Shoma Patnaik
Panaji
Goans are highly interested in equity and capital markets investments with the state having as many as 2.68 lakh registered investors on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Mumbai, as on October 31, this year.
A research report by the NSE, has disclosed that the state saw a sharp rise in the number of retail investors, from 44,000 individuals in 2014-15, to 1.13 lakh in 2019-20, and a further 2.27 lakh individuals in 2024-25.
The manifold increase reflects rapid financial awareness of Goans and their eagerness to participate in the stock market growth story, says the report.
It highlights that women in the state are as enthusiastic as men in channeling funds in stocks as 33 per cent (of 2.68 lakh) investors are females.
In fact, the research report by the economic policy and research division of NSE reveals that Goa is at the top in gender-balanced investor participation in India, as it has the highest women investors. The women investor national average stands at 24.7 per cent, as on October 31.
The report published in the Market Pulse periodical of NSE, mentions that the state on an average has around 20,000 new investors every month. The findings show that Goa is more or less in sync with the all-India trend in retail investments of equity and mutual funds.
Roughly 17 per cent of Goans have an equity and MF portfolio, vis-Ã -vis the national average
of 18.7 per cent.
The report indicates big states tower over small states in stock market investments. Maharashtra leads with over four crore investors, followed by Uttar Pradesh (2.7 crore), and Gujarat (2.1 crore).
Of the two stock exchanges in the country, the NSE surpasses the BSE several times in market capitalisation and trading volumes. Investors on the NSE, crossed the 24 crore milestone this month.
As of September 30, individual investors held 18.7 per cent of NSE-listed companies – a 22-year high. Over the past five years the Nifty 50 and Nifty 500, delivered strong annualised returns of 15 per cent and 18 per cent respectively.
According to NSE’s chief business development officer Sriram Krishnan, a growing middle class, digitalisation, innovation and investor protection measures are driving the interest in stock markets.
