India is witnessing a boom in its economy, with stock prices soaring and government investment in infrastructure, such as airports, bridges, and roads, highly visible. The government’s spending in clean-energy infrastructure is also contributing to growth, with India’s GDP expected to increase by 6 percent this year, outpacing both the United States and China.
The Indian economy has strong fundamentals that make it an attractive investment destination. India’s youthful and growing workforce is a significant asset, with nearly 70 percent of its 1.4 billion population in the working-age bracket. This demographic dividend is poised to fuel consumption, particularly among the middle class, which is projected to contribute around 40 percent to global middle-class consumption by 2050. The economy is also on track to become the world’s third-largest, signaling a wealth of opportunities for investors.
The prospects for the Indian economy are further bolstered by strategic domestic reforms and a favorable position in the global market. The rollout of a nationwide goods and services tax and ambitious infrastructure development plans, such as building 80 airports in the next five years, are growth-boosting measures. Additionally, India’s pivotal position in Asian geopolitics amid growing Sino-American rivalry enhances its strategic importance. While equity valuations are considered rich, with Sensex companies trading at high price-earnings ratios, strong earnings growth is expected to bring these metrics down, making the high valuations less of a concern over time.
For U.S.-based investors, one exchange-traded fund, or ETF, that should get more attention to capture India’s potential is the VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF (NYSEARCA:GLIN). This fund offers exposure to a broad range of Indian companies exhibiting strong growth potential. GLIN seeks to replicate the price and yield performance of the MarketGrader India All-Cap Growth Leaders Index (MGINGRNR), before fees and expenses. This index is composed of Indian companies that display strong fundamentals and attractive growth potential at a reasonable price.
GLIN offers investors an opportunity to access a diverse portfolio of Indian companies with robust growth potential at a reasonable price. It represents the entire Indian opportunity set irrespective of size, with the potential to outperform conventional capitalization-weighted benchmarks by selecting top-ranked companies.
Detailed Breakdown of the Fund’s Holdings
Top holdings in the fund include:
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Coal India Ltd: renowned as the world’s largest coal producer, operating as a state-owned entity in the coal mining and refining sector within India.
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Bharat Electronics Ltd: stands as a government-run corporation in India’s aerospace and defense industry, offering a diverse array of products for both defense purposes and civilian markets.
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HCL Technologies Ltd: a prominent global enterprise in the IT services domain, providing a vast spectrum of services such as software consulting, enterprise transformation, remote infrastructure management, engineering, R&D services, and business process outsourcing (BPO).
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State Bank of India: a major public sector entity specializing in banking and financial services, with its headquarters situated in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It boasts a ranking of 236 in the 2019 Fortune Global 500, showcasing the world’s most powerful corporations.
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TATA Consultancy Services Ltd: a global leader in IT services and consulting, with its central headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, and its largest operational base and workforce located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Sector Composition and Weightings
The largest allocations are in the Information Technology, Financials, and Industrials sectors.
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Information Technology: 26.4%
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Financials: 20.0%
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Industrials: 17.6%
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Energy: 8.1%
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Health Care: 7.7%
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Materials: 7.0%
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Consumer Discretionary: 5.6%
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Consumer Staples: 5.0%
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Communication Services: 2.9%
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Other/Cash: -0.2%.
Peer Comparison
When compared to other similar ETFs, GLIN stands out due to its focus on growth-oriented companies in India. Other funds like the iShares MSCI India ETF (INDA) and the Invesco India ETF (PIN) also offer exposure to Indian equities, but they are not as focused on growth companies as GLIN. Over the last 2 years, GLIN has outperformed the two.
Pros and Cons of Investing in GLIN
Pros
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Access to Growth-Oriented Companies: GLIN allows investors to gain exposure to high-growth Indian companies at a reasonable price. This could potentially result in higher returns compared to investing in traditional capitalization-weighted benchmarks.
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Diversification: The fund is diversified across various sectors, reducing the risk associated with investing in a single sector.
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Potential for High Returns: With India being the fastest-growing major economy in the world, investing in Indian companies could potentially yield substantial returns.
Cons
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Country-Specific Risks: Investing in a single-country ETF exposes investors to country-specific risks such as political instability, economic downturns, and changes in regulatory policies.
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Emerging Market Risks: India, being an emerging market, may be more volatile and less liquid than more developed markets.
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Currency Risk: As the fund’s investments are denominated in Indian rupees, investors are exposed to currency risk. If the rupee depreciates against the dollar, the value of the fund’s investments could decline.
Conclusion: Should You Invest in GLIN?
The VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF offers a unique opportunity to invest in high-growth Indian companies at a reasonable price. With India’s economy growing at a rapid pace, the potential for high returns is considerable. However, like all investments, GLIN carries certain risks. Investors should carefully consider these risks and their own financial circumstances before deciding to invest in this ETF.
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