A Safari in the Equity World: Applying Animal Kingdom Strategies to the Investment World

by Ritesh Dhoot

The bulls and bears are the most prominent inhabitants of the stock market jungle, but there are others too. When it comes to the stock market, investors may not immediately identify the other animals, birds and fishes who inhabit this world—fox, Hawks, pigs, ostriches, chicken, wolves, sheep, dogs, stags, sharks, geese, frogs, cats, canaries and a few others. The hunting strategies and behavioural nuances of these creatures define the specific characteristics of the type of traders or investors or market scenario. In this well-researched and analytical book, Abu dhabi-based stock market expert Ritesh dhoot reveals many more unexplored and exciting evolutionary traits of animals that are amply evident in the world of stocks lion’s opportunity, Dolphin mud-nets, frozen flamingos, city monkeys, hachi dog and much more. The book discusses how these traits are not only applicable to the equity world, but also have wider linkages to individuals, business and even society. Read this book to become an expert investor.

192 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2019

About the author

Ritesh Dhoot is an investment professional in a global multi-asset investment firm and is responsible for its research and intelligence functions. Before this, he has worked with Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan in the UK and India respectively. He has an MBA from Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, India, and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst charter and a Financial Risk Manager certificate. He lives and works in the UAE and has been a long-only investor in Indian equity markets for a good part of the last two decades.

Reviews

[Khyati Gautam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Safari in the Equity World by Ritesh Dhoot is a surprisingly engaging read that resolves our doubts pertaining to investment in a light-hearted manner. The stock market is a vast land full of animals and to make a way through it, we need to befriend them. This book has bee designed and conceptualized in a unique manner wherein the author has likened the investors to the animals and explained their characteristics. Till now, I was only ware of bear and the bull but now, I am knowledgeable about the flamingoes, herons, etc. It was truly fun to read this book.

The book is written by someone who has, over the years, mastered the art of investing with his experience. We know that most investments are purely dependent on the unforeseen circumstances of the future which could not be determined at all. Thus, a combination of skill, practice, and patience works best. I enjoyed reading the text which has been developed well as it presents not just the concepts but comes with accompanying case studies of different companies. This made it easier for a layman like me to get the hang of the text. For sure, the book demands patience and time to get into your head but once you delve inside, I am sure that you wouldn’t be disappointed. The informative narrative coupled with interesting narration makes up for a good reading experience. I am definitely going to re-read the book in the future.

If you are looking for a simple and fun book that also helps you in learning investing, this one might prove to be a good pick!

[Ruchi Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly speaking I was really scared while picking this book up as I almost have nil knowledge about stock markets and investment but I knew that I had to pick it and learn about it. Speaking of recent incident, I avoided investment in stocks or mutual funds due to lack of knowledge. In the book author has described the three type of readers but I am the fourth type who doesn’t know any background knowledge and it was really helpful for me. I used to see cartoons of Bull and Bears on the news headlines but couldn’t understand. So I am glad that I picked this up. Now I know the meaning of bull, pig, bear, ostrich and ship and I was trying to categorise me while reading. The author has explained concepts with nice and live day today examples like from movie “Andhadhun”. I will not be able to explain all the detail content as all this is still new and I might make a blunder but I am definitely re reading this book and use it as textbook to understand the concepts. All the concepts have been explained well with tables, figures, graphs and examples. The author has provided references also. The author has well planned and did a lot of research before penning down this book. The language of the book is lucid. The narration style hold the interest till the end. Overall good one. Recommended from my side.

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[Read.Dream.Repeat.Blogger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been savvy when it comes to finances and stocks and investments. This book helps you get a better knack at understanding these things. What was most surprising was how the author has managed to share a wealth of knowledge in such an easy manner, with all the analogies drawn. Very comprehensive and even interesting at points, it would help you make sense of a lot of things out in the money world.

[Manali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book, this one talks about investments and other related information.
Time and again we have heard about the bear and bull when it came to stock market and investment, but this book uses other animal references as well.
I liked fearless as a honey badger the best.

[Priyanka Jayaraman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Safari in the Equity World : A Review

First of all, Wow!
wow for the efforts put in this book!
having read a lot of academic and nonfiction books, it isn't easy to actually correlate something as diverse as animal behavior to companies and hence to the stock market

Stock Market is often a complicated area where most of us lack expertise and hence shun away from it, however this Author has definitely paved way to see things from a completely different perspective. Just like everything goes back to nature, this book keeps going back to animal behavioural patterns.

