I completely agree with you. However, I prefer to have at least 20% of my portfolio in such securities which I can sell in case of urgent needs. The following are some points which made me consider developed/US markets:
- I don’t need to pay any short-term capital gain tax in US compared to 17% in India. So freedom to liquidate holdings quickly.
- Indian equities are volatile (I agree equally rewarding as well), so I cannot be sure if I will get a good price for my shares or not in the short term.
- Currency conversion, other costs to send funds from India back to UAE will be quite high and tedious.
- Usually in times of crisis, INR depreciates along with Indian stocks, which basically paralyzes your Indian portfolio for at least 1-2 years. During these periods, a US portfolio will at least not be in such a bad shape. Hence, providing me the opportunity to take some cash out in case of any urgent needs.
- I can satisfy my urge to trade due to lower transaction costs!
Honsetly, it is an alternative to keeping my emergency funds in UAE accounts, which give me absolutely no returns.
I understand that I can open an account in India for a family member and take care of most of the issues above, but I prefer not to go that way. My portfolio is increasing significantly due to my ongoing savings (not stock gains ) so I don’t think it is a good idea to transfer a lot of funds on someone else’s name. That can create needless security and tax issues.
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