All you need to know about smallcases × When there’s a bull market, it is not unusual to see retail investors increasing their direct participation in stocks. But the investment products they flock to, do differ each time. This time round, a popular fad is investing in ‘smallcases’. Most leading brokers today offer ‘smallcases’ on their sites which allow you to buy or sell a ready-made basket of stocks through a single buy or sell order. What is it? The idea of allowing investors to buy ready-made portfolios directly, instead of through mutual funds, was mooted by smallcase, a Bengaluru-based fintech start-up founded in 2015. While the investment platform flagged off with its own portfolios to start with, the idea has since been adopted by a diverse set of brokers and money managers who have tied up with the fintech firm, to offer ‘smallcases’ of their own to suit a variety of themes and investment needs.