After nearly four years of underwhelming performances in equity schemes, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund (ABSL MF) is experiencing a revival. During the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year (Q1FY24), the fund house arrested its declining market share, bolstered by stronger equity fund results and subsequent ratings upgrades. Mahesh Patil, the chief investment officer, attributes this resurgence to changes in the fund management team and adjustments to investment strategies.
Fund managers's compensation is largely tied to the assets they manage and scheme performance.
The stock market regulator's definition of large, mid, and small-cap companies has irked mutual fund managers, reports Samie Modak.
Gross inflows into active equity mutual fund (MF) schemes dipped 34 per cent month-on-month (MoM) -- to Rs 25,400 crore -- in April as investors applied brakes on lump sum investments amid a sharp upwards movement in the market. Gross inflows for March stood at Rs 38,641 crore. The sharp decline pulled the net inflows to a five-month low of Rs 6,480 crore, shows data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
While stocks are at cheap valuations, the volatility can be unnerving.
The surge in volatility across the globe sparked by Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to an increase in prices of gold and silver - considered to be safe-haven investment bets. In the past month, silver funds have delivered returns of 7.34 per cent, while gold funds on an average have risen around 6 per cent. In comparison, the benchmark Nifty has declined 4 per cent. Fund managers say precious commodities act as a good hedge against inflation and phases of geopolitical uncertainty.
The net financial savings of the household sector has moderated to 5.1% of GDP in FY23 from 7.6 per cent in FY20, as households shifted their savings to physical assets amid low interest rates during the pandemic, according to State Bank of India's (SBI) Research report.
With the introduction of 10 per cent tax both on long-term capital gains and on dividend, choose funds based on investment horizon and risk appetite, not on tax advantage, experts tell Sanjay Kumar Singh.
Fund houses are exploring ways to differentiate themselves in the hybrid space. A relatively unknown hybrid fund variant, Balanced Hybrid, is about to see its first launch since the introduction of mutual fund (MF) scheme categorisation norms in 2017. WhiteOak Capital MF has filed papers with the regulator for this scheme, which comes amid increasing interest in the hybrid space. MFs anticipate that hybrids will become the preferred category for investors with a lower risk appetite following changes in debt fund taxation.
The SIP route suits the salaried class, by matching their income flows with investment frequency.
MMFs are a good option for the current environment, observes Sarbajeet K Sen.
If you are overweight on fixed-income instruments, go for ELSS, and vice versa.
It was because of strong inflows into debt-oriented schemes that saved 2019 from being a "dark-dull year of investing" as inflows into equity funds has dropped this year due to a volatile market.
Eighty per cent, or 60 of the 75 companies that made their debut on the mainboard this financial year, ended their listing day with gains.
The one-year returns for equity-oriented mutual fund (MFs) schemes have largely mirrored the gains made in the secondary market. However, schemes that invest in infrastructure (infra), small-cap, and public sector undertaking (PSU) banks have emerged standout performers, with gains in excess of 100 per cent in some cases. Of the total 484 equity schemes, 353 have managed to beat the Sensex, reveals the data provided by Value Research. Around 20 have delivered returns in excess of 90 per cent and six schemes have given returns of over 100 per cent in the past one year. The S&P BSE Sensex Total Return Index (TRI) has given returns of 51 per cent in the last one year, ended October 29.
Do not underestimate the ingenuity of the Deep State in America to have its way. Keeping the guard down will be a catastrophic mistake on the part of the Delhi establishment. We could get hit when least expected. That's what happened in Bangladesh and Syria, warns Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Gold is an excellent asset class for diversification and should be included in all long-term portfolios.
You can look at equity-oriented balanced funds.
Equity mutual funds attracted an all-time high net inflow of Rs 28,463 crore in March, on continued interest by retail and HNI investors, who used market correction as a good buying opportunity.
The froth in the small and midcap (SMID) space is limited to a few pockets, but regulatory scrutiny could lead to sustained volatility, observe India's top-drawer wealth managers. They add that they have been advising clients to reduce their exposure to smallcaps. Anand Rathi Wealth, which manages investor wealth through mutual funds (MFs), reports that its exposure to smallcap stocks, both through MFs and directly, has decreased by nearly 7 percentage points in the past few months, now standing at 23 per cent.
It is advisable to avoid a fund until it develops a track record.
In these times of global uncertainty, be cautious in selecting the right market and fund.
IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 6 per cent, ahead of its earnings announcement. Axis Bank, Kotak Bank, ICICI Bank and Bajaj Finance too surged up to 5 per cent. On the other hand, NTPC, M&M, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel and ITC were the laggards.
Monthly systematic investment plan (SIP) flows into India have held steady above Rs 13,000 crore in 2022-23 (FY23) in the face of markets delivering muted returns in 18 months. However, it is not a rose-tinted view when it comes to viewing new SIP registrations and the cessation of existing ones. The ratio of SIPs stopped as a percentage of fresh SIPs registered (called SIP stoppage or closure ratio in industry parlance) stood at 56 per cent in the first 11 months of FY23, compared with 41 per cent during the same period of 2021-22 (FY22).
Long-term investors should not reduce or stop their equity mutual funds through SIPs.
Several exchanges are facing a cash crunch with committed investment not coming from venture capital funds and trading activity seeing a sharp decline, reports Rajesh Bhayani.
Fundraising via equity NFOs highest since 2008; Over Rs 11K cr collected in first eight months of 2017, says Chandan Kishore Kant
Madhabi Puri Buch, the first female chairperson of Sebi, doesn't plan to rest on her laurels in her third and final year in office and has set out an ambitious goal, such as moving towards a same-day and instantaneous settlement cycle for the secondary market.
MFs have garnered record assets in the past one year, led by increased investor participation through SIPs and robust returns in mid-cap schemes.
Drop in the number of schemes is less than 3%, despite merger of 38 schemes between Sept 2017 and May this year
Inflation indexed bonds assure a positive return over inflation.
The report on Mutual Funds Investments released by Research and analytics firm, Boston Analytics, suggests investors are holding back from putting their money in mutual funds because of their perceived high risk and a lack of information on how mutual funds work.
Is it a good idea to give Rs 1 crore to someone who promises you a return of 24% per annum, wonders financial advisor P V Subramanyam.
Now STPs or variable SIPs can earn better returns than vanilla SIPs.
'Continue with your SIPs to get the benefit of lower average prices in this challenging market environment.'
Commodity investments can help you diversify your portfolio in asset classes other than equity and debt, says Dwaipayan Bose.
However, it is noteworthy that foreign investors pumped in money on the day of election results as the mandate became clear
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