A STUDY ON INVESTMENT PATTERNS AND PREFERENCES OF RETAIL INVESTORS POSTCOVID 19

Investing is an important aspect of an individual’s life. Although majority of India’s population is the youth, there is a lack of awareness regarding investment avenues and its importance. Moreover, in March 2020, India was hit by the COVID 19 pandemic. It had an impact across the globe and every sector was affected due to the same.The basic aim of this research is to analyze the impact of COVID 19 on the investment preferences of retail investors and also on the investment industry in India. People have shifted to safer investment avenues which carry zero or low risk. Investors have prioritized safety of their investments over returns due to COVID 19. Therefore, we can see a spike in the gold prices in 5 months. Though investing in gold does not give regular returns but the risk of losing the invested money is negligible. Some of the financially aware investors have also grabbed this opportunity of the dip in the market and invested during the pandemic.To conclude, COVID 19 has a drastic effect not only on the investment industry in India but also on all the other aspects of human life. The Indian markets have shown good recovery in short span of time and will hopefully go back to normal soon. Key words: COVID 19, investor preferences, Equity, Gold, Real estate