Looking to take sectoral bets this Diwali? Radhika Gupta, Vinit Sambre and 8 others share their top picks

Are you planning to take sectoral bets this Diwali? Here is what these eight fund managers recommend, as reported by ETWealth.

Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), and premium consumption. BFSI remains at the heart of India’s financialisation story. On the consumption side, focus on premium and discretionary segments—automobiles, alcoholic beverages, travel, experiences and home improvement—where rising incomes and GST-related support could boost demand. Healthcare and select manufacturing sectors also offer opportunities. Avoid excessively valued stocks. Pick the mithais that suit your risk appetite and investment horizon.

BFSI would be the motichoor laddu. I would also pick consumption, healthcare, jewellery and shipbuilding, while IT would be the dark chocolate: less popular today but offering selective value.

Autos, private banks and domestic cyclicals would be my first picks as they offer exposure to different drivers of India’s growth story.

A diversified mithai box rather than just the sweetest treat. Large banks, select IT, consumer discretionary, agri-inputs and healthcare stand out, offering a mix of value, recovery potential and long-term growth.

Capital goods, electrical equipment, select financials and healthcare. Across sectors, I would favour companies with credible management, improving return ratios and strong cash generation. As with a good mithai box, quality matters as much as variety.

My Diwali mithai box includes financials, electrical equipment and capital goods, consumer-facing businesses and pharma.

My Diwali mithai box has two layers. The first includes consumer platforms, private banks and pharma CDMOs, which continue to perform well. The second features NBFCs, real estate, aviation, hospitals and life insurance, where corrections have created attractive opportunities.

The founder and fund manager at Helios Capital recommends new-age companies of all kinds.

We would pick private banks, insurance, discretionary consumption and pharma, with select opportunities in capital goods. Financials benefit from India’s financialisation trend, consumption from rising incomes, and pharma adds resilience, creating a balanced mix of growth and stability.

I would pick a balanced mix rather than a single favourite. Financials remain well placed given healthy credit growth, while discretionary consumption-linked businesses, healthcare and select manufacturing companies continue to benefit from India's structural growth trajectory.