Fundamental issues and valuation adjustments ensured that consumer durables stocks relatively underperformed the bullish market of the last three years. But this year, a hot summer, a good monsoon, and the start of a festive season in which consumers are loosening their purse strings could mark a turnaround for these stocks. On top of it, their valuation readjustment process seems to be done and dusted. How do we know this? Because earnings have caught up even as prices have remained in range. Also, a number of companies have implemented restructuring strategies, including some sort of backward integration. All these together seem to have finally started to pay off.
