Original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on developments in the mutual fund space and in-depth reviews
In this third and final part on “how to select an equity mutual fund”, we will consider different ways in which one ‘make a choice’ from a shortlist. Yes, there are several ways to choose from a shortlist, just like there are several ways to make a shortlist. You will have to take your pick….
Continue reading →Any selection process should have three components: (a) an objective; (b) a method to create a shortlist and (c) a method to finalize with the shortlist. Yesterday we discussed the objective. Today we shall consider how to create a shortlist from which an equity mutual fund can be selected. If you have not read yesterday’s…
Continue reading →Over the next few days, I would like to do a series on “How to select an equity mutual fund”. This is the long overdue update to the step by step guide to mutual fund selection. I write this primarily because my understanding about mutual funds has grown significantly since I wrote the pdf guide. I…
Continue reading →Perhaps, “what should be the role of a fund manager?” is a more appropriate question. In an interview to Cafemutual, Mirae assets fund manager, Neelesh Surana said, “The challenging part (of being a fund manager) is the pressure of generating superior performance vis-à-vis markets and peers. The pressure of getting it right consistently is always there”….
Continue reading →Upside and Downside capture ratios are two easy-to-understand measures used to analyze performance of a volatile instrument. I had earlier written a post on how to use them for mutual fund analysis. Suggest you it along with this post: Simplify Mutual Fund Analysis with Upside/Downside Capture Ratios The explanation provided there is quite oversimplified. In…
Continue reading →Balanced equity funds or equity-oriented balanced funds are those with min 65% equity exposure so that they can be classified as equity funds by the taxman. The rest of the portfolio (35-25%) has debt securities (gilts, corporate bonds, money-market instruments etc.). Here is why I think these funds can match the returns of diversified equity Here…
Continue reading →SEBI is a trigger happy regulator. In its desire to help investors, it seems to have thrown a spanner in the works . The actual benefit to the investor from many of its diktats pales in comparison to the havoc created in the financial services. Here is why aspiring to become a mutual fund distributor today…
Continue reading →We all woke up to the shocking news yesterday that Parah Parikh died in a car crash in the US on Sunday (May 3rd). He was not wearing a seat belt. His wife was wearing one, but still sustained serious head and chest injuries and is critical. Yesterday afternoon, the PPFAS management sent an email…
Continue reading →Stop asking for fund suggestions already! Learn how to shortlist funds and have the confidence to pick one! Free lunches will cause serious injuries to your financial health. It is so frustrating and disappointing to see people ask for mutual funds suggestions publicly. It has finally dawned on me that responding to such questions in…
Continue reading →In the second part 2, let us address the ‘kitna milega?’ with a little more analysis. The first part is here. Before we being to answer, what return one can expect, the objective of the study must be clear. We will be using past data to figure out, for a given duration (say 15 years), what is the average return…
Continue reading →Analyse mutual fund performance on year on year basis for the last 8 years with this tool. This is a modified version of the risk return analyzer where investments durations of 1 to 8 years were considered. In this version the duration is fixed at 1 year but it is rolled over. That is risk adjusted performance…
Continue reading →Here are step-by-step instructions for choosing a liquid mutual fund. This post is inspired from a comment by Firoz Hajiani. I think the following steps might help the reader become familiar with some of the aspects that govern debt fund selection. The first question to answer is, Why choose a liquid fund? Many ‘experts’ suggest that…
Continue reading →Mutual fund star ratings are supposed to rate funds on a risk adjusted basis. That is, more the number of stars, better the risk-adjusted performance. If you look at some of the metrics they use to award star ratings, you might agree with me that this is not as easy as it sounds and that the…
Continue reading →Here is a set of instructions for regular mutual fund investors to switch to direct mutual fund plans, and for first time investors to buy direct mutual fund plans. If you have already done this, please check if I have missed out anything and if you think this is useful, forward it to others who might…
Continue reading →I find that my mutual funds star rating has dropped. It is time for me to switch? When should I change funds? These are questions I am sure every mutual fund investor must have asked these and related questions at some point or the other. The following post is about performance review of equity mutual…
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