Skip to main content

'Stock markets in developing countries are riding a wave of optimism.'

Nothing describes the word 'optimism' better than run up we have seen in the past three months. This has been the sentiment prevailing in emerging markets such as China, Brazil and India. As the IHT puts it 'Stock markets in developing countries are riding a wave of optimism.'In hopes that the global economy is recovering and that the developing nations worldwide are leading this recovery, markets have surged tremendously over the past few months.

However, the gains recorded in India have been greater to those witnessed in Brazil and China. There have been various reasons for the same - UPA coming back to power, improving auto sales and growth in production levels of core sectors, amongst others. But things have not been so different in the other two countries as well. China has witnessed its industrial production levels rebound, while retail sales in Brazil have seen an increase in recent times.

However, on comparing the indices valuations, the situation is a bit different. While India's BSE-Sensex and Brazil's Bovespa indices are trading at a price to earnings ratio of around 21 times each, China's CSI-300 Index is trading at a much higher multiple of 29 times. It may be noted that during the first week of March, the Sensex was trading at a P/E ratio of around 11 times. Has the scenario changed so much that the index is commanding such high valuations? I dont think so!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Biyani looks at the bigger picture

It is important to look at the holistic picture and have an individual opinion rather than get swayed away by the public consensus. This is the view of the man who pioneered the retailing boom in India - Mr. Kishore Biyani, the founder of India’s largest retailing company - Pantaloon. In an article in the Wall street Journal, Mr. Biyani wrote, "Almost daily doses of bad news on television screens and newspapers have possibly done as much damage to the economy as the events on either side of the Atlantic." I completely agree with him. Mr. Biyani’s predicament is based on the fact that an overwhelming majority of Indian consumers are self-employed, who can neither get laid off nor can have pay cuts. Consider some statistics he has provided. The share of the national income represented by proprietor-run concerns and partnerships is 35%. The share of companies is around 15%, government around 25%, and agriculture around 25%. Combine agriculture and the self-employed in industry a...

Infosys kick started the March quarter and full year FY09 result season today on a mixed note

Infosys kick started the March quarter and full year FY09 result season today on a mixed note. Although its fourth quarter operating performance did not have much to be enthused about, the company managed to add 37 new clients and 1,772 employees (net) during this quarter. This goes to show the consistency in the company’s long term business prospects. While the full year profits grew by a healthy 29% YoY, the company announced an earnings guidance for FY10 that would be lower by 3% to 7% YoY as compared to FY09 EPS.

Influencer Marketing - Creating Conversation, Don't just be part of it.

Influencer Marketing is growing rapidly   Influencer outreach has matured, grown in size, influence is still defining itself within the world, jockeying for position among more established routes to consumers.  Instead, we must acknowledge the role influence plays in reputation management, and how its unique success can best benefit the company.  The question is no longer if you should partner with influencers.  At the outset, many were skeptical of this approach to communication. Indeed, as social media matured, this new kind of stardom, or at least fame, was not wholly embraced.  Create Conversation Don't just be part of it   The conversation is no longer something that you can plan for on a calendar. Today, it happens serendipitously. So as audience-first trends bubble up across social media, brands need to embrace these cultural catalysts, rather than trying to forcefully wedge PR moments into the digital space.  Just let the hits happen.  ...