Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Fund managers advise conservative investors to cap midcap exposure at 10 to 15 per cent of their equity portfolio.
The 44-player industry logged assets under management of Rs 26.33 lakh crore in October-end, as compared to Rs 27.04 lakh crore by November end, representing a growth of 3 per cent. Among debt-oriented schemes, overnight funds received flows worth about Rs 20,650 crore, the highest among the fixed-income segment last month.
'Long-short SIFs are designed for seasoned, high-risk, high-reward investors, who understand market volatility.'
Largecap equity funds remain suitable for conservative and moderate risk-taking investors seeking relatively stable returns.
But due to SEC diktats, funds that are US-based -- like Templeton, Fidelity and HSBC -- do not accept investments from NRIs.
Making information available to all will solve only part of the problem. The biggest problem is a complete lack of understanding of mutual funds.
2025 marked a shift in investor preference when it comes to MF schemes.
If we really want to curb the further depreciation of the rupee and make the rupee appreciate, we want to come out of the mindset that the exchange rate is merely a number, bring policy corrections to help reduce the outflow of foreign exchange by imposing suitable tariffs to discourage imports and bring self reliance, discipline FPIs, and correcting rules governing royalty outflows, suggests Dr Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convenor, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch.
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).
'Maintain a balanced approach with a preference for short-to medium-duration funds.'
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.
At first glance, the numbers show a mixed trend.
'You set up your SIPs and you do not touch them. Not during COVID, not during a war scare, not when your neighbour tells you the market is finished. You let the noise pass over you.' 'The beauty of this approach is that it does not require courage or conviction in the moment. It just requires inertia -- keep the SIP running and do not look at your portfolio too often.'
Home loan interest rates are likely to increase in the next six months. Should this be a cause enough for you to prepay your home loan?
Sebi is working with other regulators to expand the CAS framework.
Importantly, is there hope going forward?
'Active funds have the ability to manage downside risk.'
A significant majority (57%) of India's investment advisors are concentrated in just five metro cities, leading to concerns about financial inclusion and the spread of financial market products beyond urban centres, according to a Business Standard analysis of Sebi data.
Analysts are increasingly optimistic about India's capital markets, with HDFC AMC, CAMS, and KFin Technologies identified as top investment picks. This optimism stems from a structural shift in household savings towards financial instruments and an expected multi-year earnings expansion for market infrastructure providers and asset management companies.
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.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'Having a separate healthcare corpus is extremely important even for those already covered by health insurance.'
The average fall in 15 most-invested stocks by equity MFs was 5.7 per cent. Chandan Kishore Kant reports
We give you five good reasons why you must invest in mutual funds at an early age.
Conservative investors seeking equity-like tax benefits with low risk may go for them.
Here is a brief on the factors that govern these options and useful tips to help you pick the most suitable one.
The highlight in January, with no surprise, has been flows into gold and silver ETFs.
India's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is projected to maintain an annual run-rate of approximately $200 billion, evenly split between domestic, inbound, and outbound transactions, despite global geopolitical turbulence, according to Rajesh Singhi, global co-head, M&A Advisory, Standard Chartered Bank.
The MF Industry had a cash-rich 2014 as it crossed the Rs 3 trillion mark.
'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.'
Given that the tax implications can have a significant impact on the return earned, it is necessary to understand the tax implications for both these heads of income.
Gold ETFs attracted around Rs 11,700 crore, the highest in a calendar month.
The sharp surge in investment accounts (folios) in midcap and smallcap mutual funds (MF) in recent months is likely driven by the do-it-yourself (DIY) investors. In the first five months of the present financial year (FY 2024), net folio additions in direct MF plans (4.5 million) has outpaced that in regular plans (3.9 million), contrary to the trend seen in the previous three six-month periods. The net folio additions in direct plans in the five-month period (April-August 2023) is 40 per cent higher than the total additions made in the previous six month period.
Flexicap fund performance depends heavily on the fund manager's decisions.
'New investors should enter gradually and stay cautious.' 'Silver is a structural multi-year story, but timing matters in a high-volatility metal.'
Largecap equities are less volatile than mid- and smallcap stocks, making them suitable for risk-averse investors.
Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
With duties at 15%, GST at 3%, and making charges running as high as 20% -- the gap between a smart purchase and a careless one can easily be Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 on every Rs 1 lakh invested. And most of that gap is entirely avoidable. Ramalingam Kalirajan explains the math.
Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) may not be net buyers of Indian equities in the near term on lack of inflows and are likely to continue with redemption or sit on sidelines, mutual fund officials said.
