Investors can begin investing in mutual funds with as little as Rs 100.
Is the current rally telegraphing a durable peace plan in West Asia, boosted by United States (US) President Donald Trump's incoherent and contradictory posts on social media?
'As re-industrialisation gathers pace across regions like Asia, Europe and the US, a wide range of products and inputs will see demand.'
Net inflows into equity mutual fund schemes moderated in FY26, falling by 27 per cent to about 3 trillion till February, as choppy markets and global uncertainties prompted investors to shift towards safer options like hybrid funds and gold ETFs.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced declines due to a sharp rally in crude oil prices, continuous foreign fund outflows, and geopolitical uncertainties. Regulatory developments in the banking sector, particularly the implementation of the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) framework, also contributed to the selling pressure.
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.
Indian benchmark stock indices, Sensex and Nifty, closed nearly 1 per cent lower following the collapse of US-Iran negotiations, which heightened concerns of a prolonged conflict in West Asia and drove crude oil prices sharply higher.
New demat account additions in India reached an 11-month low in March, with only 2.15 million new accounts opened, significantly below the 12-month average. This slowdown is attributed to a sharp decline in equity markets, escalating West Asia tensions, and increased crude oil prices impacting India's economic outlook.
Younger investors with long investment horizons may continue their SIPs.
'In investing, poor sentiment is always a good vintage to build a portfolio.'
Flexicap fund performance depends heavily on the fund manager's decisions.
'Retail portfolios were going nowhere even as headline indices moved higher, prompting investors to sell holdings and shift money to IPOs, attracted by listing-day gains.'
'The next phase of India's IPO cycle will be defined by quality, pricing discipline and investor selectivity.'
Trade deals ease risks for Indian equities, but weak demand and stretched valuations raise questions over whether optimism -- especially in smallcaps -- can turn into a sustained bull run, points out Debashis Basu.
Indian investors have seen their wealth erode by a staggering Rs 48.29 lakh crore since the West Asia war began on February 28, leading to a significant downturn in the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, driven by geopolitical tensions and rising crude oil prices.
Indian markets on Dalal Street rallied sharply as easing tensions in the US-Iran conflict and stable oil prices boosted sentiment. Track Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex performance and key global triggers.
Indian stock market indices Sensex and Nifty closed nearly 1 per cent higher, marking their third consecutive day of gains, supported by a slight decrease in crude oil prices and positive global market trends.
Fixed deposits from nationalised banks delivered higher returns than equities, outperforming both inflation and stock market benchmarks.
The BSE Sensex and the Nifty 50 declined around 4.5 per cent each since the start of the West Asia conflict.
The recent selloff in the Indian equity market has been far more painful for mid and smallcap stocks compared to largecap stocks. The benchmark BSE Sensex is now down 9.5 per cent from its record monthly closing of 84,300 at the end of September last year. In the same period, the BSE MidCap has lost 17 per cent of its value, while the BSE SmallCap has corrected by 17.1 per cent.
The last time these two indexes recorded a negative performance on a calendar year basis was in CY19.
Indian equity investors experienced a significant loss of 16.32 lakh crore due to a two-day stock market decline fueled by escalating geopolitical tensions involving the US, Israel, and Iran.
'Investors may have made money in mid and smallcaps due to market momentum, but now they need to focus on fundamentals.'
'The problem is not just slower growth, but also the quality of growth.'
Retail investors' equity portfolios have significantly underperformed benchmark indices over the past 16 to 18 months.
2025 marked a shift in investor preference when it comes to MF schemes.
Indian equities on Dalal Street saw volatility as global market trends and fresh tariff concerns linked to Donald Trump impacted investor sentiment. Track Sensex, Nifty50 movement and key market drivers for Feb 24, 2026.
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced a significant decline, primarily driven by a selloff in IT stocks due to concerns about AI disruption and renewed worries over global trade.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Market sentiment is likely to remain cautious as investors position themselves for the upcoming Union Budget and the US Fed's interest rate decision, where expectations are muted.
'Stopping now would defeat the core purpose of an SIP, which is to average out the purchase cost over market cycles.'
Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed on a flat note in a choppy session on Wednesday as gains in PSU banks and auto shares were offset by losses in IT stocks.
Benchmark BSE Sensex fell 558 points on Thursday amid heavy selling in IT shares, as concerns over AI-led disruptions and waning hopes of a Fed rate cut after firm US economic data weighed on investor sentiment.
The 2025 contraction marks the steepest decline in both the number of billionaire promoters and their aggregate wealth since 2012.
Overlap refers to the same stocks appearing across fund portfolios.
The BSE Sensex plummeted 1,236 points, wiping out nearly Rs 7 lakh crore in investor wealth, driven by escalating tensions between the US and Iran and subsequent market selloff.
Despite trailing the benchmark Nifty 50, small and midcap (SMID) stocks appear pricey on a 12-month forward price-to-earnings (P/E) basis. The Nifty trades at roughly 21x forward earnings, compared with around 28x for both the Nifty Smallcap 100 and Nifty Midcap 100 indices.
Stock markets closed higher for the second straight session on Tuesday, driven by gains in bank, IT and capital goods shares.
Investing in gold trumped most other asset classes in terms of compounded annualised returns over the long term, suggests a report by FundsIndia.
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).
