The Economic Times

Quant Small Cap Fund increased exposure to Adani Enterprises and eight other stocks in May while reducing holdings in Aurobindo Pharma and four more. The fund also added six new stocks, exited three positions and maintained a defensive tilt through a higher large-cap allocation.

Seven equity mutual funds turned long-term investments into 12-20 times their original value over 20 years. Midcap and flexicap funds dominated, with Nippon India Growth Mid Cap Fund leading wealth creation.

Sectoral and thematic mutual fund inflows saw a significant drop in May, falling by 67%. This decline suggests investors are moving away from concentrated bets towards diversified strategies. Experts believe this trend reflects a natural shift during market uncertainty. While some sectors show strong performance, others lag, making sector selection challenging.

Gold and silver ETFs gained sharply on Friday as precious metal prices rallied amid optimism over a potential US-Iran peace agreement. Experts advise investors to maintain 510% portfolio exposure through Gold ETFs and silver funds, using a staggered investment approach and avoiding panic-driven decisions.

Value investing has dominated the Indian stock market, with value funds delivering strong returns while growth funds lagged. Investors are advised to understand the merits and demerits of this strategy, as it requires patience and may involve periods of underperformance. A maximum of 20% investment in value funds is recommended.

Hybrid Long-Short Funds have dominated SIF inflows since October 2024, accounting for 72% of the total Rs 13,625 crore invested across strategies, according to ValueMetrics.

Choosing mutual funds based only on online rankings or recent performance can be misleading. ETMutualFunds shortlisted 10 equity funds across five categories using rolling returns, consistency, downside risk, outperformance and asset size. Investors should select funds based on financial goals, investment horizon and risk appetite.

ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has launched the Nifty Smallcap 250 ETF, offering exposure to 250 emerging companies. The NFO is open till June 16. The passive fund aims to track the index with minimal cost, targeting investors seeking diversified, long-term participation in Indias growing smallcap segment.

Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund, Indias largest active flexi-cap scheme by AUM, raised exposure to ITC, HDFC Bank and 14 other stocks in May, according to PPFAS Mutual Funds latest portfolio disclosure. The fund added 4.46 crore ITC shares, taking total holdings to 28.78 crore, while increasing its HDFC Bank position by 47.20 lakh shares.

The mutual fund SIP stoppage ratio dropped to 95% in May, indicating more new SIPs were registered than discontinued. This positive trend, with 54.16 lakh new SIPs against 51.70 lakh stoppages, signals growing investor confidence despite market volatility. Robust SIP inflows of Rs 30,954 crore continue to power the industry's growth.

Gold ETFs and multi-asset allocation funds experienced a moderation in investor inflows last month, with gold ETFs seeing a net outflow of Rs 725 crore. Experts advise against over-interpreting single-month data, emphasizing long-term portfolio objectives and strategic asset allocation over short-term trends.

Gold and silver ETFs tumbled on Thursday as precious metal prices fell sharply amid heightened geopolitical tensions, rising crude oil prices and inflation concerns. SBI Gold ETF was the worst-hit gold fund, while silver ETFs also posted losses, prompting investors to reassess buying opportunities in the segment.

Focused equity mutual funds, investing in a maximum of 30 stocks, offer the potential for higher returns but also carry increased risk. These schemes require a higher risk appetite and a longer investment horizon of around seven years. Investors can explore recommended funds like 360 ONE Focused Equity Fund, SBI Focused Fund, Sundaram Focused Fund, and Quant Focused Fund.

Equity mutual fund inflows experienced a significant 40% drop in May, reaching a 12-month low of 22,908 crore. This decline, the steepest since May 2023, occurred as investors reduced lump-sum investments due to escalating West Asia conflict concerns. Meanwhile, Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) flows remained robust, showing only a marginal decrease.

Sebi has proposed enhanced remuneration disclosure norms for mutual fund asset management companies, including consolidated disclosure of executive pay and employee count. The regulator also suggested limited access to scheme-level fund manager remuneration details for investors to strengthen transparency and corporate governance.

Gold ETFs saw their first outflow in over a year in May, while silver ETFs extended losses for the fourth straight month, according to AMFI data. Gold ETFs recorded an outflow of Rs 725 crore versus an inflow in April, while silver ETFs saw a Rs 2,133 crore outflow, taking total withdrawals over four months to Rs 3,770 crore.

A 74-year-old investor with Rs 4 lakh in equity mutual funds seeks advice on future income generation through Systematic Withdrawal Plans. An expert suggests gradually adding hybrid funds to reduce market volatility. The withdrawal amount will depend on investment duration, accumulated gains, income needs, and overall financial situation. Historical data suggests 5-6% annual withdrawals are sustainable over 10-15 years.

