The Finance Professionals' Post

Returning as a Tiger: The Economic Reincarnation of India

For those who grew up with images of India as a land of poverty, recent news would seem veritable proof of economic reincarnation. Indian poverty still exists, of course, and in a land of more than one billion people, a 25% poverty rate means that at least 250 million people—or more than three-quarters of the US population—still live in highly precarious conditions. It will be a long time before its poverty can be eradicated, but India can boast of many recent achievements, and there are good reasons to expect that the country will continue to grow and develop rapidly as it has over the last decade. Investors are naturally interested in how to participate in this story.

Returning as a Tiger: The Economic Reincarnation of India (Part II)

The first part of this article discussed recent economic developments in India and the prospects for high growth rates over the long term. Part II covers the performance of the equity and currency sectors and offers compelling reasons to include India in either a global or EM (emerging-markets) portfolio.

India has been on investors’ radar screens since at least 2000, but it has rocketed to even greater prominence in the post-crisis recovery. Its major stock index, the Sensex 30, has grown more than 125% since its low in March 2009, outpacing the S&P 500 Index (up 82% since March 2009), China’s Shanghai Composite (up 65% since October 2008), and even the highly popular Brazilian Bovespa (up 115% since December 2008). India-related ETFs have proliferated, allowing easier access to Indian market returns. The emphasis on the centrality of China in the global economy can make it easy to miss the opportunities offered by China’s neighbor.