The fear of losing purchasing power due to inflation and low-interest rates has led many to explore safe alternatives to fixed deposits with high returns
Mutual fund assets surged 23 per cent or over Rs 12 lakh crore year-on-year to reach a record of Rs 65.74 lakh crore in FY25, propelled by robust net inflows and mark-to-market gains amid buoyant equity and debt markets.
Among Sensex firms, Tata Motors rose the most by 3.97 per cent. Mahindra & Mahindra jumped by 3.96 per cent. Maruti, Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance and UltraTech Cement were also among the gainers. However, Trent declined 3.81 per cent. Asian Paints, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, L&T, TCS, Power Grid and Sun Pharma were also among the laggards.
The mutual fund industry's QAAUM (Quarterly Average Assets Under Management) was up 37 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) (9 per cent Q-o-Q) to hit Rs 59 trillion (end Q1FY25). The equity segment grew 55 per cent Y-o-Y and equity formed 56 per cent of total AUM, up 49 per cent in Q1FY24. Sequentially, AUM grew by Rs 5 trillion.
Macroeconomic data announcements, trading activity of foreign investors and global trends will guide equity market movement this week, which would also mark the beginning of the new calendar year and month, analysts said.
'Long-short SIFs are designed for seasoned, high-risk, high-reward investors, who understand market volatility.'
Fuelled by rising disposable incomes and growing awareness about disciplined investing, monthly SIP inflows across the mutual fund industry could scale up to Rs 40,000 crore over the next 18-?24 months, according to Madhu Nair, CEO of Union Asset Management Company (AMC). SIP inflows stood at Rs 25,925 crore in March, although the industry has witnessed a declining trend over the past four months amid heightened market volatility triggered by frequent US tariff changes.
The settlement cycle for cash, derivatives, and securities lending and borrowing mechanism (SLBM) segments has been revised after September 5 and September 8 were declared as settlement holidays by clearing corporations, markets regulator Sebi said on Monday.
Just as very high oil prices looked an anomaly in a sluggish world, so now do record high equities.
Adani Power will seek shareholders' approval for stock split in the ratio of 1:5 through postal ballot notice issued on August 1, 2025. According to the notice, the equity shares of the company of Rs 10 each will be sub-divided into five fully paid-up ordinary (equity) shares of the face value of Rs 2 each each, fully paid-up, ranking pari passu with each other in all respects, as per the document.
From the Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Tech, Tata Motors, Nestle, ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Larsen & Toubro, and Tech Mahindra were the biggest gainers. In contrast, Eternal, UltraTech Cement, Power Grid, Tata Steel and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the laggards. Eternal dropped 4.51 per cent.
All the BSE sectoral indices closed in the green. BSE Realty, Auto, Capital Goods and Industrials were lead gainers, jumping up to 5 per cent. IndusInd Bank was the lead gainer among Sensex shares, surging by 6.84 per cent. Tata Motors rallied 4.50 per cent. Larsen & Toubro, Axis Bank, Adani Ports, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and HCL Tech were also among the gainers. ITC and Hindustan Unilever were the only laggards.
Among Sensex firms, NTPC, Axis Bank, Power Grid, Bharti Airtel, Eternal and Sun Pharma were the major gainers. However, Infosys, Titan, UltraTech Cement and Hindustan Unilever were among the laggards.
Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) , the country's largest domestic institutional investor (DII), has seen a Rs 46,000 crore erosion in the value of its equity holdings amid market downturns in July. The benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex, have slipped 2.6 per cent from their June 2025-end level to 24,837 and 81,463.09 respectively.
'A price of $6,600/oz is now a reasonable target for gold.'
Since November 2022, sectoral, midcap, and smallcap funds have collectively added nearly 39 million folios, which is 65 per cent of the total additions to equity funds over the past two years.
Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, Maruti, Tata Motors, ITC, Tata Steel and Reliance Industries were also among the gainers. Nestle, NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid and Titan were among the laggards.
The recent stimulus measures announced by China have seen most analysts sit up and take notice.
Global emerging market investors are sharply cutting back on India, making it the largest underweight market, as funds rotate into China, Hong Kong, and South Korea amid tariff shocks and valuation concerns.