From Micheal Porter (any MBA student's God) to Andhadhun, the references are vast. I could literally imagine myself sitting in my finance classroom for a guest lecture , scribbling notes alongside so as to not miss any important point. This book gave me the exact same experience.


I absolutely adored this book and definitely going to gift it to a lot of my friends who are interested in finance. Incase you aren't, its high time you start to read the basics too, since all of us are planning to earn money. There are so many great companies that the author mentions with valid reasons to invest in them.

Finance is often a subject that is perceived to be complicated but is necessary for each of us.

Only Only minus of this book would be the references and the language used. It's clearly intended for a niche audience and the author mentions it in the beginning itself. Someone who is atleast aware of P/E ratios, the basic valuations and a knowledge about the stock market.

Overall, this is definitely a gem of the book and I'm going to keep raving about it until it gets the reach it deserves.

If you liked Rich Dad Poor Dad then this is an Indian pick for you!
Loved the fact that the royalties of this book go towards a noble,social cause which is mentioned in the acknowledgements and hence all the more reason to buy this book right now!

[reader from a star · Rating 4 out of 5]

One mistake and BOOM you lost your hard-earned money
One precise step of BOOM you are millionaire
Well This was my perspective earlier, for the Fancy name Stock market/share market
After learning about this new concept I was willing to learn more about it.
Though the interviews of Warren Buffet or small tutorials did not help me out much.
Well, this book is not an EASY WAY TO DO IT GUIDE, it gives more intricate and factual details and the trends.
The book brimming with case studies and relating to animals, it gives a very fascinating reflection of what the author wants to present.
It is a book I say as TRUE CONTENT and GOOD PRESENTATION amalgamation.
To be honest I once heard of wolf, bull, and bear of the stock market but now the perspective towards it is very different.
If you pick up a book and it changes the way you think, giving it a new direction then you should ponder about it.
I do not know what my thought will be about it when I will learn more about this subject but for now, it is my guide to this different world.
The author has very well related the different concepts, not only it makes it easier to remember but also understand the characteristics, trends, and behavior.
At this point, I cannot see anything relevant.
Though the brimming case study presented with not so good style makes it little like studying a subject.
And I did not like it, the way I liked the complete book.
The reason was the hinderance, I wanted to skip some parts, but I knew that by skipping them I might lose factual details, which I did not want to. So somehow I gulped down that too.
But it takes little effort to read this book, but if you want to learn something, I think this is not a part which you should care about.
The content is good which makes it worthy to be read.

[Amit Pamnani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in a simple language which even a novice to the stock market would understand it very easily. The author clearly is a big fan of wildlife and has a thorough knowledge of the animal kingdom. He compares all the strategies and forecasting of the equity markets with the laws of the jungle.
First half of every chapter describes in detail about a particular animal and its instinct and character in the animal kingdom and then in the second half, he relates the same things with the stock market. As described on the cover, the bulls and bears are the most prominent inhabitants of the stock market jungle, but there are others too!
This book is exactly what it says. The author has written this book in a clear, concise and easy to understand vocabulary. He has given examples of various companies who took good decisions, who took bad decisions and who could have done better.
Any person wanting to invest in the stock market, even without any knowledge of it, will be able to understand how the stock market works. This book is a good manual to guide an investor on which stocks to look out for, what research to be done before investing and how to go about the entry and exit tactics.
It’s a short book, but to the point. The best thing I found about the book was the real examples which the author has given as reference to his ideas. This makes every chapter and idea logical and thought provoking in the book.
All in all, a good book to keep, a book to be read regularly, not once, not twice but every once in a while to refresh your stock market concepts.

[Riti · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essence of the book is as follows-

According to Albert Einstein compound interest ‘is the most powerful force in the universe’. By being the lion with a competitive advantage and compounding its net worth for a long period (I always preferred Simple interest- easier formula btw!) a company can get bigger in a growing market.
The author touches upon the cyclical nature of some businesses like real estate and suggests that one must invest in cyclical industries when it is down and wait for it to bounce back to sell but ensure not to invest in obsolete products.

Diversification and territory expansion are cited as other forms of business value enhancement for which adaptability to the new environment to co habit with the existing populace is essential.
specialization is treated as equally important factor to survive in the market by building own set of core competence.

