I am the Global Editor at MoneyShow.com and each week I interview an investing expert. This week, I spoke with Pratik Sharma, principal at Atyant Capital Partners, who says the Indian stock market remains attractive.
Q. Pratik, the Indian stock market had incredible momentum, reaching 20,000+ at the beginning of this year, but has suffered substantially with the global economic crisis, and now is trading around the 10,000 mark. Where does it go from here?
A. Many sectors of the Indian market are currently being priced as if there is a systemic crisis in India. That is not the case at all. Indian banks are healthy, and domestic savings is north of 30+%, providing a stable and solid deposit base for banks.
Where the market goes from here is anyone's guess, but I'm seeing one of the best risk/reward scenarios I've ever seen. This is not across the board, but in select areas that are not included in the main indices.
I like those companies that serve a domestic market where the supply/demand dynamic is [favorable]. In this environment, taking a top-down sector approach may not be as good as taking a company-specific approach. Companies that have zero debt, solid balance sheets, and have lots of free cash flow are appealing. History has shown that [companies that] come out of periods like this with assets unimpaired will do really well.
Q. What indicators would tell investors it is time to get back into the Indian markets?