Last month, India may have witnessed a watershed moment in its history. The reason I say may, is because, only time will tell if it really was such a moment, or it was another great opportunity lost. Expectedly the markets rallied as the results poured in. All the common reasons were offered - Modi has a single majority so he can fix all the problems of the economy, India will push forward with its reform agenda, industrialization and fix governance.
So, the "easy" money based on the hope of "acche din" played out. During the hope rally, everything that a "India development" story went up - mining, power, infra, cement - almost everything. A lot of the PE re-rating for mid caps took place. It removed the glaring cheapness of most of the "good" midcaps.
With the obvious cheap stocks now becoming well priced, we are back to the grind of making money on the fundamental basis. So, it is critical to focus back on individual companies and how they can perform and grow in the next few years.
It is obvious that there are no easy answers (from Modi or anyone) of India's challenges. Inflation is stubbornly high and so are subsidies. Any reduction in subsidies (oil, LPG, fertilizers, rail fare etc) without a commensurate increase in efficiency is likely to increase inflation even higher. There is no magic wand that the PM has to fix the Indian economy. Once people start realizing that, markets are likely to correct or stagnate at the very least. And provide an opportunity for patient investors to buy into. The trick is to be prepared with a buy list and cash when (& if) that happens.
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