Investors often worry about whether they should start their systematic investment plans (SIPs) when markets are at all-time highs or wait for a correction. A new study by WhiteOak Capital Mutual Fund shows that the bigger risk is not market timing—but delaying the start of SIPs.
The SIP analysis, based on nearly three decades of data from the BSE Sensex TRI (August 1996 – August 2025), reveals that even if investors began their SIPs at market peaks, they eventually created more wealth than those who waited to start at market bottoms.
Top vs bottom: Who wins in the long run?
The study compared two investors: one who began a ₹10,000 monthly SIP at the market peak of January 2008, and another who waited until March 2009, the market bottom.
Investor at the top: Invested ₹21.20 lakh, wealth grew to ₹75.23 lakh (XIRR 12.96%).
Investor at the bottom: Invested ₹19.80 lakh, wealth grew to ₹64.44 lakh (XIRR 13.05%).
