Macro Research

Indian equities set for a comeback

We believe that India’s economic slowdown is cyclical in nature and expect a rebound in the coming quarters. With valuations becoming more reasonable following the sell off, we are upgrading India’s star rating from 2.0 to 2.5 stars.

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  • Published on 21 Mar 2025

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• Recently, Indian equities have lost their appeal as slowing economic growth, disappointing corporate earnings, and elevated valuations triggered a selloff, while investor focus has shifted to the rebound in China’s equity market.

• The headwinds driving India’s economic slowdown have begun to ease. and current fiscal and monetary policies are supportive of an economic rebound. 

• While Trump’s threatened tariffs will continue to weigh on Indian equities in the near term, India’s large domestic market and relatively limited reliance on US trade should help cushion the impact.

• India’s long-term structural growth remains strong, driven by its demographic dividend and the China Plus One strategy, but unlocking its full potential will require addressing challenges like high youth unemployment and its limited appeal as a manufacturing hub.

• With valuations now more attractive and economic growth expected to rebound, we are upgrading India’s star rating from 2.0 to 2.5 stars. We project a target price of 83,330 for the Sensex index, indicating a 9% upside potential (as of 20 March 2025).

Once the darling of emerging markets, Indian equities have recently fallen out of favour with investors. After a stellar 2023, with the Sensex gaining 18.7% in rupee terms, and a strong 16.7% rally in the first three quarters of 2024, Indian equities have since come under pressure. The Sensex has corrected by approximately 14% from its peak on 26 September, after disappointing corporate earnings, slowing economic growth and elevated valuations triggered a selloff (Figure 1). Notably, India’s GDP growth hit a seven-quarter low of 5.6% in 3Q24, a sharp decline from 8.1% in 3Q23 and 6.7% in the prior quarter. 

Meanwhile, investor attention has shifted to China, where hopes of an economic rebound are gaining traction on the back of strong government support. DeepSeek’s recent AI efficiency breakthroughs have also revitalised interest in China’s tech sector. This has further dimmed the appeal of Indian equities, prompting foreign institutional investors to offload their holdings and reallocate capital to China.

Despite the prevailing market sentiment, we see reasons for optimism in India. With valuations now at more reasonable levels following the sell-off, and a sustained economic rebound in sight, we are upgrading Indian equities from Negative (2.0 stars) to Neutral (2.5 stars).

Figure 1: The Sensex has declined by approximately 14% from its peak

India is poised for recovery from a cyclical slowdown


The growth slowdown in the third quarter of 2024 proved to be cyclical, as real GDP expanded by 6.2% YoY in 4Q24 (Figure 2). Government final consumption expenditure grew 8.3% YoY, up from 3.8% in the previous quarter, as government spending regained momentum following a temporary slowdown due to elections. Private final consumption expenditure also strengthened, rising 6.9% YoY compared to 5.9% in the prior quarter, supported by a strong harvest that boosted rural consumption. Looking ahead, we think that the current economic landscape and government policies are supportive of a sustained recovery in India.  

Figure 2: GDP rebounds in 4Q24

Private consumption accounts for approximately 60% of India’s GDP, and that has been subdued in recent quarters due to elevated inflation, high borrowing costs and macroprudential tightening — regulatory measures aimed at curving excessive credit growth. However, we see signs that these headwinds are beginning to ease.  

On February 7, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut its repo rates by 25 basis points to 6.25% to boost the country’s sluggish economy, as inflation trended closer to its 4% target. Since then, inflation has continued to ease, with India’s consumer price index (CPI) rising just 3.61% in February — below economist expectations of 3.98% and the RBI’s target (Figure 3). This provides the central bank with reason for further rate cuts, which would lower borrowing costs and encourage greater spending and investment. 

Figure 3: India’s inflation has fallen below the RBI’s target

In November 2023, the RBI raised the risk weights on loans to non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs), increasing the capital that banks need to set aside for each loan by 25%. This move was driven by concerns over a surge in small personal loans and resulted in a slowdown in lending by banks to both NBFCs and MFIs, which in turn impacted loans to end consumers and businesses. 

However, on February 25, the RBI reversed the 25% increase in risk weights. We anticipate this reduction to stimulate credit growth and lead to an increase in consumption. 

As a further booster to consumption, the government also announced personal income tax cuts in the Union Budget 2025-2026. The tax exemption threshold was raised from INR 700,000 to INR 1.2 million, exempting millions of middle-class Indians from paying income tax. At the same time, tax rates for those earning more than INR 1.2 million were also reduced. 

Overall, we believe the current fiscal and monetary policies support economic growth and foster a favourable environment for stronger earnings expansion.

Relatively shielded from Trump’s tariffs


US President Donald Trump is set to impose reciprocal tariffs on imports from April 2 to correct imbalances in international trade, and India is on his hit list. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), India’s trade weighted average tariff rate for WTO members stands at 12%, significantly higher than the US’ 2.2%. These high tariffs have made it difficult for US businesses to operate in the Indian market. Beyond trade barriers, India also runs a trade surplus with the US, which has almost doubled from USD 24.2 billion at the end of Trump’s first term in 2020 to USD 45.6 billion in 2024 (Figure 4).

