The Economic Times

Invesco India Mid Cap Fund gave the highest return of 27.2% in the last three years. The fund is assigned a four-star rating and had an AUM of Rs 9.895 crore.

Growing up in a middle-class family that valued discipline and long-term thinking, I developed an early interest in understanding how businesses grow and create value. That curiosity gradually evolved into a passion for equity markets and investing.

Five mutual fund NFOs and one SIF are set to open for subscription this week, offering investors fresh opportunities across index, ETF and thematic categories. With varying investment minimums and timelines, these launches reflect fund houses efforts to expand offerings and capture investor interest in evolving market segments.

Ex-Top 100 long-short SIF strategies have delivered strong near-term gains, with leading funds returning up to 15% in a month. The approach focuses on mid and small caps outside top 100 stocks, combining long equity exposure with selective short positions for alpha generation.

Six equity mutual funds delivered over 20% returns in April, led by international and sector-focused schemes. A majority of funds posted positive returns, reflecting strong market momentum. Global indices, especially Nasdaq, supported performance, while only two funds ended negative, highlighting broad-based gains across categories during the month.

Quant Mutual Fund advises aggressive portfolio rebalancing amid improving market conditions, citing attractive valuations and strong liquidity. It favors large caps, selective mid and small caps, and sectors like energy, infrastructure, and financials, while remaining cautious on manufacturing uncertainties.

A long-term investor with Rs 10 lakh and a 15-year horizon can build a simple four-fund mutual fund portfolio combining a Nifty index fund and flexi-cap funds. The strategy focuses on disciplined investing, diversification, and staying invested through volatility to generate sustainable wealth over time despite market fluctuations.

Sharpe ratio measures risk-adjusted returns, showing excess return per unit of risk. Top flexi-cap funds deliver strong three-year performance with relatively high Sharpe ratios, indicating efficient balance between risk and returns.

Mutual fund investors can now temporarily block withdrawals and debits from their folios, with 15 AMCs, including PPFAS Mutual Fund, rolling out a voluntary lock-in facility. This Sebi-introduced framework offers enhanced safety and control, applicable to both demat and non-demat holdings, and is accessible via MF Central.

Equity mutual funds saw strong performance in April 2026. Nearly 25 funds delivered over 25% returns, led by sectoral and thematic options. Many funds offered double-digit gains, while a few experienced minor losses. Investors are advised to consider SIPs for flexi-cap funds and include mid-cap options for consistent performance amid expected market fluctuations.

Kotak Mutual Fund has temporarily restricted subscriptions in four international funds, allowing investments up to Rs 1 lakh per PAN per month. The move reflects ongoing limits on overseas investments. Existing SIPs will continue, while fresh inflows are capped. The funds have delivered strong returns over the past year.

ETMutualFunds presents recommended mutual fund portfolios for May 2026. These portfolios cater to conservative, moderate, and aggressive investors. They are designed for SIP investments across various amounts. The selection methodology considers rolling returns, consistency, downside risk, outperformance, and asset size for equity, debt, and hybrid funds. This guide helps investors build portfolios for long-term goals.

Union Mutual Fund has launched its Arthaya Equity Long Short Fund under the new SEBI SIF framework. This strategy aims to generate returns across market cycles by combining long equity positions with selective short exposure, bridging the gap between traditional and alternative investment products.

Indian Exchange Traded Funds experienced unprecedented net inflows of over Rs 1.8 lakh crore in FY26. Commodity ETFs, specifically Gold and Silver, drew more investor interest than equity ETFs. This marks a significant shift, with over half of all ETF inflows directed towards these precious metals. This trend indicates investors are diversifying their portfolios using the ETF structure.

A 55-year-old investor targeting Rs 5 crore from a Rs 70 lakh corpus may fall short with a 10% step-up SIP, experts caution. Even with 1314% returns, projections remain below target. Increasing SIP contributions and timely portfolio derisking are critical to improving outcomes and protecting gains near retirement.

During salary hikes, investors should consider increasing SIPs to beat inflation, boost wealth, and match goals. Step-up SIPs help automate growth, but regular reviews ensure affordability, flexibility, and proper portfolio balance.

Zerodha Fund House CEO Vishal Jain advocates for low-cost index funds and ETFs as the core of long-term portfolios, emphasizing asset allocation for broad exposure and simplicity. He believes passive products offer transparency and cost-effectiveness, making them ideal building blocks for investors navigating uncertain markets.

Short duration mutual funds offer investment opportunities for one to three years. These funds invest in instruments like treasury bills and corporate bonds. They provide a moderate risk profile, less than long-term funds but more than liquid options. Investors seeking stability for short-term goals can consider these schemes.

Mutual fund calculators help investors estimate returns, plan investments, and achieve financial goals through tools like SIP, step-up SIP, SWP, lumpsum, and index calculators. They simplify decisions, improve clarity on growth, and enable disciplined, goal-based financial planning with realistic assumptions.

Banking sector mutual funds held up to 9% of their assets in cash as of March 31, 2026, signalling a cautious stance amid market conditions. Groww Banking & Financial Services Fund topped the list, followed by Taurus, LIC MF, Baroda BNP Paribas, and Mahindra Manulife funds with notable cash allocations.

