Saturn Season: What 2025 Teaches About Investing in 2026

2025 was a year of tests in both markets and mindset. If you are even slightly interested in astrology, you will certainly resonate this year with Saturn’s archetype: patience, discipline and delayed blessings. Markets witnessed chaos and heightened sensitivity leading to price corrections across many sectors, valuations still staying muted (for yet another year), optimism stayed delayed, returns were lower than anticipated and retail investors are fed up! No wonder the year felt like a test of patience and investment discipline. But what about the blessings – when are they coming?

Well… we are in, as I call it, the “Saturn Season” in investing where you show patience and discipline and your returns will come (delayed, not denied!). So let’s reflect on how 2025 unfolded and what 2026 may look like.

The Darkness Before Dawn

This year we witnessed valuations being corrected. Most earnings did not justify the extremely high valuations given right after the pandemic in 2021. A lot of companies whose price was being driven up purely because of narratives corrected when their cash flows did not back up the story. Tech multiples compressed, mid-caps saw brutal selloffs, UK valuations remained stubbornly cheap and sentiment was honestly… tired. Retail investors either just did not invest because of the negativity but those who did are now suffering with their portfolio being in RED (secret: this is your test of patience).

These, to me, are clear signs of a market reset cycle. Before any new cycle takes shape, you need a period where froth clears out, retail enthusiasm cools, and the market narrows down to real fundamentals again. And this is where the Saturn metaphor fits perfectly. Saturn doesn’t deny – it delays until the ground is stable. 2025 was basically the market’s way of saying: Show me your discipline. Show me you won’t run away when returns are slow.

Because historically, these exact periods of suppressed valuations and investor fatigue are what set the stage for the next up-cycle (however slow that may be). Long-term investors who understand valuation resets usually recognise this as the most important (and often the most profitable) period of any market cycle.

2026 – the Dawn

2026 is not the world of following hype but the year to stay consistently grounded in pure fundamentals – the year when patient, disciplined investors finally start witnessing growth in returns. Inflation seems to be easing and rate cuts could be on the cards, which will mean lower cost of capital and potentially positive earnings surprises, with value and quality companies outperforming over a 12–24 month period post peak tightening.

But there are a few continued trends globally. UK markets remain undervalued relative to the US, making them prime hunting grounds for private equity, M&A activity and investors who can sit through the dull phase. India continues to stand strong with 6.5-7% GDP growth and remains a must-have in a global portfolio, especially for diversified long-term strategies.

So 2026 is not “the big boom year”, but it is the first year where patience starts paying off. It is the beginning of the reward cycle for those who did not panic in 2025, did not chase hype, did not over-trade and did not lose sight of long-term fundamentals. The dawn is subtle (not dramatic) but it is there.

My Investment Philosophy

My investment philosophy is simple – stick to the basics, stay disciplined and consistent and DO NOT unnecessarily complicate your strategy (as a retail investor).

I only go into sectors and countries I understand. I maintain global exposure. I wait for the right entry signals such as RSI below 50 (ideally between 20 and 40), thin volume after heavy selling, no hype around the asset and a clean balance sheet. I am a long-term investor and it has always worked for me because I let time do the compounding instead of chasing quick returns.

I am very Saturn-like by nature: disciplined, patient and comfortable with waiting while everyone else gets bored or frustrated. And honestly, that is the only reason long-term investing works. The market, particularly this one, does not reward excitement, it rewards endurance. Excitement surely works, technical-only strategies definitely pay off, but only if you know what you are getting into while having the knowledge and volume to generate meaningful returns.

2026-27, in my view, will finally start showing why being patient throughout 2025 was worth it. Markets will certainly start becoming comfortable around uncertainty and adapt (just like they did to the Russia-Ukraine war) and that will set the momentum for the recovery and eventual boom in the years to follow.

Disclaimer:
This article is for general information and personal reflection only. It is not financial advice, investment advice, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Markets involve risk and past performance is never a guarantee of future results. Please do your own research or consult a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions. The views expressed here are my personal opinions based on publicly available information and my own investing approach.