Why it is important to stayed invested in the stock market with a long-term outlook
The stock market may appear daunting at first. As much as there are success stories in the news of the Warren Buffets and the Dhammika Pereras of the world, there are also tragic accounts of loss and hardship. In order to understand the stock market, it is important to initially recognize the premise of capitalism. A profit-seeking entrepreneur’s goal is to make a higher rate of return on his/ her equity investment than the rate offered by low risk assets such as government bonds or fixed deposits. In other words, if the per anum fixed deposit rate at a financially prudent bank is 11%, as is currently the case in Sri Lanka, an entrepreneur would seek a return in excess of 11% for the risk that he/she assumes. The shareholders of publicly enlisted companies naturally have the same goal. Although companies in the stock market as a group may fail to make a suitable return in the short term, they will make a return in excess of low risk assets in the long run.