Drawing parallels between Gen Z’s complicated dating lexicon and the volatile world of stocks, Kedia decoded investing through terms like “situationship,” “breadcrumbing,” and “ghosting.” The takeaway: whether it is the heart or the portfolio, commitment and clarity determine outcomes.
Emotional collapse
Kedia began by comparing the pulse of a relationship to the fluctuations of a stock chart.
“There are two places where intelligence collapses—the stock market and love,” Kedia said.
In both, he argued, impatience and emotional overreach derail rational thinking. When trust and commitment evaporate, the probability of failure shoots up.
“Undefined positions create undefined returns, whether it is love or the stock market. You have to know what you’re doing, and that is the only way you will be successful.”
Market ‘situationship’
Recounting a conversation with a Gen Z friend at an airport, Kedia dove into the first Gen Z term: the ‘situationship.’ For the uninitiated, a situationship is that grey area where two people meet and hang out, but there is no clarity on where things are going in the long term.
He said that many young investors are in a similar relationship with the market.
“They do not know why they are here, what their vision is, how long they are going to stay here, or how much allocation they will make. They don’t know when they will enter or exit, or why they buy, sell, or hold—they do not have that clarity,” he said.
For Kedia, this lack of definition is the ultimate wealth-killer.
He contrasted this with his own approach, which he describes as a “locked-in” marriage. While the Gen Z investor is casually seeing the market, Kedia is married to his long-term bets
Beware of ‘breadcrumbing’
As months passed, Kedia met the same friend again, and the situation had started going south. The friend was now ‘breadcrumbing,’ which is a dating tactic of giving someone just enough attention to keep them interested without intending to get emotionally involved.
Kedia sees the same dynamic in certain pockets of the stock market.
In his words, Futures and Options (F&O), flashy IPOs, and volatile penny stocks often operate like breadcrumbing. They offer just enough reward to keep investors hooked.
“This happens in the stock market as well… it is breadcrumbing as they show investors emotionally that gains can be made, especially for the newcomers who get trapped,” he explained.
These intermittent rewards create excitement but often distract from disciplined, long-term wealth creation.
Ghosting phenomenon
The final stage of the Gen Z friend’s dating life was ‘ghosting’ which is essentially disappearing when things get difficult or a misunderstanding occurs.
Kedia pointed out that investors are notorious for ghosting the market the moment things turn red. When a stock falls 20% or when the government raises the Securities Transaction Tax (STT), investors vanish. They disappear when the vibe changes, failing to realize that the best rewards come to those who stay through the turbulence.
He summarized this cycle with a poignant, market-specific mantra:
“Bull markets create weak investors, and weak investors create bear markets, while bear markets create smart investors and smart investors create bull markets.”
He then turned it into Gen Z lingo: “Situationships create bull markets, bull markets create breadcrumbing. Breadcrumbing creates bear markets, bear markets create ghosting investors.”
Know your depth
Beyond the dating metaphors, Kedia provided practical guardrails for those trying to move from “situationship” to “marriage.”
Kedia said he is comfortable with 20 stocks in his portfolio currently. He believes that while an ideal, concentrated portfolio might have fewer, a student of the market should hold 15 to 20 stocks to truly study and understand various sectors.
He also cautioned investors to steer clear of the new age company stocks where they may not understand the fundamentals.
“If you are happy with a PE ratio of 200 or 300 and if you are happy in a company that may not show profits for another five years, then it’s okay for you. If you ask me, I never bought all these companies,” he explained. He compared the market to an ocean. “People go to the sea for various reasons. Some go to dip their toes, some go to fish, while some go to extract minerals. The deeper you go, the higher the risk-reward ratio,” he said.
He also added that if investors are facing a lack of information for companies, especially small ones, then it’s best to steer clear of them. He went on to remind investors that with thousands of listed companies, investors are not short of choices.
Staying ‘locked In’
As the session concluded at the NSE Atrium, Kedia’s message to the younger generation of investors was one of urgency and discipline.
He urged investors to move past the flings and the ghostings that define modern social lives and instead commit to a long-term strategy. Kedia also reminded investors that they should never rely on returns from the stock market for their daily expenses, calling for other methods to meet those expenses.
“Time is precious, India is shining,” he reminded.
In a world of instant gratification and fleeting promises, Kedia’s ‘Boomer’ advice was simple and seasoned with Gen Z slang: if you want to make real money, you have to get over the breadcrumbing and stop ghosting when the market gets tough. Stay locked in for the long term. In the stock market, as in love, the greatest gains belong to the committed.
