-- Stocks of Indian firms that earn a large chunk of their revenues from the nation’s hinterland are showing signs of a revival, as traders bet that bountiful monsoon rains will lead to better crop yields and boost rural demand.Motorcycle manufacturers, farm-equipment makers and producers of fast-moving consumer goods have rallied following forecasts of timely and above-normal monsoon rains in 2024, after extreme and unseasonal heat wreaked havoc on Indian agriculture in the last two years.
Hindustan Unilever Ltd. — seen as a bellwether for consumer appetite in India as its products are sold in every part of the country — has said it sees demand gradually improving. Rival Dabur India Ltd. has echoed the same sentiment, while motorcycle maker Hero MotoCorp Ltd. has said it sees most of its new vehicle inquiries now coming from rural areas.“We think rural economy is starting to come back,” said Rajeev Agrawal, a fund manager at New-York based DoorDarshi India Fund.
“This is still a hope trade,” said DSP Mutual Fund’s Kapoor. “There hasn’t been a meaningful recovery in earnings or sales volumes so far.” Shares of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., which makes farm equipment such as tractors, are up about 17% this month, the top performers on a gauge of 16 Indian automakers. The stock surged 6% on Friday to a record after better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, with some analysts citing likely improvement in tractor sales ahead driven by expectation of normal monsoons.
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