Retail investors now own a bigger slice of small-cap companies than a couple of years earlier, attributable to their growing conviction in mutual fund (MF) schemes focused on this space. Data from Capitaline shows MFs' average holding in the National Stock Exchange Nifty Smallcap 250 rising to 8.67 per cent, from 7.67 per cent in the past two financial years, with the number of companies with over 20 per cent MF holdings, rising from 15 to 24. At the end of May, the top five small-cap firms with the highest MF holdings were Carborundum Universal, Blue Star, Cyient, Gujarat State Petronet, and Cholamandalam Finance.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
From a modest salary to Rs 1 crore, here's Ramalingam Kalirajan's smart compounding blueprint for young earners
This is how two people with the same starting amount can end up in very different financial places. In this article, let's understand what lessons can be drawn for anyone starting out!
Floating-rate mutual funds are back in demand after a year-long period of consistent outflows. In the past three months, investors have poured over Rs 6,100 crore into these debt schemes, indicating a reversal in fortunes for the category that recorded outflows for 11 consecutive months (May 2022 to March 2023), totalling Rs 32,250 crore. Floating-rate funds invest at least 65 per cent in floating-rate instruments, which have their interest rates linked to the Reserve Bank of India repo rate.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
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.
Experts say the impact on the schemes' NAVs may vary in the coming days, depending upon how fund houses treat the developments on VIL and whether there are any further rating downgrades or credit events.
'To ensure you remain with the better performers, you need to consistently monitor your MF portfolios and weed out the non-performers, even if they are from a star fund manager or a fund house with a sound record.'
The gold and silver holdings of domestic mutual funds (MFs) crossed the Rs 1 trillion mark for the first time in September, powered by a blistering commodity rally that lifted precious metal prices and drew fresh inflows into dedicated MF schemes.
Multi-asset allocation funds (MAAFs) have emerged as strong performers among mutual funds (MFs), rivalling medium-term returns from traditional equity categories while maintaining a lower risk profile. Over the past three years, average returns for this segment have surpassed those of flexicap and largecap funds, for both lump sum and systematic investment plan (SIP) investments.
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.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'We operate in an economy that is structurally positioned for long-term growth. As market levels rise over time, our AUM grows in line.'
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.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'Except for extremely conservative investors, others can consider allocating 10 to 20 per cent of their portfolio to small caps.'
Measured by returns in 2013, the top 10 funds had only three from large houses; nimble strategy could be a factor.
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.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
In 5 years, the AMC has clocked a growth rate of 40% with its AUM up nearly 4 times.
'MFs have a combined exposure of Rs 3.2 lakh crore to NBFCs, out of which Rs 1.1 lakh crore matures by September 2019.'
'We expect modest returns in 2026 versus the steep gains seen over the past few years.'
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
In a chat with Getahead readers on June 22, Dhruva Raj Chatterji research manager at iFAST Fundsupermart.com, AMFI registered mutual fund distributor, answered queries about contra and value mutual funds. For those who missed the chat here is the transcript.
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.
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.
After a short-term blip, mutual funds (MFs) are back to adding new systematic investment plan (SIP) investors at a record high pace, which was seen during the financial year 2021-22 (FY22). During the first six months (H1) of this financial year (FY24), MFs have added a net 77 million SIP accounts compared to 56 million during the same period of FY23. The net additions this year are a tad higher than the 76.5 million additions in H1 of FY22.
While most investors brush off NFOs like spam, some of them offer solid opportunities, especially when you know what to look for. So let's clear the confusion around NFOs and figure out when they're worth your money, and when they're not.
Non-resident Indians (NRIs) haven't gone big on the Indian stock market story despite the post-pandemic boom. While domestic participation through mutual funds (MFs) and dematerialised accounts has soared, NRI participation figures show limited signs of a similar rise.
Investors in exchange-traded funds can trade on bourses.
The share of investments held by the top 10 investors across smallcap mutual fund schemes has been on a decline, falling to a 14-month low in March 2025, shows an analysis of data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi). The median smallcap scheme has 2.03 per cent of its investments coming from the top 10 investors, compared to 2.43 per cent a year ago.
Despite recent underperformance, MNC funds have delivered over longer time frames.
Investors encountering underperformance must be patient.
'Investors should continue with their SIPs, especially during market corrections.' 'For those looking to start new SIPs, beginning with large-cap funds is a prudent strategy, followed by flexi-cap and value-oriented approaches.'
'Equities may not outperform every year, but if they do so seven times out of 10, it's an asset class worth relying on.'
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'The danger is that when the music stops, the fall will be sudden, faster, and deeper than anyone expects,' warns Debashis Basu.
MMFs invest in fixed-income instruments maturing in less than one year, minimising interest-rate risk.
