Even as the coronavirus crisis in India shows few signs of abating, the relative outperformance of local stocks is making them more expensive versus their emerging-market peers.
The MSCI India Index has beaten a broader gauge of developing nation shares by about 5 percentage points in 2021 as local stimulus measures and the absence of a nationwide lockdown keep investors optimistic about a strong economic rebound. As a result, the Indian gauge’s forward price-to-earnings ratio of about 21 times is now at its highest since early January relative to that of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which has been weighed down by a correction in Chinese stocks and rising US bond yields.
The MSCI India Index has beaten a broader gauge of developing nation shares by about 5 percentage points in 2021 as local stimulus measures and the absence of a nationwide lockdown keep investors optimistic about a strong economic rebound. As a result, the Indian gauge’s forward price-to-earnings ratio of about 21 times is now at its highest since early January relative to that of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which has been weighed down by a correction in Chinese stocks and rising US bond yields.

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