I woke up before sunrise on Holi. The street outside was quiet, the kind of quiet that comes just before laughter. A kettle hissed in the kitchen; the first cup of tea warmed my hands. I checked the markets instinctively a habit more than a need and saw the footprints of volatility still fresh. Red and green candles, a tug of war that refuses to end.
I put the phone face-down and looked out the window instead. The first children in the lane were already comparing colours, plotting who they’d surprise first. And I thought: this is exactly what Holi does it interrupts us, nudges us to step back, and reminds us that life, like markets, has seasons of dust and seasons of colour.
Over the last few days, I’ve read dozens of messages from readers: “Should I sell?”, “Is this the bottom?”, “What happens if crude stays high?” I understand that anxiety. I’ve known the feeling of watching a position turn against me, of refreshing the screen again and again as though certainty might appear on the hundredth refresh. It never does.
Years ago, during another jittery season, my father said something that has stayed with me: “Son, if the dust is in the air, wait for it to settle before you decide which road to take.” How simple. How inconvenient. How true. We don’t like waiting in markets; we prefer action. But the hardest discipline is the quiet minute before action the minute where you choose patience over panic, a plan over a reflex.
So this year, my Holi message to you is less about the festival and more about the space it creates. Markets are volatile, crude is rising, and global tensions are shaking investor confidence. But Holi teaches us something markets forget colours still return after the dust storm.
Carry This With You When Markets Reopen
• Pause before you react
There is power in a breath. Let the opening noise pass. Let levels confirm or fail. If your plan only works at full speed, it isn’t a plan it’s adrenaline.
• Think before you trade
Ask: What am I solving for? A better entry? Risk under control? Or the need to “do something” because red on the screen is uncomfortable? Discomfort is not a catalyst; clarity is.
• Invest with clarity, not fear
Fear makes everything look urgent. Clarity makes the next step obvious. You don’t need ten steps, just the next one and you already know what a sensible next step looks like for you.
Three Quiet Questions That Save Me
• What will I do if I’m wrong? If there is no answer, I’m not ready to act. Every entry deserves a stop; every view deserves an invalidation.
• What will I do if I’m right? Profit also needs a plan. Where do I take partials? Where do I trail? Without this, even good trades become emotional.
• What will I do if nothing happens? The market’s most common state is not trending it’s waiting. A watchlist, alerts, and patience are a position too.
A Simple Closing Wish
If you’re a long‑term investor, remember: your returns are built in months of boredom and only a few moments of drama. The drama gets the headlines; the boredom builds the wealth. On days like these, “doing nothing” can be the most responsible action not because you’re avoiding the market, but because you’re protecting the conditions that let compounding do its work.
If you’re a trader, consider this Holi a personal reset button. Tighten your playbook. Halve your position sizes for a while. Take the first hour after open as observation time, not execution time. Let price prove itself. When uncertainty is high, reduce the number of decisions you force yourself to make. One good trade is better than five anxious ones.
And outside the screens call your mother, step outside, let colour touch your face. Money is important because life is important first. A portfolio is healthiest when the person who runs it is steady. Holi gives you permission to recover that steadiness to shake off the dust of the last week, to reconnect with family, to let laughter do its small, quiet repair work.
Holi Message From the Editor
This Holi arrives at the perfect time. Markets are volatile, crude is rising, and global tensions are shaking investor confidence. But Holi reminds us of what the market forgets — colours return after the dust.
As the market reopens after the holiday, carry this with you:
Pause before you react.
Think before you trade.
Invest with clarity, not fear.
May this festival bring calm to your decisions, colour to your life, and confidence to your long‑term journey. Wishing you and your family a safe, joyful, wealth‑wise Holi.
