Rising self-confidence and an accelerating appetite for consumer luxuries are two key trends to watch in India, according to Amar Bakshi, former correspondent for The Washington Post and Newsweek and former special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

I was lucky to get Amar on the telephone before I depart for India, where I’ll be investigating various opportunities for American investors. As a journalist, Amar has done a significant amount of work in the nation and, for his part, he pointed out that while more obvious names like Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Honeywell (NYSE: HON), and even McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) are having great success in the country, there are a few other names you might want to consider, as well.

Amar called out Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR), and MetLife (NYSE: MET) as three names to watch. Each one is poised to exploit accelerating trends, and Fools might want to pay attention. He also went into depth on some of the risks that American investors face in this very unique market.

Tune in to the full interview right here:

If you enjoyed today’s interview, stay tuned for more special research to come. You can catch all the happenings on my adventures in India by following me on Twitter right here.