Analysts are increasingly optimistic about India's capital markets, with HDFC AMC, CAMS, and KFin Technologies identified as top investment picks. This optimism stems from a structural shift in household savings towards financial instruments and an expected multi-year earnings expansion for market infrastructure providers and asset management companies.
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.
Net inflows into equity mutual fund schemes moderated in FY26, falling by 27 per cent to about 3 trillion till February, as choppy markets and global uncertainties prompted investors to shift towards safer options like hybrid funds and gold ETFs.
Ask rediffGURU and PF, MF and insurance expert Purshotam Lal your mutual fund, insurance and personal finance-related questions.
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.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
2025 marked a shift in investor preference when it comes to MF schemes.
'The volatility in the stock markets since September 2024 has hurt the pace of accretion of new investors.'
Direct plans of mutual fund schemes added nearly 21 million individual investor folios in FY26 (as of February), surpassing regular plans' 15 million net additions, marking only the second time direct plans have outpaced regular plans in annual folio growth, despite turbulent equity markets.
Rediff explains why the system, not the Budget, is the problem.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
rediffGURU Jinal Mehta answers readers' financial planning and health insurance queries
A significant majority (57%) of India's investment advisors are concentrated in just five metro cities, leading to concerns about financial inclusion and the spread of financial market products beyond urban centres, according to a Business Standard analysis of Sebi data.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Wednesday overhauled the cost framework for the 80 trillion domestic mutual fund (MF) industry, introducing a simplified structure aimed at improving transparency for investors while balancing the impact on asset managers.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'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.'
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).
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'Multi-asset funds have cornered 30 per cent of hybrid fund inflows in 2025, reflecting a growing preference for diversified portfolios that combine equity, debt and commodities.'
'In my entire career, whenever friends, relatives, or associates have sought my counsel, I have told them consistently: Stay away from equities. Buy gold. Place funds in fixed deposits. Acquire some raw land.' 'That is all one genuinely needs to build meaningful, enduring wealth, without the attendant anxiety of equity market participation.'
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
State Bank of India on Saturday reported an all-time high profit of Rs 21,028 crore in December quarter FY26 on a standalone basis.
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.
The highlight in January, with no surprise, has been flows into gold and silver ETFs.
Sensex and Nifty post steepest weekly loss in over a year, falling nearly 3 per cent.
Sebi is working with other regulators to expand the CAS framework.
Retail investors' equity portfolios have significantly underperformed benchmark indices over the past 16 to 18 months.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Mutual funds (MFs) - flush with cash amid record inflows in July - invested heavily in the Rs 25,000-crore qualified institutional placement (QIP) of India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI). Fund managers acquired SBI shares worth Rs 10,200 crore last month, making the lender their biggest buy in July.
Inflows into mutual fund (MF) schemes via systematic investment plans (SIPs) have topped Rs 3 trillion for the first time in a calendar year, as investors increasingly rely on the staggered investment route amid market volatility.
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.
The continued MF buying has pushed the equity holding of MFs to over Rs 50 trillion for the first time.
In November, six primary market issuances accounted for more than 13,000 crore of net equity investments by MFs.
'The day is not too far when the share of MFs alone will be greater than that of foreign institutional investors.'
rediffGURU Vipul Bhavsar answers readers' personal income tax queries.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Mutual funds (MFs) have significantly increased their ownership across market segments, but the midcap space stands out with comparatively higher growth. Data reveals that the number of midcap companies with over a fifth of MF ownership has doubled from nine in March 2022 to 18 by March 2025. In contrast, largecap stocks saw only a marginal rise, from three to four such companies during the same period.
'We operate in an economy that is structurally positioned for long-term growth. As market levels rise over time, our AUM grows in line.'
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