Can missing 15 trading days over 27 years cost investors ₹1.9 crore? The data says yes
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- FundsIndia analyzed a ₹10 lakh investment in the Nifty 50 Total Return Index from July 1999 to May 2026, finding it would have grown to ₹2.84 crore if fully invested.
- Missing 5 best days cut the final corpus by more than ₹1 crore.
- Missing 10 best days reduced the corpus by over half.
- Missing 15 best days left the investment at just ₹95 lakh.
- Missing 50 best days left the investment at ₹18 lakh, a gap of ₹2.66 crore versus staying invested.
- Seven of the 10 best trading days occurred within two weeks of the market's 10 worst trading days, showing clustering of gains and losses.
- Jiral Mehta said the findings reinforce that long‑term wealth creation depends on patience and time in the market rather than timing.
Why it matters: Long‑term investors who stay fully invested capture the bulk of returns, while those who exit during sharp corrections risk missing the rebounds, potentially losing up to ₹1.9 crore over 27 years. The analysis shows a gap of nearly ₹2 crore between staying invested and missing the 15 best days, highlighting the material cost of market timing for Indian equity investors.
