Investments under the framework would remain voluntary for employees.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Ask rediffGURU and PF, MF and insurance expert Purshotam Lal your mutual fund, insurance and personal finance-related questions.
Net investments into equity mutual fund schemes in India remained elevated at approximately 38,440 crore in April, despite a slight dip from March's high and a 3% month-on-month decline in Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) inflows.
'Every year we import approximately $70 billion worth of gold -- closer to $72 billion in 2025-2026, an all-time record.' 'There is no parallel for this anywhere in the world. And this love for gold will not disappear overnight.'
From the financial year 2025-2026, the government has introduced a new column in the tax return form for presumptive taxpayers, requiring them to disclose their year-end investments. This requirement was not present last year.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
SIP inflows into active equity schemes from areas beyond the top 30 cities (B30), which first crossed this milestone in September 2025, stood at Rs 10,080 crore in October, industry data shows.
The ratio of MF assets under management to total bank deposits has more than doubled in 10 years.
Fund managers are divided on the prospects for beaten-down information technology (IT) stocks, reflected in the wide variance in equity mutual funds' (MFs) sector exposure. An analysis by Nuvama Alternative & Quantitative Research shows that while six large fund houses were overweight the sector relative to its weight in the Nifty 200 index, five were underweight as of October 2025. UTI MF had the highest exposure at 17.8 per cent, while SBI MF sat at the bottom with 5 per cent.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
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.
MFs offer scale, simplicity, liquidity, and tax efficiency, and are an excellent vehicle for disciplined SIP investing. PMS is better suited for larger portfolios with equity allocation of Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore.
Ask rediffGURU and PF, MF and insurance expert Purshotam Lal your mutual fund, insurance and personal finance-related questions.
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.
With domestic markets turning choppy, investors are increasingly scouting for opportunities overseas to diversify portfolios and hedge against a weakening rupee.
Despite similar tax treatment, debt MFs enjoy certain advantages over FDs.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
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.'
In November, six primary market issuances accounted for more than 13,000 crore of net equity investments by MFs.
The continued MF buying has pushed the equity holding of MFs to over Rs 50 trillion for the first time.
For every 100 rupees, households invested Rs 45.2 in mutual funds and equities in 2024-2025.
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.
Retail investors' equity portfolios have significantly underperformed benchmark indices over the past 16 to 18 months.
'The volatility in the stock markets since September 2024 has hurt the pace of accretion of new investors.'
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.
'AUM reached an all-time high of Rs 79.9 trillion in October 2025, driven by strong retail participation and record SIP inflows of Rs 29,529 crore from over 94.5 million contributing accounts.'
The highlight in January, with no surprise, has been flows into gold and silver ETFs.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'The day is not too far when the share of MFs alone will be greater than that of foreign institutional investors.'
Companies in the lower mcap deciles have recorded the fastest growth in median mcap.
2025 marked a shift in investor preference when it comes to MF schemes.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Foreign portfolio investors' (FPI) ownership in NSE-listed companies has declined to 16.9 per cent at the end of September, lowest in 15 years, the largest stock bourse said on Thursday. The domestic mutual funds' ownership climbed to 10.9 per cent in the ninth straight quarter of increase, data shared by NSE said, adding that this is on the back of strong flows into systematic investment plans (SIP).
Rediff explains why the system, not the Budget, is the problem.
'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.'
Issuers have allotted nearly four times as much to mutual funds (MFs) as they have to insurance companies in recent quarters. MFs invested Rs 21,976 crore as anchor investors in initial public offerings (IPOs) on a trailing four-quarter basis, according to data from Prime Database.
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.
'...aggressive pricing amid volatility, but these are exceptions.'
Major fund houses report a sharp rise in online transactions, driven by changing investor habits, distributor behaviour, and fast-growing fintech platforms.
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