India's consumer stocks, long prized for steady earnings, strong brands and defensive appeal, have turned into some of the market’s biggest laggards this year, wiping out nearly Rs 4 lakh crore in investor wealth despite signs of improving demand.
A basket of major FMCG and consumer names has lost about Rs 3.75 lakh crore in market cap so far this year, according to ACE Equity data. The combined market value of the 15 stocks fell to about Rs 19.94 lakh crore from Rs 23.69 lakh crore at the end of last year.
