By Arun Kumar
Washington, Jan 5 (IANS) Indian billionaire Adi Godrej considers India “as the best emerging economy for investors” as he expects the “Indian stock market to appreciate by about 20 percent within the next two years”.

“India will be back to its earlier growth rate of 9 percent plus in 2010,” said Godrej, one of the 10 of the world’s wealthiest persons chosen by Forbes magazine to share his ‘Billionaire Predictions 2010′.

“Solutions in global warming need to be technological,” he told the US business magazine when asked if global warming was a fact or fiction and how much money should Indian government invest in emissions cuts.

“Tackling global warming in India could be both financially advantageous as well as add to sustainability,” he said.

Godrej, 67, with a net worth of $3.3 billion, said: “The most alarming trend facing the global economy today is the negative to low growth rates in the developed world as well as some developing countries.”

Asked when will the US central bank Federal Reserve step in to strengthen the US dollar, he said: “I don’t think the Fed will be able to do much to strengthen the US Dollar. It will keep weakening.”

Godrej also thinks “Gold is a buy” in 2010, but thinks stocks are “the best asset” to own in 2010.

Though he himself uses it rarely, Godrej believes “Twitter will do well” in 2010. And he expects “Brazil will win the football World Cup”.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

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