Real wealth isn't built on random bets; it's built on disciplined, guided portfolio strategies that can withstand market ups and downs, says Ramalingam Kalirajan.
Despite the uncertainties created by rising bond yields and oil prices, fund managers have been proactively deploying fresh flows into the equity market. The cash available with equity fund managers, which has remained lower at around 5 per cent in the past few months, hit a 16-month low of 4.8 per cent in September, shows a Motilal Oswal Financial Services report. Cash holdings in equity schemes had topped 6 per cent in February amid subdued equity market sentiment.
'The problem is that the bubble may not only be in valuations, but also in investors' minds.'
Fund managers's compensation is largely tied to the assets they manage and scheme performance.
After screening the sector, Nagendra Singh goes for companies with strong fundamentals and good management quality.
'A staggered investment approach (using SIP or STP) can help investors benefit from this opportunity while reducing timing risk.'
More than 50 per cent of SIP accounts come from semi-urban and rural areas.
Cases of front-running mostly happen when large asset managers and intermediaries are involved in bulk trades as their transaction size is generally big enough to impact the stock price.
'For most investors, I recommend a low double-digit allocation (10 to 12 per cent) to gold and silver combined.'
Credit-focused SIFs with lower minimum investment thresholds can provide a more practical option for investors with higher risk appetite, suggests Subodh Rai.
Meet the game-changer in mutual fund investments, explains Anamika Pareek.
rediffGURU Ulhas Joshi answers readers' mutual fund queries
Inflows into equity mutual fund (MF) schemes declined for the third month in a row in March even though the equity market recovered sharply. Equity MF schemes raked in a net Rs 25,082 crore in March, down 14 per cent from February.
ELSS investments require a long-term commitment of at least seven years.
Investors should view the increase in the LTCG tax rate in conjunction with the increase in capital gains exemption from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.25 lakh, which will provide some relief.
A strong influx of 11 equity new fund offers (NFOs) in June, particularly within the thematic space, helped mutual funds collect Rs 14,370 crore - the highest ever via such introductory offers. This surpassed the previous high recorded in July 2021, where four NFOs accumulated Rs 13,709 crore, with ICICI Prudential MF's flexicap NFO alone mobilising Rs 9,808 crore.
Is the parabolic rise in silver running out of steam or just getting started? Ramalingam Kalirajan offers his take on if you should invest in silver now?
Mutual fund investors no longer need to link their PAN with Aadhaar to obtain 'KYC-registered' status.
Mutual Fund inflows in FY25 have already reached two-thirds of the total inflows seen in the entire FY24, with net inflows standing at Rs 1.3 trillion.
'The correction in the markets in the initial part of August provided investors a good buying opportunity.'
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
With average returns of 18 per cent over the past year, listed real estate investment trusts (Reits) have clearly outperformed both the Nifty Realty index and the Sensex. Over the same period, Nifty Realty fell 15.5 per cent, while the benchmark index was largely unchanged. Steady office leasing, the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) decision to reclassify Reits as equity instruments, and ongoing portfolio expansion have strengthened the sector's appeal.
'One should not invest more than 5 to 10 per cent of their overall portfolio exposure in global or international funds.'
'An equity-based index fund should be held for more than five years to average out market volatility and achieve financial goals.'
Reels often induce the FOMO-'Act now!' mentality. But sound investing is about consistency, diversification and a long-term horizon.
Mutual funds (MFs) managed a record Rs 66.2 trillion in assets during the July-September quarter, marking a 12.3 per cent increase over the previous three-month period - the highest quarterly jump in MF assets in at least five years. During the April-June period, the average assets under management (AUM) stood at Rs 59 trillion. The sharp rise in AUM, according to experts, is driven by a robust equity market rally and record inflows into equity schemes.
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The market regulator is wielding an unprecedented level of control over how mutual funds operate, delaying new launches and dictating investment strategy, frustrated insiders in the embattled industry say.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Jayesh Gandhi, Fund Manager, Birla Mutual Fund says that they have exposure to Allahabad Bank, IOB, PNB and Union Bank.
Canadian firm Manulife and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), an Indian automaker with interests in financial services, have signed an agreement to form a 50:50 life insurance joint venture (JV) with a total capital commitment of up to Rs 3,600 crore each totalling Rs 7,200 crore.
Allocation to bank deposits -- fixed deposits, savings account deposits, and current account deposits -- came down.
People with modest incomes can also build a crore-worthy portfolio by investing small amounts consistently, says Ramalingam Kalirajan, and shows how the magic of compounding works.
Follow this 15 x 15 x 15 rule to become a crorepati without taking big risks. Ramalingam Kalirajan explains how
India's corporate bond market, driven by public sector undertaking (PSU) banks and financial institutions last year, is losing momentum since the second quarter of FY26.
Ask rediffGURU Ulhas Joshi your mutual fund queries.
After overtaking foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in market ownership, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) have further solidified their dominance. DII ownership reached a new all-time high of 17.82 per cent as of June 2025, up from 17.62 per cent at the end of March 2025, according to an analysis by Prime Database.
