Indian mutual funds have significantly reduced their exposure to the information technology (IT) sector, with holdings now at an eight-year low of 6.7% in April 2026, driven by weak earnings growth, global demand slowdown, and concerns over AI-led disruption.
Despite similar tax treatment, debt MFs enjoy certain advantages over FDs.
Net inflows into equity mutual fund (MF) schemes scaled a record high in July as the market correction and a raft of new fund offerings (NFOs) lifted lump-sum collections. Active equity schemes raked in a net Rs 42,702 crore in July, going past the previous high of Rs 41,156 crore in December 2024. Systematic investment plan (SIP) inflows continued to scale new highs, rising over 4 per cent month-on-month (M-o-M) to Rs 28,464 crore.
Mutual fund investors in equity schemes are not yet rushing to redeem their units but inflows have dried up substantially, said mutual fund distributors.
Sustaining positive momentum for the 14th straight month, equity mutual funds attracted a net sum of Rs 15,890 crore in April amid heightened volatility in stock market and consistent selling by foreign portfolio investors. This was much lower compared to a record net inflow of Rs 28,463 crore seen in the preceding month, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) showed on Tuesday. The lower quantum of net inflow from the previous month could be attributed to investors going slightly cautious given the ongoing challenges to the investment environment, Himanshu Srivastava, associate director - manager research, Morningstar India, said.
Ramalingam Kalirajan explains the pros and cons of both investment types.
Monthly SIP inflow is Rs 6,000 crore, with a little over 1.75 million accounts
This was also the 10th consecutive monthly net inflow, data with Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) showed on Monday. In comparison, equity mutual funds logged net inflow to the tune of Rs 11,615 crore in November, Rs 5,215 crore in October, Rs 8,677 crore in September and Rs 8,666 crore in August.
The competitive intensity in the mutual fund (MF) industry is moving beyond scheme performance, cost structures, and distribution. In recent months, several fund houses have rationalised exit loads applicable on redemptions.
Households should moderate large discretionary expenses for the time being.
'They should prioritise essential spending. They should maintain an emergency fund covering 6 to 12 months of expenses.'
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.
In November, six primary market issuances accounted for more than 13,000 crore of net equity investments by MFs.
Multi-asset allocation funds (MAAFs) have emerged as strong performers among mutual funds (MFs), rivalling medium-term returns from traditional equity categories while maintaining a lower risk profile. Over the past three years, average returns for this segment have surpassed those of flexicap and largecap funds, for both lump sum and systematic investment plan (SIP) investments.
Uncertainty stemming from the US-Iran conflict has significantly impacted India's mutual fund industry, leading to a sharp decline in new fund offers (NFOs) in March, despite numerous regulatory approvals. This geopolitical tension, coupled with existing market strain and distributor hesitation, has dampened investor sentiment and affected overall inflows.
Equity mutual funds witnessed an outflow of Rs 9,253 crore in January, making it the seventh consecutive monthly withdrawal, primarily due to profit booking and portfolio rebalancing amid markets touching new highs. The pace of outflows from equities has however slowed for the third month and Gautam Kalia, head - Investment Solutions, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas said that it will likely turn positive soon as investors get used to the new normal. In addition, investors pulled out Rs 33,409 crore from debt mutual funds last month after investing Rs 13,863 crore in December, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India showed on Tuesday.
Investors who constantly hop between 'top-performing' funds often end up earning far lower returns than the very funds they invest in -- simply because they enter late and exit early. Best investors don't chase returns, they chase discipline, says Ramalingam Kalirajan.
Net inflows into equity mutual funds (MFs) moderated for the second straight month in September, declining 9 per cent during the month to Rs 30,422 crore. The slowdown came as redemptions from active equity schemes rose 30 per cent month-on-month (M-o-M) to a one-year high of around Rs 36,000 crore.
Over 25 per cent of the net flows have been directed toward the large-cap category as investors preferred to put money in the top 100 stocks by market capitalisation because the segment has been the most resilient over the past year.
Retail investors' equity portfolios have significantly underperformed benchmark indices over the past 16 to 18 months.
Investors continue to back-up equity mutual funds in June as such schemes attracted a net inflow of Rs 15,498 crore on strong flows from systematic investment plans despite volatility in the stock market and relentless selling by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs). This also marked the 16th straight month of positive inflow in equity schemes. Inflows into equity mutual funds in June was lower compared to the net inflow of Rs 18,529 crore seen in May, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) showed on Friday.
The BSE Sensex lost about 1,600 points, while the National Stock Exchange Nifty was down about 400 points.
Sentiments may get impacted as mutual funds have been gaining traction among investors as route to invest in stock markets
Investors lost as much as 20 per cent of their money put into equity focused mutual funds over the past one month as the benchmark stock index Sensex dropped about 11 per cent during the same period.
Should you expect 15 per cent return over a period of 20 years? Dwaipayan Bose has the answer
Among its 27 recommendations for the Union Budget is this: It has suggested that equity investments held for more than one year and up to three years should be taxed at 12.5 per cent on gains exceeding 2 lakh in a financial year.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
New investor additions by mutual funds (MFs) have slowed dramatically in recent months, indicating that market correction and a rise in volatility are somewhat dimming the appeal of equity schemes. MFs have onboarded 300,000 new investors in April 2025, the lowest in 22 months.
After eight months of consecutive outflows, equity mutual funds witnessed a net inflow of Rs 9,115 crore in March amid correction in the stock market. Barring multi-cap and value fund categories, all the equity schemes saw inflow last month, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) showed on Thursday. However, investors pulled out Rs 52,528 crore from debt mutual funds last month, after investing Rs 1,735 crore in February, owing to advance tax payments and other year ending commitments. Overall, the mutual fund industry witnessed a net outflow of Rs 29,745 crore across all segments during the period under review, compared with a net inflow of Rs 4,090 crore in February.
With domestic markets turning choppy, investors are increasingly scouting for opportunities overseas to diversify portfolios and hedge against a weakening rupee.
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.
'We may see this momentum going into 2025 and may keep up with the demand, given the strong pipeline.'
Ask rediffGURU and PF, MF and insurance expert Purshotam Lal your mutual fund, insurance and personal finance-related questions.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Mutual funds (MFs) reinforced their record monthly inflows in October with an investment of Rs 87,000 crore (up to October 29), softening the downside pressure on domestic markets. Their prior record for monthly inflows was Rs 48,139 crore in May. This unprecedented monthly buying partially countered record monthly sales by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) of Rs 1.1 trillion last month.
The mutual fund industry also witnessed record sales.
Equity mutual funds attracted an all-time high net inflow of Rs 28,463 crore in March, on continued interest by retail and HNI investors, who used market correction as a good buying opportunity.
Fund managers say the recent fall is not going to sustain.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
SEBI's blockbuster reforms are rewriting the rules of mutual fund investing -- faster growth, sharper transparency, and smarter safeguards that put investors first, explains Ramalingam Kalirajan.
