Activist Investor · Educator · Independent Research

Learn how markets
really work.

One-to-one consultations and institutional-grade research for serious investors — reading corporate value destruction, building activist-style theses, and thinking across markets and geopolitics.

Read by analysts, founders & allocators across India and beyond
Activist
Research & Theses
1:1
Private Consultations
Macro
Markets & Geopolitics
AI ETF
In Formation
Activist Research/Corporate Governance/Capital Allocation/Geopolitics/Investment Theses/AI & Markets/Shareholder Value/Global Macro/ Activist Research/Corporate Governance/Capital Allocation/Geopolitics/Investment Theses/AI & Markets/Shareholder Value/Global Macro/
Coverage & Recognition
Global Macro Activist & Governance AI & Technology Geopolitical Risk Capital Markets
01 — Investment Theses
Research & published theses

Long-form, institutional-grade research. Every thesis is a proof of work — a position taken, argued, and documented.

AI / Technology
Why Most AI ETFs Are Just Expensive S&P 500 Beta
Broad AI funds crowd into the same ten mega-caps. What genuine selectivity in AI investing actually looks like — and why it matters.
Apr 2026
Governance
The Board Entrenchment Playbook
How management protects itself at shareholder expense — and the structural mechanisms that make it possible.
Mar 2026
Geopolitics
How Tariff Walls Are Repricing Industrial Supply Chains
The market is treating tariffs as temporary noise. The repricing of domestic manufacturing capacity will be permanent and structural.
Feb 2026
Short Thesis
Accounting Alchemy: When Revenue Recognition Becomes Fiction
Forensic look at aggressive revenue recognition — the red flags investors keep ignoring and why they are never isolated.
Jan 2026
Global Macro
The Dollar's Structural Bid Is Weaker Than It Looks
Consensus is too comfortable with dollar exceptionalism. The fiscal trajectory and geopolitical realignment tell a different story.
Dec 2025
Read every thesis in fullThe complete archive goes out to subscribers — new work lands there first, before anywhere else.
02 — Market Views
What I'm thinking right now

Short-form views on markets, macro, and geopolitics as they happen. Not formal theses — just where my head is. Updated whenever something is worth saying.


Get These in Your Inbox →
Geopolitics29 May 2026
Supply-chain reshoring is being priced as a cost. It's a moat.
The names eating margin today to localise production are buying pricing power and political insulation that won't show up in a DCF for two years. The street is punishing exactly the capex that will define the next cycle.
Read full note →
AI & Tech21 May 2026
Most "AI revenue" on earnings calls is reclassified existing revenue.
Watch for net-new ARR attributable to AI features, not the total contract value of any account that touches a model. The gap between those two numbers is where the disappointments are hiding.
Read full note →

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03 — Articles & Writing
Published work
Seeking Alpha — Equity Research
Hedge Fund Alpha — Investment Theses
Defence Research & Studies — Geopolitics & Geoeconomics
04 — Why TalkMarkets
Publishing as an independent analyst

Why I chose TalkMarkets as a platform to publish detailed investment research, and what makes independent publishing valuable for both writers and readers.

There are many websites where investors can publish their research, but each platform is different. Some mainly publish short market news, while others focus on detailed stock ideas or only accept professional investors.

I recently joined TalkMarkets because it gives independent writers a place to publish different types of financial research, while also allowing contributors to take part in the platform's growth.

"My research mainly focuses on deep-value stocks, corporate turnarounds, and event-driven situations the market hasn't priced in yet."

Know more → Full essay · 6 min read
Key Focus Areas
01
Corporate Turnarounds

Market still judging the company by its past while fundamentals improve.

02
Activist & Event-Driven

Asset sales, break-ups, buybacks or better capital allocation.

03
Deep-Value Opportunities

Trading below reasonable business or asset value estimates.

05 — What You'll Learn
How I teach the work

Every consultation is built around method, not tips. You leave able to do the analysis yourself.

Read the Numbers

Dissect a 10-K, spot revenue-recognition games, and trace where reported earnings diverge from cash. The forensic layer most investors skip.

Build the Thesis

Turn a hunch into a structured, defensible position — entry logic, catalysts, risk, and the disconfirming evidence you must watch for.

Think in Systems

Connect macro, geopolitics, and governance — why a tariff line, a board vote, and a currency move are usually the same story.

Position & Size

Translate conviction into allocation — sizing, hedging, and when being right slowly is indistinguishable from being wrong.

06 — Consultations
Book a consultation

A focused, one-to-one conversation on a position, a thesis, or your own portfolio questions.

Select a format, pick a date and time that works for you, and share a little context. You'll receive a confirmation with the meeting details.

