"The mother of all bear mkts in equities is dead"

Developments in West Asia have triggered a panic-like situation across global equity markets. SHANKAR SHARMA, founder of wealth management firm GQuant Investech, spoke with Puneet Wadhwa in New Delhi about escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Edited excerpts:

You recently said a war can trigger a bear market in equities. Do the recent developments in West Asia have that potential? A nuclear war can surely put equities in a bear phase. I don't think that the current developments in West Asia can. The mother of all bear markets in equities is dead, only the children are alive, which do not have the potential to put equities in bear territory. There can be small disruptions, which can at best trigger a small correction in regular intervals.

We have mastered the art of neutering the bear market villains - speculation, inflation, war, disease. We have dealt with all of them.

What's your take on China against the backdrop of all the stimulus measures, and can China spoil the Indian equity party?