India Inc, which is sitting on cash balances of 13.5 trillion, is using the funds to meet capital expenditure as well as brownfield expansion, resulting in 'anaemic' demand for bank loans, State Bank of India (SBI) chairman CS Setty said at an event on Monday. He added that a slowdown in corporate credit is mainly due to lack of demand.
Dalal Street investors were a poorer lot on Monday as their wealth eroded sharply by Rs 14 lakh crore following a sharp decline in benchmark indices amid a global market meltdown due to recession fears. The 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 2,226.79 points or 2.95 per cent to settle at 73,137.90. Intra-day, the benchmark slumped 3,939.68 points or 5.22 per cent to 71,425.01.
'Such stocks may be useful for aggressive portfolios, but should not be part of the core holdings.'
Foreign investors continued their relentless selling in the Indian equity markets in August, offloading shares worth Rs 21,201 crore due to the unwinding of the yen carry trade, recession fears in the US and ongoing geopolitical conflicts. This came after an inflow of Rs 32,365 crore in July and Rs 26,565 crore in June, data with the depositories showed.
The initial public offering (IPO) lane will be busy next week, with four main-line companies, including Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts operator Schloss Bangalore Ltd and Aegis Vopak Terminals tapping the primary market to raise over Rs 6,600 crore collectively.
Domestic markets saw the addition of nearly 3 million new dematerialised (demat) accounts in July, marking the highest monthly increase since December 2024. This is also the third consecutive month that witnessed a rise in account openings, following a period of moderation from January to April.
After two weeks of buying, FPIs turned net sellers in Indian equities this week, with a net withdrawal of Rs 976 crore amid a strengthening US dollar and steady rise in US 10-year bond yields, impacting investor sentiment. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) began the week on a positive note, investing Rs 3,126 crore in equities during the first two trading sessions (December 16-20).
'We are increasing our footprint, but other markets also compete - like Indonesia or Vietnam.'
The implication of April 2 reciprocal tariffs on global trade, trends in overseas markets and trading activity of foreign investors would dictate equity investors' sentiment in a holiday-shortened week ahead, according to analysts. Stock markets would remain closed on Monday for Eid-Ul-Fitr.
'The long-term impact of elections is minimal.'
'This is also a time when you realise that short-term trading and dabbling in derivatives may result in financial losses.'
Co-working spaces provider WeWork India is aiming for a revenue growth of over 20 per cent for the coming years, even as its initial public offering (IPO) with only an offer for sale (OFS) component gets valued at Rs 3,000 crore at the top of the price band. The IPO opens on October 3, a newspaper advertisement said.
618 companies were part of the billion dollar club when the markets reached all-time highs on September 26, 2024. That number has fallen to 500 following a $1 trillion wipeout in India's market capitalisation amid relentless selling by FPIs.
Concerns over weakening demand for Indian pharmaceutical (pharma) drugs in the US - their largest export market - have weighed heavily on investor sentiment this year. While the Nifty 50 has gained 6.02 per cent year - to - date (as on September 15), the Nifty Pharma index has declined 5.18 per cent, National Stock Exchange data shows.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
The stock of Bharat Electronics (BEL) has risen 10 per cent over the past seven to eight trading sessions, driven by order wins that improve revenue visibility. The gains mark a reversal of a declining trend in its stock price between early July and late August, during which the scrip fell over 13 per cent.
To help you ride the growth trajectory of India's equity markets, we have curated the top five fastest-growing stocks that hold an impressive upside. If you're planning to build a sound portfolio and capitalize on the growth of these leading institutions, it's time you watch these stocks.
Let's work flat out and create a policy framework that fosters the growth of Indian non-family business VC and private equity firms. This will allow our Indian startups' dreams to flourish, explains Ajit Balakrishnan.
Macroeconomic data announcements, global trends and trading activity of foreign investors would be the major driving factors for the equity markets this week, according to analysts.
Foreign investors pulled out Rs 4,285 crore from Indian equities in the first three trading days of the month driven by apprehensions ahead of the third-quarter earnings season and high valuations of domestic stocks. This came following an investment of Rs 15,446 crore in the entire December, data with the depositories showed.
Domestic institutional investors (DIIs), mostly mutual funds and insurance companies, overtook foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in ownership of NSE-listed companies in the March quarter of 2025. According to Prime Database, DIIs held a 17.62 per cent stake, up from 16.89 per cent in the December 2024 quarter.
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