Figure 4: US’ trade deficit with India has almost doubled since 2020


In response to Trump’s tariff threats, India has taken steps to avoid tariffs. As a gesture of good will, India reduced taxes on approximately 8,500 industrial goods ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on February 13. During their White House meeting, Modi and Trump agreed to increase bilateral trade from USD 129 billion in 2024 to USD 500 billion by 2030 and to negotiate the first phase of a trade agreement by the fall of this year. India has also committed to purchasing more weapons and energy from the US, while policymakers are exploring ways to reduce import taxes on US goods like cars, electronics and pharmaceuticals. 

While it remains uncertain whether ongoing efforts and discussions are sufficient to secure potential concessions for India from the April 2 duties, we believe the country’s large domestic market will help cushion the impact of reciprocal tariffs. India has a relatively small exposure to US trade compared to countries like Mexico, Canada and Vietnam, with its exports to the US accounting for approximately 2% of GDP (Figure 5). Furthermore, according to MSCI, Indian companies derive more than 70% of their revenue from the domestic market. Therefore, we think that reduced trade activity may not significantly affect India’s current growth trajectory. 

Figure 5: India has a relatively small exposure to US trade

Long-term growth drivers remain intact, but challenges remain


India’s growth narrative remains strong, driven by both secular and structural tailwinds. The country is not only the world’s most populous, but it also has a relatively young population, boasting a median age of 28.8. In contrast, other major economies such as the US and Germany have much higher median ages of 38.5 and 45.5 respectively. India’s huge and steadily growing working-age population provides a strong labor supply that supports economic growth. Its expanding middle class and increasing urbanisation will also continue to drive higher discretionary spending. 

Moreover, as countries look to diversify their supply chain away from China due to rising labour cost, US-China trade tensions, and supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by COVID-19, India is seen as a key beneficiary of the China-Plus-One strategy thanks to its wage advantage. 

Unfortunately, India has thus far struggled to fully capitalise on its demographic dividend and manufacturing potential. 

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, India’s unemployment rate stands at 8.4%, significantly higher than the official figure of 3.2%, which does not account for job shortages in the informal sector where the majority of India's workforce is employed. The unemployment issue is even more severe among youths aged 15 to 24, with an unemployment rate of 15.5%, according to the International Labour Organization. Despite the country producing millions of graduates each year, many struggle to find employment because their qualifications do not align with the skills employers need. To fully harness the potential of its youthful workforce, India needs to tackle the skills mismatch by aligning education with vocational training while also creating more suitable job opportunities for graduates to absorb them into the workforce.

Furthermore, India’s push to become a global manufacturing hub has seen limited success. The manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP is still at approximately 16%, falling short of the “Made in India” campaign target of 25% by 2022. Aside from a few success stories, such as Apple, India has largely failed to attract businesses pursuing a “China plus one” strategy. This is due to factors such as restrictive land and labour laws, which make acquiring factory space expensive and hiring cumbersome, as well as protectionist duties that raise the cost of importing manufacturing components.

To compete with other manufacturing hubs such as Vietnam, India will need to increase its ease of doing business. The creation of the High-Level Committee for Regulatory Reforms, announced during the Union Budget, is a step in the right direction. Additionally, when viewed from a positive angle, tariff threats from the US could benefit India’s economy by promoting the reduction of trade barriers and attracting greater foreign investment.

Lastly, while India’s stock market has delivered phenomenal returns in the past decade, its gains have been partially offset by the depreciation of the Indian rupee (Figure 6). This weakness stems from several factors including India’s persistent current account deficit and a strong US dollar (Figure 7). The recent substantial outflow of foreign capital from Indian equities have also led to the weakening of the rupee, as investors sold off the rupee in exchange for foreign currencies.

Overall, we believe that reforms aimed at boosting the manufacturing sector are essential, as they would not only create more job opportunities for India’s youths but also increase the nation’s exports and reduce trade deficit, ultimately strengthening the rupee. 

Figure 6: India’s stock gains have been eroded by currency depreciation 

Figure 7: India’s current account has persistently been in deficit

Opportunity to add shares at reasonable valuations 


Challenges aside, we think that the recent selloff has brought valuations to more reasonable levels and has created a margin of safety against further currency depreciation.

The Sensex index is now trading at a forward PE of 20X, close to its 15-year mean of 19.4X (Figure 8). Applying a fair PE multiple of 19X to 2026 forecasted earnings, we arrive at a target price of 83,330 for the Sensex index, representing an upside potential of 9%. 

Given the prospect of a sustained economic recovery and India's long-term growth potential, we have upgraded India’s star rating from 2.0 stars “Negative” to 2.5 stars “Neutral”.

Investors who wish to ride the rebound in Indian equities can consider our recommended funds —Nippon India Investment Unit Trust - Nippon India Equity A USD and iShares MSCI India UCITS ETF USD Acc (LSE:NDIA).

Figure 8: The Sensex is near its 15-year historical forward PE

Table 1: Projections for the Sensex Index

Sensex Index

2023

2024E

2025E

2026E

Earnings Per Share (EPS)

2902.09

3399.27

3803.83

4385.82

Earnings Growth YoY

15.04%

17.13%

11.90%

15.30%

PE Ratio (X)

26.31

22.46

20.07

17.41

Target Price (based on a fair PE of 19X)

83,330

Upside Potential

9.15%

Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., iFAST Compilations.

Data as of 20 March 2025


Figure 9: Share prices are driven by earnings growth in the long run

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