While the post-election narrative is now focused on policy measures to drive consumption, Jitendra does not see any significant letup in the Government’s infra and manufacturing push.
The new Baroda BNP Paribas Manufacturing Fund will not be just an industrials focussed one (a sector which Jitendra sees some froth in),but will be broad-based with many attractive opportunities that he sees in power, auto, pharma, metals and oil & gas sectors.
In the power segment, he prefers power equipment players and companies engaged in setting up or supplying into the power transmission eco-system. A global trend that’s also playing out in India is rapid rise in energy requirements from data centres that are mushrooming across the globe. This is a generational global trend.
In the auto space, its auto ancillaries that attract him more than auto OEMs. Ancillaries that are climbing up the value chain will be the winners over low end parts manufacturers. Among OEMs, tractors and2-wheelers may look promising on the back of an optimistic monsoon forecast.
In the pharma space, the proposed US BioSecure Act can be a huge catalyst for Indian API and CDMA players as we are now not talking aboutChina+1, we are talking of India instead of China.
Jitendra remains positive on building materials and coalmining and is now turning positive on ferrous and non-ferrous metals as well.