₹76 per share, and shares were issued at ₹76.

When did Zomato list on the stock exchange?

Zomato listed on the NSE and BSE on 23 July 2021, opening at ₹116 on the NSE.

Is Zomato now called Eternal?

Yes. The listed parent company was renamed Eternal Limited in 2025. The food delivery app is still called Zomato.

How many times was the Zomato IPO subscribed?

More than 38 times.

Related reading

• How to start investing in the Indian stock market
• Investing or trading: which is right for you?
• The Psychology of Money: 12 ideas

The post Zomato IPO Review: What Happened and What Investors Can Learn appeared first on PRASHANT AGGARWAL.

The case for investing early comes down to one idea: compounding needs time more than it needs money. Someone who starts at 25 with a small amount will usually end up with far more than someone who starts at 35 with the same monthly amount, and the gap is larger than most people guess.

Key takeaways

• Compounding means your returns start earning returns of their own.
• Time matters more than the amount: ten extra years can nearly triple the outcome.
• Starting early lets you take more risk, recover from mistakes and build the habit.
• A small, automatic monthly investment beats waiting until you can afford a large one.

How compounding works

When you invest, you earn a return. If you leave that return invested, next year you earn a return on the original amount and on last year’s gain. Each year the base gets bigger. In the early years the effect is barely visible. In the later years it does most of the work.

A worked example

Take a monthly investment of ₹5,000 until age 60, and assume a return of 10% a year. This is an assumption for illustration only. Actual returns will vary and are not guaranteed.

The person who starts at 25 puts in only ₹6 lakh more than the person who starts at 35, and ends with nearly three times as much. The extra ten years, not the extra money, make the difference.

Four more reasons to start in your 20s

• You can afford more risk. With decades ahead, you have time to ride out market falls, so you can hold more in equities.
• Mistakes are cheap. Everyone makes investing errors. It is better to make them with small sums.
• The habit sticks. Saving a fixed share of income is easiest to start before your expenses grow.
• Later goals get easier. A head start reduces how much you must save in your 40s and 50s.

How to start

1. Build a small emergency fund first.
2. Set up an automatic monthly investment, even a modest one, in a diversified fund.
3. Increase the amount each time your income rises.
4. Leave it alone. Interrupting compounding is the costliest mistake.

FAQ

Why should I start investing in my 20s?

Because compounding rewards time. Money invested in your 20s has decades to grow, so it ends up worth far more than the same amount invested later.

How much should I invest in my 20s?

Start with whatever you can sustain every month and raise it as your income grows. Consistency matters more than the starting amount.

What is the power of compounding?

It is the effect of earning returns on your past returns as well as on your original investment, which makes growth accelerate over time.

Related reading

• How to start investing in the Indian stock market
• NPS explained: is it worth it in 2026?
• The Psychology of Money: 12 ideas

The post Why Investing Early in Your 20s Is a Brilliant Idea appeared first on PRASHANT AGGARWAL.

Investing and trading both involve buying and selling shares, and there is no formal line between them. In practice the words describe two very different ways of trying to make money: one relies on a business growing over years, the other on prices moving over days, hours or minutes.

Key takeaways

• Investors hold for years and rely on business growth. Traders hold briefly and rely on price swings.
• Investors study fundamentals. Traders mostly study price charts.
• Trading demands far more time, and often uses borrowed money, which magnifies losses.
• Regulator studies in India have found that most individual traders lose money.
• For most people, long-term investing is the more forgiving route.

Investing vs trading at a glance

What investing means

Investing is putting money into an asset in the expectation that it grows over time. When you invest in a share, you are betting that the company will increase its profits or assets over the years.

Investors take two broad approaches. Passive investors ignore short-term swings and hold a broad basket, expecting to benefit as the overall market grows. Active investors estimate what a company is really worth and try to buy it for less.

What trading means

Trading is the frequent buying and selling of investments to profit from short-term price changes. Intraday traders open and close positions within the same day. Scalpers may hold for seconds or minutes. Swing traders hold for days or weeks.

Most traders rely on technical indicators, which use past price and volume to spot a developing trend or pattern. Some also trade around news, such as an expected company announcement. Either way, a trader works with a narrow slice of information about a company, not a full understanding of its business.

Why trading is harder than it looks

Social media is full of people explaining how a strategy took them from nothing to a fortune. The reality is less glamorous:

• It is high risk. Traders often use leverage, so a small adverse move can cause a large loss.
• It takes time and effort. Many trades earn a fraction of a percent, so capital must be recycled constantly.
• You decide on fragments. Short time frames leave little room for analysis.
• The opposition is professional. You are up against institutions with more capital, better research and algorithms that act faster than any person.

India’s market regulator, SEBI, has published studies reporting that a large majority of individual intraday and derivatives traders lose money. The exact figures vary by study and year, so read the latest one on SEBI’s website.

None of this means nobody succeeds. Some people do trade for a living. Trading is a little like poker: skill matters, but chance and strong opponents mean the odds are rarely in the amateur’s favour.

Which is right for you?

• Choose investing if you have a full-time job, a long horizon and limited time to watch markets.
• Consider trading only with money you can afford to lose, a tested method, strict risk limits and the time to do it properly.
• Many people do both, keeping long-term investments separate from a small trading account.

FAQ

What is the difference between investing and trading?

Investing means holding assets for years to benefit from business growth. Trading means buying and selling frequently to profit from short-term price movements.

Is trading riskier than investing?

Generally yes. Trading involves short time frames, frequent decisions and often leverage, all of which increase the chance of losses.

Can I do both investing and trading?

Yes. Many people keep a long-term investment portfolio and a separate, smaller account for trading.

Related reading

• The 50-day and 200-day moving averages
• How to start investing in the Indian stock market
• The Psychology of Money: 12 ideas

The post Investing vs Trading: Which Is Right for You? appeared first on PRASHANT AGGARWAL.