In a nutshell he says that investor must stick to one's core competence, invest with a long term focus, lower the fear of market practice self-discipline and avoid betting on short term trends.

My opinion
The book is easy to read and is written in a lucid style so as to make the lowest denominator of financially savvy person interested in the book. Explained in jungle terms and using metaphors to life in jungle, the book makes this dry topic for most easy to read. I wouldn't say this is for people with advanced knowledge albeit for people who want to venture in this world. It makes one understand the complex terms of the investment market and keeps one better informed of how this works.

[Noor Anand · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who has no knowledge of investments and the stock market, I picked this book in the hope of learning where to start.
However, reading it made me feel that it was meant for people who already know a thing or two about dabbling in the stock market. It is written as a guide for those who are afraid of investing money without consulting an expert.
This was quite disappointing for me. I am nowhere closer to playing the markets on my own steam than I was before reading the book.

The book highlights some general strategies, inspired by animal behaviour, that an investor should keep in mind before embarking on any stock investments. While this comparison with animals is unique, it doesn’t add any important value to the basic information.

The language used in the book is easy to read and the author refrains from getting too technical, which I appreciate as a layman.
However, some of the author’s observations seem suspect because they are solely based on his opinion.

I liked the case studies he provides but I was disappointed that he doesn’t mention negative case studies of where he/someone he knows may have lost money due to mistakes made in investing. Those would have been quite educational.

I feel the book fails in general because it is targeted at people who have an interest in investing as well as the requisite skill to do it themselves. It essentially overlooks the fact that if people have the skill to invest in stock markets themselves, they won’t need to read this book!

[Abhishek Goel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Read all terms and conditions carefully before investing"
This line is something which all of us must've heard more than our favourite song, although it is always unintentionally that we hear it, but still it makes us wonder about the risks and fantasies of th Stock Market. The market where the bulls rage and the tigers roar, the place where the share is uncertain and funds are mutual, a place which only exists on papers but has the capability of turning and changing anyones luck and days.
All this inhibitons have been marvelously put an end to in his debut by Abu Dhabi based investor Ritesh Dhoot, who has literally held the reader by their hand and led them in the mysterious world of stock market. The writer has used very simple yet meticulous language and ways to make the readers understand about the various kinds of investments and the kind of risks involved, the best part about the book is how thw author has compared various kind of investors to different kind of animals, as animals take a very reverred place in the diaries and the hearts of brokers and investors.
In all this is a very educational book and someone who is considering investing into shares or stocks, must go through this book atleast once for better understanding and a more clear idea of the topic and the market. The writer has done a great effort in writing down this book and I feel all the buddying investors should go and read it for sure.

[Dhanishta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine that you are on a wildlife safari, cut off from the concrete jungles and the hectic pace of modern life. Would you expect to get insights about the world of stocks and investing? Sounds crazy right? But, think deeply and you might just make the connection. Nature and wilderness hold lessons that we can apply to the corporate jungle and the equity markets if you may. After all, it’s all about the survival of the fittest, is it not?

It was on one such trip to Kenya, that investment professional Ritesh Dhoot drew parallels between what he observed in the wilderness and some behavioural patterns of investors. In “A Safari in the Equity World”, published by Rupa Publications, he takes us on a ride through the investment jungle.


The book highlights some broadly defined themes that help investors make sound investment decisions. While most of his examples pertain to the Indian equity markets, the themes themselves have universal application and would be useful to investors in other countries as well.

Clearly, as the name suggests, the strength of this book lies in the varied and many analogies that it draws. There are analogies between animals, animal behaviour, hunting strategies etc on one hand, and the investor and market behaviour on the other. This is the soul of the book. In addition, Dhoot gives several examples from the world markets as well as Indian markets, which makes the content very relatable.

[MADHUKAR DAYAL · Rating 5 out of 5]

To survive and remain profitable, companies develop and adopt a wide variety of strategies in order to protect their clientele, market share and profits. Ritesh discusses several companies operating in India, and their strategies, presenting their similitude to animal behavior - from the hedgehog to the herrings! He details his systematic process of analyzing various companies before choosing to invest in them, bringing parallels to other great and well known investors' analysis frameworks.
Ritesh's book, A Safari in the Equity World, enables you to glide through his analysis of a company's products, markets, competition, financial strength, and operations in depth before choosing to invest in it. No doubt, the deeper your analysis before selection of a company to invest in, the greater the chances of your investment's success. The point emphasized is that just numbers representing the past performance of a company are no clue to its future performance. While the past performance needs to be looked into, a deep analysis of the company's complete business environment, including Government policies, direction, progress, and pace of the economy, and other macro factors are no less important.
Readers of this book shall emerge much better equipped to handle their investment affairs.

