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Samir Arora, Founder of Helios Capital, says success in equity investing lies in picking the right stocks, as less than 5% are worth holding long-term.
Samir Arora reveals long term investment secret in equity market.
Veteran fund manager Samir Arora, Founder and Fund Manager at Helios Capital, has debunked that common perception that the secret of success in equity investing is holding stocks for the long term. He argued that the long term focus should be on investing in equities as an asset – for each individual stock the answer is “it depends”.
According to him, the real secret lies in identifying the right stocks—those that actually perform well over a long period—a task easier said than done.
“The secret is to find stocks that do well in the long term and hold them—and that is very difficult to do, for only less than 5% of stocks are worth holding for real long-term periods,” Arora posted.
He argued that even management teams and insiders are often unaware of how their companies will evolve over time. “Therefore, it is misleading to assume that simply holding a stock for years guarantees returns,” he wrote.
Arora further added that every stock is technically held ‘for the long term’—either by an individual or by the collective group of shareholders. “Whether A holds it long term or B does, or both collectively do, it doesn’t affect the stock’s return. And yet, we know a vast majority of stocks fade away despite long-term holdings,” he pointed out.
It is easy to disprove the argument that secret of success in equity investing is holding stocks for the long term.Secret is to find stocks that do well in the long term and hold them and that is very difficult to do for only less than 5% of stocks are worth holding for real…— Samir Arora (@Iamsamirarora) June 29, 2025
Earlier, Arora highlighted that he had known many of his friends or relatives who bought physical shares in late 1980s/early 1990s, held them for 35 years and today those shares are worth zero or not worth chasing to find out their exact value. He said that’s the big problem of equity.
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst…Read More
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst… Read More
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