276 equity schemes in the market and you don't know which to buy. Here's a list of the proven 10 that should be a part of any mutual fund portfolio
During 2013-14, the number of investor folios for equity schemes fell by 40 lakh.
With domestic markets turning choppy, investors are increasingly scouting for opportunities overseas to diversify portfolios and hedge against a weakening rupee.
The cash pile within smallcap mutual fund (MF) schemes has grown over the past few months amid a relentless rally in stocks in this space. While fund managers usually don't make cash calls, incessant inflows and valuation discomfort have forced their hand. At the end of January, the top 10 schemes had over Rs 12,160 crore in cash, compared to Rs 8,700 crore in August 2023.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Inflows into equity mutual fund (MF) schemes declined in May, logging their lowest tally in 13 months at Rs 19,013 crore. It came even as the gross systematic investment plan (SIP) inflows surged to a record high of Rs 26,688 crore.
Most first-time investors may be better served by diversified options such as flexicap or multi-cap funds, which already hold pharma and healthcare stocks.
Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) poured in Rs 94,829 crore of fresh money into Indian equities in August, the second-highest monthly inflow after record Rs 1.07 trillion influx in October 2024.
IT stocks had their worst first half fall in decades, with the Nifty IT index declining 31% in the January-June 2026 period, its biggest decline in the first six months of a calendar year since 2003.
Experts say you may invest in small-sized funds and benefit from their nimbleness.
Diversification is the key to achieve optimal risk-adjusted returns. Often, an investor is confused whilst deciding on the number of mutual funds you should consider holding in your portfolio.
Benchmark indices today are where they were five years back. But that has not been a deterrent for these equity funds, which topped their respective categories.
'For the initial decade, I consistently advise young professionals to prioritise career development and income growth rather than market analysis.'
'Healthcare costs in India rise by 10 to 14% annually, causing treatment costs to double roughly every 5-7 years.'
The 44-player industry logged assets under management of Rs 26.33 lakh crore in October-end, as compared to Rs 27.04 lakh crore by November end, representing a growth of 3 per cent. Among debt-oriented schemes, overnight funds received flows worth about Rs 20,650 crore, the highest among the fixed-income segment last month.
Retail investors are moving away from a buy-and-hold approach and towards more informed short-term positioning, recent investment patterns show.
Inflows into mutual funds' equity schemes increased by over 14 per cent on-month to Rs 41,156 crore in December, even as market volatilities continued. The small and midcap schemes of mutual funds continued to attract investor interest with inflows touching record highs during the month, despite the concerns being expressed about the two segments for the risk they portend, industry body Amfi said.
'Equities may not outperform every year, but if they do so seven times out of 10, it's an asset class worth relying on.'
Many get confused between investing in equities and equity mutual funds. They think equity funds are the same as equities or stocks
'The net inflows into MF schemes may also have been lower last month, with investors booking profit and taking a more measured approach amid elevated valuations.'
'A subscriber will know exactly how much of his money is in debt and how much in equity.'
The MF Industry had a cash-rich 2014 as it crossed the Rs 3 trillion mark.
Ask rediffGURU and PF, MF and insurance expert Purshotam Lal your mutual fund, insurance and personal finance-related questions.
This is an equity diversified fund and investors enjoy both the benefits of capital appreciation, as well as tax benefits.
Largecap equity funds remain suitable for conservative and moderate risk-taking investors seeking relatively stable returns.
'The first time India has seen two consecutive blockbuster IPO years.'
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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) could soon issue interim orders imposing a market ban on the two former fund managers of Axis Mutual Fund (MF) for suspected front-running of trades, said people with knowledge of the development. "The market regulator has gathered prima facie evidence that demonstrates that the duo has violated the integrity of the market. "While a detailed investigation is still pending in the matter, Sebi could take action under Section 11 (4) to prevent further harm to the investors and the securities market," said a source.
'Long-short SIFs are designed for seasoned, high-risk, high-reward investors, who understand market volatility.'
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is discussing with mutual funds (MFs) a proposal on introducing new total expense ratio (TER) slabs linked to the total equity and debt assets by replacing the current ones that are linked to assets of an individual scheme. Senior MF executives confirmed that Sebi had held discussions on this matter with AMCs. Such a change is expected to lead to a lower TER cap for bigger asset management companies (AMCs).
Ramalingam Kalirajan explains the pros and cons of both investment types.
Passive funds have resumed gaining ground in the mutual fund (MF) industry after a slowdown in 2024, with their share of assets under management (AUM) reaching an all-time high in 2025. The surge has been driven largely by robust inflows into gold and silver exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
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.
'First-time or conservative investors should avoid narrow sectoral funds.'
Leading stock exchange BSE Ltd announced a 61 per cent increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 795.47 crore for the March quarter, driven by higher income, and reported its highest-ever performance in its 150-year history for the full financial year 2025-26.
Mutual fund houses do have several challenges ahead to win more investors.
Driven by addition in equity fund folios, mutual fund houses have registered a rise of over 3.5 lakh investor accounts in the first eight months of the ongoing 2014-15 fiscal.