[Jay Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title - A Safari in the Equity World
Author : Ritesh Dhoot
Genre : Economics/ Non fiction
Publication: Rupa Publications


Stock Market is such a hot topic and you are definitely living under a rock if you don't know about it . With time Investment in the Stock market has not only gain popularity but also became a trend even among non "business people".
But the question is ??
How should you invest and milk out more profit ??? as many are noobs and can suffer heavy loss if aren't guided properly.
A Safari in Equity World is perfect book carries all the calculated pros - cons , tactics , schemes and most importantly examples about Stock Market .
The language of this book is easy and author has give many relatable examples , stories of animal behaviour and Kingdom and quotes regarding stock market which are pretty interesting to read . It's quite informative book and amazing for commerce student as they are much familiar with the key words. If you aren't a comerce student then it is still interesting to read as he has written it in an asy understandable way from which we can connect.


I recommend this book to all, it's quite good one and It can enchance your knowledge on Stock Market and Economy ..


My ratings - 4/5 🌟

[Rutuja Ramteke · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍏A Safari In The Equity World🍏
When it comes to the stock market, investors may not immediately identify the other animals, birds and fishes who inhabit this world—fox, Hawks, pigs, ostriches, chicken, wolves, sheep, dogs, stags, sharks, geese, frogs, cats, canaries and a few others. The hunting strategies and behavioural nuances of these creatures define the specific characteristics of the type of traders or investors or market scenario. In this well-researched and analytical book, Abu dhabi-based stock market expert Ritesh dhoot reveals many more unexplored and exciting evolutionary traits of animals that are amply evident in the world of stocks lion’s opportunity, Dolphin mud-nets, frozen flamingos, city monkeys, hachi dog and much more.
.
🍏A very different take on the financial and the stock market! This book is a great read for people who are looking for some great tricks and tips for financial management. I really loved it how went forward and as the book proceeds the author kept it easy and simple. I loved the language and the animal's POV was interesting. I will highly recommend it.
.
Rating: 4🌟

[Shweta Walavalkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre- Non Fiction
Publisher- Rupa Publications India Pvt Ltd
No of Pages - 172
Format- Paperback
Author- Ritesh Dhoot

This book has been very helpful with a set of interesting examples comparing the stock market to various animal traits for a layman to understand the basics of the same. The bears and the bull theory is very well known but the author has tactfully used different other animal examples which makes complete sense with respect to the theory of it.
If the author can keep a complete layman like me interested in the topic, the book will definitely be helpful to corporate and finance professionals, investment experts and students. It brings a fresh perspective to the theory with its applications and after effects. The author also discusses various case studies from the Indian market putting light on different concepts.
Overall, a good read. the book will definitely give some great tips and tools to everyone who is interested in Financial Management in simple words. The simplicity of the flow is the key aspect of the book.

[Enakshi J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you hear about the word investment, only three words might come to your mind- intimidating, overwhelming and scary! Knowing the unpredictable fluctuations in the stock market and the sale figures, it is always a matter of concern when it comes to investment and money matters. ‘A Safari in the Equity World’ is a guide that aims at resolving all the investment troubles by using new and easier terms for all types of situations that can arise. Humans are animals that have evolved with time. When you compare the tricky situations with the animal situations in their kingdom, it scenario becomes clearer and decisions are taken faster.

This book has a few positives like the use of neologism (coining of new terms that can be remembered easily), the relatable analogies and the case studies that cover most of the critical mistakes and actions. Overall, this is a great aid if one is interested in the stock market and investments. For someone who doesn’t understand the A-Z of this field, this book might just not be for them.

[Rohan Pinto · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author explores the world of 'wild animals' i.e. nature, behavior of animals in the wilderness/cities; strategies they employ to survive & thrive and relates it to stock markets.

"History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes"

Broadly, the book tries to provide a roadmap that could help someone identify, profit from recurring investment themes that occur in markets. In addition, it also talks about various common pitfalls to look out for while investing in stocks.

