1. Earnings. Over years, prices follow profits. Quarterly results reset expectations - guidance (what management promises next) moves stocks more than the reported quarter itself.
2. Interest rates. When the US Fed or RBI raises rates, future profits get discounted harder and growth stocks fall first. This single channel explains most 2022 damage - see Fed to FII.
3. Fund flows. FII selling and DII SIP buying tug Indian large-caps daily. Flows dominate months; earnings dominate years. Know which game your holding period plays - FII & DII explained.
4. Sentiment. Greed zones stretch multiples, fear zones compress them. Gauges like the Market Mood Index tell you which crowd you are trading against.
Do this now: pick your biggest holding and assign its last 10% move to one of the four forces. If you cannot, you are trading a story you haven't verified.
Frequently asked questions
Good results but stock fell - why?
Expectations beat reality: the 'whisper number' exceeded guidance, or the market sold the broader sector. Price reacts to surprise, not quality.
Apply this lesson inside Ticker Screener — real prices, real ratios, zero brokerage login needed.
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Go deeper
FII & DII
Foreign vs domestic institutional investors. Their tug-of-war sets India's market tone - FIIs flee, DIIs absorb.
Market Mood Index (MMI)
Tickertape's live 0–100 sentiment gauge for Indian stocks - the desi Fear & Greed, from extreme fear to extreme greed.
EPS
Earnings per share: the company's yearly profit divided by share count. The 'E' inside P/E.
Fed to FII: How US Rates Drive Indian Small & Mid-Caps
Fed at 3.75-4.00%, US 10Y above 5.10%, Rs 2.45 lakh crore of FPI outflows. The three transmission channels - yields, currency, crude - and the screening overlay for small-caps in risk-off regimes.
US Slowdown Playbook: Rebalancing Indian Portfolios
US 1.5% real vs 8% nominal growth, Fed heading to 4.25%, recession odds debated. Five rebalancing levers - quality screens, duration barbell, export hedge, IPO selectivity, cash calendar.