Aparna asks, “Dear Sir, short term fixed deposit interest rates have started to increase. Can you please write an article on which type of mutual funds we can invest in to benefit from interest rate increase?” Since May 2020, the Repo Rate has remained constant at 4%. So this has many observers jumpy and expecting…

A reader asks, “Dear sir, can you please let us know the list of mutual funds that invest 50% in equity and 50% in bonds? I ask this after reading your article – Will Benjamin Graham’s 50% Stocks 50% Bonds strategy work for India?” Such a fund can serve as an efficient one-fund portfolio option…

In a circular dated Jan 13th 2022, Motilal Oswal (MO) AMC announced the suspension of lump-sum investments and switch in (from other funds) into Motilal Oswal Nasdaq 100 Fund of Fund, Motilal Oswal S &P 500 Index fund and Motilal Oswal MSCI EAFE Top 100 Index fund. Why was this done? Up to June 3rd…

A viewer on our YouTube channel asks, “Sir, are conservative hybrid funds a good alternative for FD? Especially the Parag Parikh Conservative Hybrid Fund. They seem to be investing only in govt bonds, and for stable returns, they are investing in dividend stocks like ITC and coal India. is this fund safe?” Let us expand…

A reader asks, “I have a query regarding mutual fund expense ratios. Let’s say, we have Fund A with 5-year returns of 15% and expenses of 0.5%. Fund B, with returns of 18% with an expense ratio of 1.2%”. “I consider Fund B as a better fund as it has a better return even after…

1st Jan 2022 marked the 9th anniversary of direct plan mutual funds. In this article, we list the most popular direct plan mutual funds – that is the ones with the largest AUM. The AUM (asset under management) of mutual funds reported in most online portals is the total value. AUM of the regular plan…

This article compares the 2021 performance of 367 actively managed equity-oriented mutual funds with category benchmarks. The 2021 performance refers to the 357-day absolute return from 1st Jan 2021 to 24th Dec 2021. All index returns refer to total returns (including dividends) unless otherwise stated. Note: The goal of this study is just what is…

A reader asks, “I am looking for equity funds that hold foreign stocks (overseas equity) but also hold 65% of Indian equity similar to Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund so that it will be taxed as an “equity fund”. Can you help?” The advantage of holding such funds compared to a Nasdaq 100 or S&P…

The association of mutual funds in India (AMFI) publishes aggregate AUM held by different mutual fund investors across fund categories each quarter.  Here are some insights into which type of funds are preferred by high net worth individuals/investors (HNIs) and retail investors. The definition of an HNIs is far from accurate and, in this context,…

A 24-year-old reader who wishes anonymity asks, “I am saving around 50k every month for long term (more than 10-15yrs).  I equally invest 40k in (10k each) Parag Parikh flexi cap fund; Canara Robeco emerging equities; Union small cap fund; Axis midcap”. “I invest in (5k each) IDFC 10 year gilt fund and HDFC developed…

In this article, we analyze the performance of multi-asset mutual funds and discuss when and how to choose them. This is a new MF category introduced when the SEBI mutual fund categorization rules came into force. Thus the existing funds in this category are about three years old or less, barring exceptions like Axis Triple…

Only nine out of 87 thematic or sectoral mutual funds have consistently beaten the Nifty 100 Total Returns Index.  Nifty 100 was used because, if these funds cannot consistently beat a simple large cap index (equivalent to Nifty 50 or Sensex), it makes the entire category unsuitable for retail investors who might make the mistake…

In this article, let us determine what percentage of mutual fund AUM is in passive funds (index funds and ETFs). We shall consider four dates to consider the AUM growth. 1: Sep 2021 (latest at the time of writing); 2: March 2020, when the mark fell due to the pandemic/lockdown. 3: Jan 2018 – Before…