‘Don’t get killed…’: Shankar Sharma says surviving market pain is what makes real investors

Markets bleeding? That’s the point, says veteran investor Shankar Sharma. Speaking on the Zero1 podcast with Sonia Shenoy, the GQuant Investech founder had a blunt message for investors navigating the current churn: “Don’t get killed. If you don’t get killed, you will survive—and you will learn to use this opportunity again.”

He sees adversity not as a phase to escape but a test to embrace. “It’s hitting you. It is making you bleed. This will make you stronger. Don’t fight it. Don’t hate it. If you hate it, it’ll come back more on you. Love it. Embrace it. Learn from it.”

For Sharma, pain in the market isn’t new—it’s part of the process. “We have suffered all these scratches and wounds over 30–35 years. Let this generation also suffer it. Why not?” he said, comparing it to how cricketers faced fast bowlers like Imran Khan or Jeff Thomson. 

“Now you’ll build your technique—to avoid the ball, to hook the ball, to cut the ball. This is the real deal.”

Turning to investment strategy, Sharma didn’t hold back. For those stuck with underperforming mid- and small-cap stocks, his advice was direct: “Strategy is to bet on winners, not on losers—always in life. Whether it’s a horse race or the stock market.”

He warned against holding onto deep-loss stocks purely out of emotion or ego. “If your losers are real losers—they’re down 50%, 80%, 70%—look for the guys who are winning in the market. They are the ones who will take your boat out of this current trough. Not the same losers.”

The solution, he said, starts with cutting problem positions and starting fresh. “Review everything. First principle. Zero-based budgeting. Cut out the losers. The stocks that are winning—that’s where you need to go.”

Even in a bear market, Sharma believes a reset portfolio can do well. “One year from now, even if you have a bear market, your stocks will probably be up a decent bit. Bear market doesn’t mean 100% of the market falls.”

As for finding winners, his last line came with a dry punch: “Ask your wealth manager to advise you. Brokers—if they’re still around.”