When billionaire Warren Buffet started his first fund in 1956 with eleven investors, he invested a token amount of $100 of his own money as "skin in the game". Buffet denies it but he is credited with coming up with the term describing those running a fund risk some of their own money in it. The mutual fund (MF) industry has more than Rs 81,200 crore riding on its schemes, shows a Business Standard analysis of data on sponsor and associate contributions from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
Salil Dhawan reveals the MFs that have not only performed well in the past but have a promising outlook for the future too.
British multinational BAT PLC on Tuesday said it plans to sell up to 3.5 per cent stake in India's ITC Ltd to institutional investors through a block trade. In a statement, British American Tobacco PLC (BAT), the single largest shareholder in ITC Ltd (ITC), said its wholly-owned subsidiary Tobacco Manufacturers (India) Ltd (TMI) intends to sell up to 43,68,51,457 ordinary shares in the Indian diversified entity to institutional investors by way of an accelerated bookbuild process (block trade), subject to customary closing conditions.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is reviewing the current stock categorisation framework followed by actively managed equity mutual funds (MFs) to ensure they are true-to-label. Individuals familiar with the matter said the universe of largecap and midcap stocks could be expanded by 25-50 stocks. The move follows concerns raised by industry players that the current threshold has been skewed following a sharp run-up in the domestic markets after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since March 2020, when the Nifty50 plummeted to 7,511 following the announcement of a nationwide lockdown, the stock market has been on an upward trajectory. Over the next four years, the major market index has delivered a remarkable compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 31.5 per cent. In the past year alone, the Nifty50 has gained by 27 per cent, hitting a succession of record highs.
Mutual funds (MFs) added systematic investment plan (SIP) accounts at a record pace in 2023 with the net additions in the calendar year surpassing 15 million - 24 per cent higher than the 2022 tally of 12.2 million, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
'We expect the bull-market phase to still persist, but now led by large-caps which offer better valuation and benefit from FII inflows.'
'We expect continued pressure on midcaps, but any sharp correction looks unlikely from here on.'
The government is considering the setting up of a mutual guarantee fund by the IT/software industry associations as part of efforts to ease availability of finance for small IT entrepreneurs, a top official said on Friday.\n\n\n\n
'If you are investing in a Ulip for returns, go for a type I Ulip.' 'If you are investing for insurance cover as well, type II is better.'
The self-employed should invest in the National Pension System, a government-backed, low-cost retirement avenue where they can choose the mix of debt and equity that is right for them.
Mutual funds (MFs) are seeing higher growth in new systematic investment plan (SIP) accounts in rural areas (beyond 30 or B30 centres) compared to the top 30 (T30) cities. However, the average inflows from these areas remain significantly lower than those from the larger centres. Data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India reveals that investors from B30 contributed Rs 1,725 on average to MFs through SIPs, which is 70 per cent lower than the average ticket size of T30 investors at Rs 2,940.
The Association of Mutual Funds of India, the trade body representing the over Rs 135,000 crore (Rs 1,350 billion) industry, has offered Pakistan its help for developing and strengthening the capital market in that country.
Lack of mutual trust among cricketers is the reason why players' associations have never succeeded in India and Pakistan, feels legendary pacer Wasim Akram.
rediffGURU Ulhas Joshi answers your mutual fund queries.
Fund houses conveniently forget to inform investors of the various risks that arbitrage funds are susceptible to.
The mutual fund industry's assets under management (AUM) have likely breached the Rs 50 trillion mark following a rally in domestic equities this month. The industry's average AUM stood at almost Rs 48 trillion at the end of October. In November, the Nifty50 index has gained about 4 per cent so far, while smallcap and midcap indices have rallied close to 8 per cent.
The biggest bounce is in the realty sector, where the industry index jumped 80%. There's been a turnaround also in automobiles and ancillaries (up 45%). The pharma and health care indices have a welcome return of roughly 35%.
Mutual funds recorded Rs 7,600 crore net inflows into active equity schemes in July even as redemptions surged to a 30-month high of Rs 30,400 crore owing to profit booking, reveals data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi). Equity net inflows were 13 per cent lower compared to the preceding month's tally. The inflows were supported by a strong flow from retail investors through the systematic investment plan (SIP) route.
The KYC parameters now include declaration of the gross annual income or net worth.
Investors may take a 5 to 10 per cent exposure to silver. 'Have a long-term investment horizon when investing in silver ETFs to ride out short-term market fluctuations.'
