Mutual Funds

Mutual funds are the most popular investment options these days. A mutual fund is an investment vehicle formed when an asset management company or fund house pools investments from several individuals and institutional investors with common investment objectives. A fund manager, who is a finance professional, manages the pooled investment. The fund manager purchases securities such as stocks and bonds that are in line with the investment mandate.

Mutual funds are an excellent investment option for individual investors to get exposure to an expert managed portfolio. Also, you can diversify your portfolio by investing in mutual funds as the asset allocation would cover several instruments. Investors would be allocated with fund units based on the amount they invest.

Each investor would hence experience profits or losses that are directly proportional to the amount they invest.The main intention of the fund manager is to provide optimum returns to investors by investing in securities that are in sync with the fund’s objectives. The performance of mutual funds is dependent on the underlying assets. Mutual funds in India are broadly classified into equity funds, debt funds, and balanced mutual funds, depending on their asset allocation and equity exposure. Therefore, the risk assumed and returns provided by a mutual fund plan would depend on its type.

We have broken down the types of mutual funds in detail below:


   Equity Funds

Equity funds, as the name suggests, invest mostly in equity shares of companies across all market capitalizations. A mutual fund is categorized under equity fund if it invests at least 65% of its portfolio in equity instruments. Equity funds have the potential to offer the highest returns among all classes of mutual funds. The returns provided by equity funds depend on the market movements, which are influenced by several geopolitical and economic factors. The equity funds are further classified as below:

  • Small-Cap Funds
    Small-cap funds are those equity funds that predominantly invest in equity and equity-linked instruments of companies with small market capitalization. SEBI defines small-cap companies as those that are ranked after 251 in market capitalization.
  • Mid-Cap Funds
    Mid-cap funds are those equity funds that invest primarily in equity and equity-linked instruments of companies with medium market capitalization. SEBI defines mid-cap companies as those that are ranked between 101 and 250 in market capitalization.
  • Large-Cap Funds
    Large-cap funds are those equity funds that invest mostly in equity and equity-linked instruments of companies with large market capitalization. SEBI defines large-cap companies as those that are ranked between 1 and 100 in market capitalization.
  • Multi-Cap Funds
    Multi-Cap Funds invest substantially in equity and equity-linked instruments of companies across all market capitalizations. The fund manager would change the asset allocation depending on the market condition to reap the maximum returns for investors and reduce the risk levels.
  • Sector or Thematic Funds
    Sectoral funds invest principally in equity and equity-linked instruments of companies in a particular sector like FMCG and IT. Thematic funds invest in equities of companies that operate with a similar theme like travel.
  • Index Funds
    Index Funds are a type of equity funds having the intention of tracking and emulating the performance of a popular stock market index such as the S&P BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty50. The asset allocation of an index fund would be the same as that of its underlying index. Therefore, the returns offered by index mutual funds would be similar to that of its underlying index.
  • ELSS
    Equity-linked savings scheme (ELSS) is the only kind of mutual funds covered under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Investors can claim tax deductions of up to RS 150,000/- a year by investing in ELSS.

   Debt Mutual Funds

Debt mutual funds invest mostly in debt, money market and other fixed-income instruments such as treasury bills, government bonds, certificates of deposit, and other high-rated securities. A mutual fund is considered a debt fund if it invests a minimum of 65% of its portfolio in debt securities. Debt funds are ideal for risk-averse investors as the performance of debt funds is not influenced much by the market fluctuations. Therefore, the returns provided by debt funds are very much predictable. The debt funds are further classified as below:

  • Dynamic Bond Funds
    Dynamic Bond Funds are those debt funds whose portfolio is modified depending on the fluctuations in the interest rates.
  • Income Funds
    Income Funds invest in securities that come with a long maturity period and therefore, provide stable returns over time. The average maturity period of these funds is five years.
  • Short-Term and Ultra Short-Term Debt Funds
    Short-term and ultra-short-term debt funds are those mutual funds that invest in securities that mature in one to three years. These funds are ideal for risk-averse investors.
  • Liquid Funds
    Liquid funds are debt funds that invest in assets and securities that mature within ninety-one days. These mutual funds generally invest in high-rated instruments. Liquid funds are a great option to park your surplus funds, and they offer higher returns than a regular savings bank account.
  • Gilt Funds
    Gilt Funds are debt funds that invest in high-rated government securities. It is for this reason that these funds possess lower levels of risk and are apt for risk-averse investors.
  • Credit Opportunities Funds
    Credit Opportunities Funds mostly invest in low rated securities that have the potential to provide higher returns. Naturally, these funds are the riskiest class of debt funds.
  • Fixed Maturity Plans
    Fixed maturity plans (FMPs) are close-ended debt funds that invest in fixed income securities such as government bonds. You may invest in FMPs only during the fund offer period, and the investment will be locked-in for a predefined period.

   Balanced or Hybrid Mutual Funds

Balanced or hybrid mutual funds invest across both equity and debt instruments. The main objective of hybrid funds is to balance the risk-reward ratio by diversifying the portfolio. The fund manager would modify the asset allocation of the fund depending on the market condition, to benefit the investors and reduce the risk levels. Investing in hybrid funds is an excellent way of diversifying your portfolio as you would gain exposure to both equity and debt instruments. The debt funds are further classified as below:

  • Equity-Oriented Hybrid Funds
    Equity-oriented hybrid funds are those that invest at least 65% of its portfolio in equities while the rest is invested in fixed-income instruments.
  • Debt-Oriented Hybrid Funds
    Debt-oriented hybrid funds allocate at least 65% of its portfolio in fixed-income instruments such as treasury bills and government securities, and the rest is invested in equities.
  • Monthly Income Plans
    Monthly income plans (MIPs) majorly invest in debt instruments and aim at providing a steady return over time. The equity exposure is usually limited to under 20%. You can decide if you would receive dividends on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.
  • Arbitrage Funds
    Arbitrage funds aim at maximizing the returns by purchasing securities in one market at lower prices and selling them in another market at a premium. However, if the arbitrage opportunities are not available, then the fund manager may choose to invest in debt securities or cash equivalents.
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