A recent analysis revealed that thirteen equity mutual funds have delivered over 20% CAGR in both the last three and five years. Among these top performers, seven were midcap funds, four were smallcap funds, one was a multicap fund, and one was a large and midcap fund. These funds represent strong historical performance in the Indian mutual fund market.

ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has announced changes in fund managers for two schemes effective May 1, with S Naren exiting both. The Passive Multi Asset FoF and Global Advantage FoF will see revised management structures. The update comes amid ongoing reshuffles within the fund houses portfolio management teams.

A 33-year-old investor's ambitious 14% CAGR target with mutual funds was deemed unrealistic by a financial planner. The expert advised aligning expectations with historical equity returns of 11-13% and suggested consolidating the portfolio for better impact and avoiding over-diversification.

According to Sebi norms, medium to long term funds have a mandate to invest in debt and money market instruments in such a way that the Macaulay's duration of the portfolio is four to seven years. Since these schemes invest in long-term debt instruments, they are considered risky.

Following a salary hike, investors face the question of increasing monthly SIP contributions. Financial planners advise annual increases to combat inflation and align savings with rising income and goals. Automating these increases via step-up SIPs or top-ups is an option, though manual reviews are also recommended to adapt to real-world financial changes.

Bandhan Small Cap Fund has delivered the highest CAGR since its inception on February 25, 2020. The fund generated a CAGR of 28.79% and managed AUM of Rs 20,129 crore as of March 2026.

HSBC Mutual Fund introduces RedHex SIF, a new specialized investment fund in India. This offering provides investors with focused strategies and portfolio flexibility. It operates within the familiar mutual fund structure, emphasizing transparency and governance. RedHex SIF targets experienced, institutional, and HNI investors with a minimum investment of Rs 10 lakh.

Over the past decade, silver has outshone gold, equities, bonds, and real estate to become the best-performing asset class, driven by strong long-term returns and favourable supply-demand dynamics.

Investors often over-diversify with too many mutual funds, leading to duplication and management issues. A viewer's portfolio of 15 funds was analyzed, revealing significant overlap. Experts recommend reducing to 5-6 high-quality schemes aligned with goals and risk, while also addressing the corpus shortfall.

Rule 144 is simply 2 Rule 72. Just as Rule 72 estimates doubling time, Rule 144 estimates quadrupling time.

International funds have delivered up to 50% returns in one year, supported by a global tech rally, rupee depreciation, and strong earnings. But with fresh subscriptions halted due to RBIs overseas investment limits, experts say investors should stay invested, rebalance if allocation has risen sharply, and avoid chasing short-term returns.

Alternative assets like REITs and InvITs have surpassed traditional investments. These instruments offer attractive returns and tax efficiency. Investors are increasingly drawn to these assets for predictable cash flows. The market cap of these listed entities provides ample diversification opportunities. Investors can anticipate strong internal rates of return over a four-year holding period.

Global gold demand as ETF inflows and bar and coin buying surged, shifting consumption away from jewellery. Rising prices curbed discretionary purchases, while investment demand strengthened globally and in India amid geopolitical uncertainty, diversification needs, and sustained central bank accumulation.

Despite a challenging FY26, marked by volatility and weak benchmark returns, eleven mutual funds across categories consistently outperformed, delivering superior risk-adjusted returns and showcasing resilience through changing market conditions and trends.

Tata Mutual Fund has launched the Titanium Equity Long-Short Fund under its Titanium SIF platform, offering a dynamic long-short equity strategy with net exposure ranging from -25% to 100%. Aimed at high-risk investors, the NFO is open until May 11.

Investing a Rs 2 crore corpus effectively requires prioritising goals and building a strategic, inflation-adjusted allocation across equity, debt, gold and cash to fund a childs overseas education, future marriage, retirement and emergency needs.

Investors are reassessing investment choices due to rising fixed deposit rates and market fluctuations. Experts advise maintaining a long-term equity strategy for aggressive investors, even with short-term volatility. The decision between FDs and debt funds depends on liquidity needs and tax brackets. Diversification within equity portfolios is also recommended for wealth creation.

Bank of India Small Cap Fund leads five-year returns with a 30.83% CAGR. The fund shows strong performance across various periods, driven by disciplined stock selection and focus on business fundamentals. Experts highlight sector exposure and India's growth themes. However, concerns about current valuations and sustainability of high returns exist. Investors should consider risk tolerance and long-term goals before investing.

Silver and gold ETFs saw gains of up to 3% on Monday, despite a lower opening for bullion prices on MCX. Rising crude oil prices fueled inflation concerns, reinforcing expectations of prolonged high interest rates. Experts suggest this consolidation phase offers an attractive window for long-term investors to accumulate precious metals.

Gilt funds are being recommended to aggressive debt investors for potential double-digit returns during anticipated RBI interest rate cuts. These funds invest in government securities, offering no credit risk but high sensitivity to interest rate changes. Investors should have a long-term horizon and be informed about economic cycles to benefit from these volatile, yet potentially rewarding, schemes.