Gold is an excellent asset class for diversification and should be included in all long-term portfolios.
Funds made investments worth Rs 64,602 crore (Rs 646.02 billion) in the debt market during June, higher than Rs 26,840 crore (Rs 268.4 billion) in May, as per the latest data available with market regulator Sebi.
While looking to give a boost to the mutual fund sector with some contribution from about Rs 5.5 lakh crore (Rs 5.5 trillion) corpus being managed by Employee Provident Fund Organisation, Sebi feels that age restrictions would safeguard investors from 'unnecessary risks' during years closer to their retirement.
An additional factor spurring the FMP launches is MFs' desire to retain investors as many such offerings are set to mature over the next two months.
Senior officials in the MF industry say while the finance ministry and regulators communicate regularly, this is one of the very few instances in many years where an issue between the two has come out into the open.
Instead of only focusing on the tenure for which the best interest rate is available, investors should also focus on their own investment horizon.
There are just 10 mn MF investors compared to 60 mn homes with life insurance.
Mutual fund is an investment vehicle that is made up of a pool of funds collected from many investors for the purpose of investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments and similar assets.
'The idea is to invest where there is opportunity.'
Last year ended on a positive note in terms of investment in the domestic equity mutual funds; thanks to a rise in the equity markets during the month of December.
Investors pumped Rs 491 crore in gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) in February as they seem be taking advantage of the lower domestic prices caused due to declining international rates, appreciating rupee and reduction in custom duty. This came following a net investment of Rs 625 crore in January and Rs 431 crore in December. Prior to this, gold ETFs had seen an outflow of Rs 141 crore in November, data available with Association of Mutual Funds in India showed.
'Continue with your SIPs to get the benefit of lower average prices in this challenging market environment.'
'Strong regulations are crucial for the orderly development of the market.'
With India's market capitalisation surpassing the $3-trillion mark, stocks across the board are adding heft. The upper limit for qualifying as a mid-cap stock -under the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) definition for mutual fund reclassification - has hit an all-time high of $5.4 billion. In 2013, amid the taper tantrum sell-off, it had dropped to just $1 billion, shows an analysis done by ICICI Securities.
In 2022, gold emerged as the top performer among all conventional asset classes with over 14 per cent returns mainly owing to the depreciation of the rupee.
Debt funds typically held 0-5 per cent of their portfolio in cash and cash equivalents before this Sebi diktat.
Mutual fund investors put in more than Rs 1.23 lakh crore into various schemes in July the second biggest infusion in a month this fiscal -- mainly in fixed income plans.
In 2013-14, the funds witnessed outflow of Rs 2,293 crore
Asset management companies have been told not to deal with non-compliant intermediaries. They are to report such cases to the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) and Sebi.
"This decision of removing initial issue expense will make close-ended mutual fund schemes less expensive for retail investors", Sebi chairman M Damodaran said while briefing reporters after the board meeting. The Sebi board also cleared the draft proposal for listing of debt securities, ease disclosure norms for existing debt market securities and paved the way for permanent registration of capital market intermediaries.
Continued volatility in Indian stock markets over the US subprime mortgage crisis all through August has led to a fall in assets of mutual funds in the country by over Rs 185 billion during the month.
Corporate houses, banks and financial institutions account for more than half of the mutual fund industry's total assets under management, while retail investors hold less than one-fourth of the assets, a report says.\n\n
Taxpayers are filing their income tax returns (ITRs) early for the Assessment Year 2024-25 (FY25). By April 29, over 592,000 returns were filed, with over 538,000 verified and 367,000 processed. Early filing allows revisions without penalties.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Over 700,000 new investor accounts have been opened so far in FY15.
Sebi has taken note of mis-selling in the financial sector and is planning to regulate the distributors, the only unregulated part of the MF industry.
Following the AMFI approval, these entities would be given the clearance by CDSL Ventures Ltd, the nodal agency for MIN issuances.
This feat was achieved 25 years after the mutual funds industry was opened to private players. The industry now aims to achieve the next Rs 25 trillion in 5 years.
Domestic mutual funds have added over 20 billion dollars in July to their 100-billion-dollar kitty, driven by fresh capital raised through new fund offerings as well as a sharp rally in stock markets.
Understand the pros and cons of SGBs before rushing to invest in them based on past returns.
'Looking at the speed at which changes were made post the Franklin Templeton issue, we are awaiting more stricter norms in the months to come.'
Reliance Mutual Fund has toppled UTI MF to become the country's largest fund house in January with assets under management of more than Rs 39,000 crore (Rs 390 billion).
The bulk of an investor's portfolio should be in shorter-duration funds of up to one year portfolio duration.
Here is a checklist of 'must haves' for your investment advisor.
The combined average assets under management of the 33 fund houses in the country dropped to Rs 5,64,599.28 crore (Rs 5,645.99 billion) at the end of June as compared to Rs 6,00,266.32 crore (Rs 6,002.66 billion) in May, according to data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India. Reliance Mutual Fund continues to be the top fund house in the country despite its average AUM falling to Rs 90,813.45 crore (Rs 908.13 billion).
Begin by creating a household budget. Involve all family members in the exercise and cut costs wherever possible.
The mutual fund industry has witnessed a value erosion of Rs 75,966 crore (Rs 759.66 billion) in equity-related schemes in the first seven months of the current financial year. This is primarily because of the slide in the equity market on account of the global financial turmoil.
Both the debt and equity markets have seen sharp volatility in recent months.
Women have been leaving the investment decision to husbands.
Mihir Tanna, Associate Director, S K Patodia & Associates, answers your tax queries.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances