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.
These are the top 8 out of 88 funds that the diversified equity fund category has to offer.
'Multi-asset funds have cornered 30 per cent of hybrid fund inflows in 2025, reflecting a growing preference for diversified portfolios that combine equity, debt and commodities.'
Stay away from hot stocks and stick with the long-term performers that fit within your asset allocation needs.
Mid- and small-cap funds dominate the list, opening up opportunity for investors to make contra bets in large-cap funds
For the first time in a decade, inflows into equity mutual funds (MFs) decoupled from the past performance of the equity market, as investors continued to pour money into the market unperturbed by lacklustre returns.
The newest entrant to the Rs 46-trillion mutual fund (MF) space - Zerodha - plans to focus strictly on the low-cost passive segment and offer its products solely through the commission-free digital route, as it aims to replicate its broking success in the MF space. "We will offer an array of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds that would help investors take varied exposures and build portfolios based on their financial needs and risk tolerance. "Zerodha Fund House (FH) products will be exclusively distributed online and available as direct plans to engage directly with individual investors and consumers, taking advantage of the pronounced shift from physical to digital interactions," said Vishal Jain, chief executive officer, Zerodha FH.
Market maven Andrew Holland on why India missed the AI wave, why FIIs are leaving, why he personally invests in cryptocurrencies and why he's still betting big on the country.
ICICI Securities picks the five best mutual funds for investors to look at. The best picks are schemes that one can invest in with a long-term horizon, says ICICI Securities.
With this, the total SIP contribution in the first seven months of the current financial year rose to Rs 57,607 crore as compared with Rs 52,472 crore in April-October 2018, according to the latest data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
Most first-time investors may be better served by diversified options such as flexicap or multi-cap funds, which already hold pharma and healthcare stocks.
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.
Overlap refers to the same stocks appearing across fund portfolios.
The top five recommended ELSS based on Fundsupermart.com's in-house research methodology.
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.
Following alterations in the tax structure, mutual fund (MF) schemes that invest in overseas securities have experienced a sharp decline in inflows. In the first five months of 2023-24 (FY24), international MF schemes have received an average monthly gross inflow of only Rs 270 crore, compared to Rs 490 crore during the same period in the previous year. This decline persists despite nearly all fund houses opening subscriptions for such schemes, with higher redemptions creating headroom for fresh investments.
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.
The change in debt fund taxation is seen as boosting the demand for hybrid funds. It is no surprise then that asset management companies (AMCs) have launched a raft of new products in the multi-asset category. However, they seem to be divided on the asset mix and approach. The multi-asset space, which provides fund houses ample scope to innovate, has seen five launches in as many months.
Experts say you may invest in small-sized funds and benefit from their nimbleness.
'First-time or conservative investors should avoid narrow sectoral funds.'
Retail investors are moving away from a buy-and-hold approach and towards more informed short-term positioning, recent investment patterns show.
Increasing awareness about mutual funds, ease of transactions through digitisation and sharp surge in equity markets have aided asset management companies to add a staggering 3.17 crore investor accounts in 2021-22, with experts saying the trend is likely to continue this fiscal as well. This was a significant rise from 2020-21 when 81 lakh accounts (or folios in mutual fund parlance) were opened, data with the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) showed. The ongoing financial year too appears to be promising in terms of folios as increase in investor accounts will enable people to move beyond fixed deposits and savings accounts, said Priti Rathi Gupta, founder of LXME, a financial platform for women.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) could soon issue interim orders imposing a market ban on the two former fund managers of Axis Mutual Fund (MF) for suspected front-running of trades, said people with knowledge of the development. "The market regulator has gathered prima facie evidence that demonstrates that the duo has violated the integrity of the market. "While a detailed investigation is still pending in the matter, Sebi could take action under Section 11 (4) to prevent further harm to the investors and the securities market," said a source.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
S Nagnath, President and CIO of DSP ML Mutual Fund says that he is bullish on the real estate sector. He also explains his logic behind starting a micro-cap fund and why investors can put their money in the same.
The Nagaland Indigenous Tribes Cultural Resource Centre has been inaugurated in Kohima to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the state's indigenous tribes.
In 5 years, the AMC has clocked a growth rate of 40% with its AUM up nearly 4 times.
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
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).
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.
Ten Indian states contribute a lion's share of 95% or Rs 12.25 lakh crore.
After Bandhan MF's US Treasury Bond 0-1 year Fund of Fund (FoF), Aditya Birla Sun Life (ABSL) MF has come out with US Treasury 1-3 Year Bond ETFs FoF and 3-10 Year Bond ETFs FoF. US bonds, which generally offer low yields, have turned attractive post the 525-basis point hike in US interest rates. According to Bloomberg data, the 1-year and 2-year US treasury yields now stand at 5.4 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively. Although the yields remain lower than what Indian government bonds offer, the differential has come down steeply.
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.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is discussing with mutual funds (MFs) a proposal on introducing new total expense ratio (TER) slabs linked to the total equity and debt assets by replacing the current ones that are linked to assets of an individual scheme. Senior MF executives confirmed that Sebi had held discussions on this matter with AMCs. Such a change is expected to lead to a lower TER cap for bigger asset management companies (AMCs).
Importantly, is there hope going forward?
ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Infosys, SBI and L&T among fund managers' preferred bets.
Fund managers advise conservative investors to cap midcap exposure at 10 to 15 per cent of their equity portfolio.
The highlight in January, with no surprise, has been flows into gold and silver ETFs.
