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India 🇮🇳: Strong Growth, Low Returns—How Much Longer?

I currently have India accounting for just under 4% of my total portfolio, both through targeted India ETFs $FLXI (-0,62 %) , $INQP (-0,6 %) as well as indirectly through my global ETFs $VWRL (+0,05 %)
$VALLD (+0,04 %) . For me, this is a long-term addition to my portfolio, not a central investment strategy.


The performance so far, however, has been rather sobering and has largely been flat. Nevertheless, I’m sticking to my long-term investment thesis.


India is one of the fastest-growing major economies. The World Bank expects economic growth of around 7.1% for the 2026/27 fiscal year. With nearly 1.5 billion people, a young population, increasing digitalization, and a growing middle class, I see enormous potential for the coming decades.


I also find it fascinating to see how major Indian corporations are positioning themselves internationally. Companies like Tata and Mahindra have long since moved beyond investing solely in their home market; they are acquiring established European companies and gaining global prominence.


However, there are also significant risks. India is heavily dependent on energy and commodity imports, the rupee is under pressure, and foreign investors have recently withdrawn capital. In addition, despite the recent price correction, Indian stocks, with a P/E ratio of around 22, remain significantly more highly valued than those in many other emerging markets.


For me, therefore, the question is not so much whether India will continue to grow economically, but rather whether investors will benefit appropriately from this growth.


I remain invested for the long term, but I’m cautious about making additional purchases given the current valuations.


How do you view India as an investment for the next 10 to 20 years?


Are you already invested, are you currently adding to your positions, or do you prefer to invest in a broadly diversified emerging markets ETF?


I’d be particularly interested to know whether you view the current weakness as a buying opportunity or as a sign of overblown growth expectations.


Sources: World Bank (October 2026), MSCI (September 2026), Reuters.

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3 Comentarios

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The downturn that began in 2024 was already foreseeable by the end of 2023. India was the most expensive stock market in the world.
Shiller P/E ratio as of December 2023: 35 vs. 28 in the U.S. Today, it’s the other way around.

You can probably guess how things will go over the next three years. 😬
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Personally, I’m not really convinced that India is a good investment. Despite its enormous economic growth, I hardly notice the country on the international economic stage. I don’t see any globally dominant companies there, like the ones we know from the U.S., for example.

Added to that, in my view, are religious tensions, social conflicts, social inequalities, and political uncertainties. I don’t consider India to be sufficiently stable in the long term.

Furthermore, strong economic growth does not automatically translate into high stock returns, especially when much of that growth is already priced into the market.

Perhaps I’m underestimating India, too.
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