30 min
Intro CallA short conversation to see if there's a fit. Best for first contact.
60 min
Thesis Deep-DiveGo through a specific position, short, or governance situation in detail.
60 min
Portfolio & StrategyDiscuss allocation, risk, and ideas across your book.
Confirmation sent to your email
Reschedule anytime, no charge
Conversations kept strictly confidential
Step 1 of 4
Choose a consultation format
Intro CallFirst conversation, see if there's a fit
30 MIN
Thesis Deep-DiveWalk through a specific position
60 MIN
Portfolio & StrategyAllocation, risk, and ideas
60 MIN
Step 2 of 4
Pick a date
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
Step 3 of 4
Select a time
Step 4 of 4
Your details

Request received

Your request has been sent to Vatsal. You'll receive a confirmation at your email shortly — if you don't see it within a few minutes, check your spam folder or email connect@vatsalgarg.com directly.

07 — About
The person behind the thesis
Vatsal Garg
Currently
Researching activist positions & building an AI ETF in formation.
"Most markets are efficient. Most management teams are not. The gap between those two facts is where I do my work."

I started on the sell-side, building the models that justified deals I increasingly didn't believe in. The turning point was a fairness opinion I helped write for a board that was, plainly, protecting itself at shareholders' expense — and the realisation that nobody in the room was paid to say so. I left to do exactly that, independently.

Since then I've published activist-style theses, written two books, and advised investors one-to-one. I don't sell signals or hot tips — I teach method. Every thesis I put out is a position taken in public, argued in full, and left on the record to age well or badly. That's the only credibility worth having in this work.

Today my focus runs across three threads that I don't think can be separated: company-level activism and governance, global macro, and the geopolitics that increasingly drives both. The AI ETF I'm assembling sits at their intersection — and most of how I think about it gets written up here first.

Activist InvestingCorporate GovernanceGlobal MacroGeopoliticsAI & TechnologyCapital MarketsInvestment WritingFund Formation
08 — Books
Authored works
01
Portfolio Management & Corporate Cycles: Navigating Macroeconomics and Building Portfolios Strategically
Independently Published · 2021

Portfolio Management & Corporate Cycles: Navigating Macroeconomics and Building Portfolios Strategically

How to build and manage investment portfolios across economic cycles. Covers asset allocation, macro cycle analysis, corporate cycle frameworks, and how to position a portfolio strategically as conditions shift — from expansion through contraction and recovery.

02
SPAC & SPARC: A Beginner's Guide to Special Purpose Acquisition Companies and Special Purpose Acquisition Rights Companies
Independently Published · 2021

SPAC & SPARC: A Beginner's Guide to Special Purpose Acquisition Companies and Special Purpose Acquisition Rights Companies

A practical guide to investing in SPACs and SPARCs — what they are, how they work, how to read the deal, and how to avoid the most common traps retail investors fall into. Written for people who want to understand blank-cheque vehicles without the high-finance jargon.

03
Hedge Fund Strategies: A Beginner's Guide to Hedge Funds & Portfolio Management
Independently Published · 2021

Hedge Fund Strategies: A Beginner's Guide to Hedge Funds & Portfolio Management

A comprehensive beginner's guide to hedge fund strategies and portfolio management — covering long/short equity, macro, event-driven, and arbitrage approaches. Includes case studies, governance analysis, and practical frameworks for building and managing an investment portfolio.

04
The IPO Investing Manual: Detailed Guide for Retail Investors to Avoid Hype, Read the Deal, and Invest Smarter
Independently Published · 2025

The IPO Investing Manual: Detailed Guide for Retail Investors to Avoid Hype, Read the Deal, and Invest Smarter

How IPOs really work: why companies go public, how shares are priced, what the prospectus reveals, and why listing gains can be both tempting and dangerous. A disciplined framework for evaluating valuations, insider selling, lock-up expirations, and distinguishing a strong business from an overpriced stock.

Get my research
before anyone else

Theses, market views, geopolitical analysis, and fund formation updates — straight to your inbox. No noise. Usually once or twice a month.

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10 — Contact

Let's have a
real conversation

For anything that isn't a scheduled consultation. I'm open to any conversation that moves things forward — no minimum AUM threshold.

Investors & AnalystsDiscuss theses, co-research, or ideas I should be looking at
Media & JournalistsQuotes, commentary, and interview requests
Event OrganisersPanels, keynotes, and guest lecture invitations
Publishers & CollaboratorsNew book projects and research partnerships
Fund Formation PartnersSeed LPs, co-founders, and strategic advisors

Or reach out directly: Connect@vatsalgarg.com · LinkedIn