'Even last year, when India bought gold, the physical quantity was much less than the previous years.'
At a time when investors are preferring higher-risk investment products like thematic and small-cap mutual fund (MF) schemes, some fund houses are exploring the possibility of going further down the market-capitalisation (m-cap) ladder to unearth newer investment opportunities. HDFC MF had filed papers with the capital markets regulator - the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) - earlier this year for an active micro-cap scheme. Some more fund houses are keen on launching such schemes, say industry observers.
Banks are depending more heavily on the market for certificates of deposit (CDs), whose worth climbed to a record Rs 5.75 trillion in the fortnight to January 15, owing to deposit tightness in the system.
Several mutual funds (MFs) have recently approached the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as they renew efforts to increase their overseas investment limit. In June 2022, the capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) permitted MFs to invest in foreign stocks within the aggregate mandated limit of $7 billion after a correction in stocks. One of the proposals shared with the RBI is to link MFs' foreign investment limit to the country's foreign exchange reserves.
Of course, NOT! Here's why. And here's how you can increase your Rs 1 crore retirement corpus.
Coming down heavily on MF players who in recent past chose to use shareholder fund to buy out debt of bleeding invested companies, Sebi said MFs can't have standstill agreements with companies and will take action against fund houses for such deals.
By diversifying into developed market equities, Indian investors can mitigate the impact of cyclicality in returns as well as reduce currency risk, experts tell Sanjay Kumar Singh.
In an online chat with readers on August 10, Vidya Bala, Vidya Bala, head of mutual fund research at FundsIndia, answered their queries. For hose who missed the chat, here is the transcript.
'The next phase of India's IPO cycle will be defined by quality, pricing discipline and investor selectivity.'
Though both equity fund and stocks extend market-related returns, there are some key differences between the two. If you have similar misconceptions about equity funds and stocks, this article will demystify those misconceptions.
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).
Five things you must know before investing in mutual funds and you will be less likely to fret during market ups and downs.
'Long-short SIFs are designed for seasoned, high-risk, high-reward investors, who understand market volatility.'
Had you invested Rs 5,000 every month in SBI Magnum Multicap Fund through systematic investment plan (SIP) for the last 5 years, the value of your investment would be over Rs 5.2 lakh as on August 22, 2016
Start SIPs early, increase investments steadily, and let compounding beat inflation to secure retirement wealth, says Ramalingam Kalirajan
Sebi is working with other regulators to expand the CAS framework.
Notwithstanding sharp volatility in March, mutual fund (MF) investors didn't fight shy of investing in riskier small-cap-oriented schemes. Inflows into small-cap funds were not just the highest in absolute terms, they were also the maximum as a proportion of assets under management (AUM) among all market capitalisation (m-cap)-oriented categories. Investors funnelled Rs 2,430 crore down small-cap funds - 1.8 per cent of their AUM of Rs 1.33 trillion.
Largecap equities are less volatile than mid- and smallcap stocks, making them suitable for risk-averse investors.
Debt fund managers are reassessing their strategies after the setback delivered by the Reserve Bank of India recently. While most are refraining from any knee-jerk reaction to the central bank's surprise open market operation (OMO) announcements, they are taking a re-look at the duration of their schemes. Sandeep Yadav, head of fixed income at DSP Mutual Fund, said it has trimmed the duration of some schemes, considering the hawkish stance by the RBI.
A Balasubramanian tells Business Standard that the sector will see one of its best phases in the coming five years.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Shares of Billionbrains Garage Ventures, the parent of online broking platform Groww, soared nearly 30 per cent on their market debut on Wednesday, defying the recent trend of muted listings. The stock opened at Rs 112 and hit a high of Rs 134.4 before settling at Rs 128.85 on the NSE - a gain of 28.85 per cent over its issue price of Rs 100.
'For the initial decade, I consistently advise young professionals to prioritise career development and income growth rather than market analysis.'
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.'
Conservative investors seeking equity-like tax benefits with low risk may go for them.
Mutual funds are better than Portfolio Management Schemes where costs crystallise only at the end of the investment period, says Shashank Khade.
Fund managers advise conservative investors to cap midcap exposure at 10 to 15 per cent of their equity portfolio.
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries
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.
'Allocating 5 to 10 per cent of one's portfolio and staying disciplined through market cycles helps in having a positive investment experience.'
HDFC MF has had a history of stock options and gave additional ESOPs to key staff a few months ago
India's market regulator is moving ahead to include real estate investment trusts (Reits) in benchmark indices in a phased manner, Sebi chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey said, while asserting that the regulator was working to strengthen the link between infrastructure building and the markets.
12 important facts every mutual fund investor must know.
Top officials said asking employees other than the fund management team to mandatorily invest a fifth of their salary goes against the principle of natural justice.
For decades, multinational pharmaceutical companies and Indian drugmakers worked in ways that supported each other: MNCs brought innovation and brands, while Indian companies built scale through generics and cost efficiency. There was an important overlap - generic drugs - but this is shrinking fast. And the consequences are reshaping India's gigantic pharmaceutical market.
Investors who issued units in liquid and overnight funds, as well as those with a short-term holding of less than 30 days, are likely to be impacted the most, say experts.
Suppandi has evolved over the years from being a household help to having a variety of office jobs.
Experts say you may invest in small-sized funds and benefit from their nimbleness.
'The day that the market realises that they've overspent (on AI) and there's a sudden collapse in the capex, then India can start outperforming again.'