Themes such as role of catalysts (via corporate actions such as a spin off, demerger...), mean reversion, coat-tailing, niche competitive advantages etc. And their associations with the wild are well interlaced with examples of Indian companies and some global companies making it an overall a very refreshing read.


Disclosure: I received a copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review.

[Romita Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A safari in the equity world is a book that connects the various facets of the stock market with the diversity of the jungle inhabitants.
It is a book that is going to give you a good insight into the world of stocks and equity by relating it to the world of animals.
This book gives you a lot of information in a very entertaining and engaging manner which makes the book a good read.
Even if you are an amateur in the knowledge of stock markets and shares, you will find this book quite informative and engrossing.
The traits of the animals are very well connected not only with the trends in share markets but also with the qualities of individuals, business and even society.
This book will definitely help you to get a better understanding of investments and enterprises.
Would recommend it to all who want to get a grasp of the equity world.

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 5 out of 5]

We associate only bulls bears and pigs with the stock market but the author gives a lot of examples across the animal kingdom. I loved the examples of dolphins birds whales salmon lobsters wildebeest as well as the Salman Khan cloning example. While the book mostly captures the past investment wins of the author it also gives a few current ideas((read the book to see them).

The book could have done better with anti examples like Kridhan Infra(opposite of Uniply) but that's an exercise for the reader. The chapter on failures and investment traps(green heron) is itself worth the book's price.

Recommended for those new to the market and also nature fans looking to build mental models.

Disclosure: got a review copy in exchange for a honest review.

[Tiyasha Chaudhury · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a student who is currently pursuing the field of commerce, this book came as a surprise (interesting one though) to me. The plot not only is thought precisely of but is also very descriptive and imaginative.

I personally thought that the title was a bluff and I'd get to learn about human strategies but hah! I was happily wronged and the book helped me to see a different world of stock market.

There were valuable tactics and also there were key points to understand. This is the kind of book— commerce student or not, people will enjoy and will pass on to others for more read.

A very interesting, intelligent, surprisingly good and satisfying read for all types of readers.

[Amrendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book containing tips to navigate the equity world. The author has chosen to compare strategies adopted by animal species to strategies required in the equity world.

Overall the book is not very exciting. The author puts forwards principles for value investing and a balanced approach to life. It is all too generic. However, there are certain case studies on companies that help you get somehow from cover to cover. Still, credit must be given to the author for attempting to write on a subject that's not easy or engaging to write in the first place. There are few such books by Indian authors.

[Shreya Mundra]

A very creative book which has brought together the disparate world of equity investing and animal kingdom. All the analogies are thought provoking and I particularly liked the Dolphin Mud-Nets chapter. Chapter on investing principal is very comprehensive and if you invest in the markets – you will stop often to agree with the principles. Overall a very interesting book which is fun to read and will bring you closer to investing as well as animal behavior.

[Amit Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the investment banking and stock market and stock exchange, and author compare it with animals of jungle and sea, as he gave name to different kind of people and institute that program within the stock market and how they perform, and animals names are given with there characters of that animals
Like pigs are greed investor, wolves are the group who make and broke the share rate, elephant are slower , flying bustard are the one that are rare but perform the whole market.

[Alok Saraogi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read - Very creative. We have frequently user Bulls and Bears in Equity market however this book have gone ahead to explore the entire animal Kingdom and bring forth various strategies.
Indian companies case study is very interesting. Plus all the royalty proceeds of the author will go to charity organization Dakshna Foundation. Which is appreciated.

[Vaidehi Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will go with bullet points with this one;

• Gives you a detailed insight of equity and investment. (Without creating boredom)

• I really liked the way in which difficult and typical points are described. Generates Interest in acquiring knowledge.

• It's good for young learners. Definitely recommending this to anyone who asks me about equity and investments.

[Joselin Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primarily this book helps one understand Investments and Stock market.It also goes through the animal terms that are used widely and also some unknown ones.This book is preferrable for General readers,who do not have much exposure about these things (like me),since the author kept it technical term free, Investment experts and also students who study about this.

[Faizan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I guess I was so unaware of the terminology the Market used... This book rich with knowledge for a person like me.

Everyone thinks about doing great investment, but investing where and how? This is difficult.

Ritesh takes a very unique take on the subject.

[Navdeep Pundhir · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very ordinary book. I must admit I was fooled by the quote from Samir Arora on the cover and wasted Rs. 216 for what can best be termed as a book which could have been unwritten.