What really drives markets - headlines, sentiment, or something deeper? And what actually builds wealth over time in an environment that constantly shifts between optimism and panic?

A guest lecture at SP Jain Global brought a practitioner’s perspective to these questions, with Virendra Suryabha Somwanshi, Country Head - Wealth Management at Federal Bank, speaking to the Master of Applied Finance and Wealth Management (MFWM) program students and sharing insights from his experience across the industry and markets.

The conversation began with a simple but important reality check on how the industry has evolved. Traditional banks continue to lean on trust and long standing customer relationships, broking firms have expanded from execution-led models into advisory roles, and wealth tech platforms are steadily reshaping how a new generation of investors accesses markets.

From there, the discussion moved to the bigger question; how markets actually behave. The answer, as highlighted in the session, was refreshingly direct: markets are ultimately driven by earnings. Beyond the noise of headlines, sentiment shifts, and daily price movements, it is business performance that determines long term outcomes.

A major part of the discussion focused on investing behaviour, where staying invested was highlighted as a discipline rather than a tactical choice. The session reinforced how compounding rewards patience over time, while even missing a few of the market’s best-performing days can significantly alter long-term outcomes. This reinforced a broader point in wealth management; while products and platforms keep evolving, strong understanding of markets, regulation, and client behaviour remains the real advantage.

Overall, the session offered a grounded perspective on wealth creation — one that favours patience over reaction, discipline over timing, and clarity over noise.