'Forget your loss or profit in your portfolio.' 'Look at how much cash you have in hand.' 'If you don't have cash in hand, liquidate at least partially; get into about 20 per cent in cash.'
In the document, Russia underlined that it will build on a privileged strategic partnership with India with a view to enhance and expand cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis.
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.
The country's six largest smallcap schemes would require more than 20 days to liquidate half of their holdings, despite most of them maintaining high cash levels and having considerable exposure to more liquid largecap stocks, stress tests conducted by fund houses reveal. For midcap funds, the time required to sell half of the assets of the top six schemes varies between seven and 34 days, according to disclosures made by asset management companies. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had called for such tests in the face of strong inflows into smallcap and midcap funds, despite concerns over high valuations, to keep investors better informed.
Anamika Pareek answers five most frequently asked questions about investing in silver ETFs
Edtech firm Think and Learn Private Ltd, owner of Byju's, on Thursday said neither the company's founder and CEO Byju Raveendran nor any other board member will attend the extraordinary general meeting called by some select investors. Shareholders at Byju's are set to vote on Friday on a resolution brought by some investors to oust founder CEO Byju Raveendran and his family members over alleged "mismanagement and failures". Byju's has called the EGM "procedurally invalid" and contractually in contravention of the company's article of association and shareholder's agreement.
Post the change in debt fund taxation in March, a lesser-known hybrid fund has emerged as one of the alternatives for fixed-income investors. Equity savings schemes, the smallest hybrid fund category in terms of assets, have raked in around Rs 6,000 crore this financial year (FY24) so far compared to Rs 1,100-crore outflow in FY23. The inflows along with a strong performance led to a 50 per cent surge in assets under management (AUM) to Rs 24,100 crore during April-November, shows data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
'TMFs trump FMPs and FDs when it comes to investing in a high-duration product.'
Embracing the habit of SIPs can pave the way for a financially secure and prosperous future, points out Misbah Baxamusa.
Automotive (auto) major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), which is readying to launch nine sport utility vehicles (internal combustion engine/ICE), seven Born Electric Vehicles (BEVs), and seven light commercial vehicles by 2030, has outlined an investment of Rs 27,000 crore in its auto business between 2024-25 (FY25) and 2026-27 (FY27). Over the next three years, the company will deploy Rs 37,000 crore, including its auto business, farm business (Rs 5,000 crore), and service business (Rs 5,000 crore).
The assets in control of MFs soared to a record high of Rs 17.9 lakh crore last month
An improved showing of mutual funds (MFs) is helping the industry attract distribution talent at a brisk pace. The industry has onboarded a net of 11,600 individual distributors in the first seven months of 2023-24 (FY24) compared to just 5,555 distributors in the whole of 2022-23 (FY23), according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India. Like most financial products, MFs also have significant reliance on individual distributors to sell their products, even as digital platforms are gaining popularity.
Gold is an excellent asset class for diversification and should be included in all long-term portfolios.
HDFC MF witnessed 17% rise in investment in its schemes to Rs 6,462 crore by group companies during May.
China is also ready to promote high-quality Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, and push for new progress in the future-oriented, all-round friendly and cooperative partnership between the two countries, she added.
In August, the top BRICS leaders at the grouping's summit in Johannesburg approved a proposal to admit six countries, including Argentina, into the bloc with effect from January 1.
Shrinking inflows and surging outflows on account of profit-booking has curtailed mutual fund (MF) investments in equities since April. The total investments made by equity MFs during the first three months of 2023-24 stands at just Rs 2,980 crore, compared with an average monthly investment of Rs 14,500 crore in 2022-23, reveals data from the Securities and Exchange Board of India. "We are seeing signs of moderation in non-systematic investment plan (SIP) contribution, which has impacted domestic fund inflows in recent months to some extent," says Kunal Vora, head-India equity research, BNP Paribas.
The time is ripe for a merger of eight fund houses indirectly owned and controlled by the central government, says N Sundaresha Subramanian.
Equity mutual funds attracted Rs 6,120 crore in August, the lowest level in 10 months, amid a volatile stock market environment. This was the 18th straight month of inflows in equity mutual funds but the pace of inflow has been declining over the past few months. The net inflows in August were lower compared to Rs 8,898 crore in July, Rs 15,495 crore seen in June, Rs 18,529 crore in May and Rs 15,890 crore in April, according to data released by Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) on Friday.
Keep working on your portfolio according to market conditions. But don't do it too often