Nuvama Wealth Management has received final Sebi approval to enter the mutual fund business through Nuvama Asset Management. The company plans to initially launch products under the Specialized Investment Fund (SIF) framework before expanding its mutual fund offerings, leveraging its wealth management expertise and extensive client base.

Five equity mutual funds delivered strong SIP returns over 10 years, with top schemes nearing 24% annualised gains. Small-cap funds led performance, but experts advise aligning investments with risk profile and long-term goals.

May SIP Data: The monthly inflows remained above the Rs 30,000 crore mark for the third consecutive month. On yearly basis, the SIP inflows went up 16% from Rs 26,688 crore in May 2025. Overall, equity mutual fund inflows declined 40% month-on-month to Rs 22,907 crore in May from Rs 38,440 crore in April. However, on a year-on-year basis, inflows rose 20% from Rs 19,013 crore recorded in May 2025.

Among the 11 sub-categories, flexi cap funds remained investors favourite, attracting the highest inflow of Rs 5,175 crore in May, compared with a record-high inflow of Rs 10,147 crore in April.

Flexi cap mutual funds provide a flexible investment avenue for investors navigating market volatility. Fund managers can strategically allocate assets across large, mid, and small-cap stocks based on market outlook. This approach is ideal for moderate investors aiming for wealth creation over a five to seven-year horizon.

With Nifty 50 valuations at long-term averages, wealth managers suggest allocating to large-cap stocks. These companies offer stability and earnings visibility, making them a safer bet amid global uncertainty. Investors can consider a mix of active and passive large-cap funds for their core portfolio.

Jio BlackRock is set to launch its first Indian ETFs by August, aiming to mirror BlackRock's global success in passive investing. The joint venture, already managing $1.9 billion in assets, plans to initially focus on equity strategies. This move seeks to tap into India's growing, albeit nascent, ETF market, with plans for GIFT City products also underway.

SpaceXs planned IPO and potential inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 have renewed investor interest in Indian mutual funds tracking the benchmark. Such funds could gain indirect exposure to the aerospace giant, although fresh investments in several schemes remain restricted due to overseas investment limits.

Nippon India Value Fund has turned a Rs 10,000 monthly SIP into Rs 1.56 crore over 21 years, according to an ETMutualFunds analysis. Launched in June 2005, the fund holds a four-star rating from Value Research and Morningstar. A Rs 10,000 SIP started 10 years ago would now be worth Rs 27.06 lakh, while similar investments over five and three years would have grown to Rs 8.19 lakh and Rs 3.90 lakh, respectively.

Several flexicap funds have significantly increased their small-cap exposure over the past three years, reflecting confidence in smaller companies. Navi, Samco, and ICICI Prudential led the shift, seeking growth opportunities in niche businesses.

Tata Mutual Fund has temporarily restricted fresh subscriptions in its Tata Gold ETF and Tata Gold ETF Fund of Fund, citing prevailing market and economic conditions. While large direct investments and certain lump-sum inflows face limits, SIPs, SWPs, redemptions and switch-outs will continue without any restrictions.

Axis Mutual Fund has revised exit load structures across its equity schemes, removing charges for large-cap, flexicap and large & midcap funds while shortening the holding period for the midcap fund. The changes apply from June 15 and will cover all fresh investments, including SIPs, STPs and switches under the schemes.

BlackRock has launched the iShares Space Technologies UCITS ETF (STAR) for European investors, featuring a unique IPO fast-entry mechanism. This allows newly listed space companies to be added to the index within 10 to 30 days, rather than waiting for scheduled rebalances. The move follows a surge in investor interest in space ETFs.

Aggressive investors planning SIPs in June can consider a mix of flexi-cap, large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap and hybrid funds across investment baskets, based on ETMutualFunds' model portfolios designed using performance, consistency and risk-adjusted return metrics.

Retirees face a new challenge: managing wealth after decades of building it. Experts advise simplifying complex portfolios, especially those with many stocks. The focus moves to generating income and ensuring long-term financial security through strategic adjustments to investments and withdrawal plans.

ICICI Prudential AMC CIO S Naren warned that rising leverage through derivatives and margin trading poses a bigger risk than any slowdown in mutual fund inflows. He sees private sector banks as attractive contrarian bets and remains optimistic on India's debt market amid improving fundamentals.

Multicap funds are required to allocate at least 25% each to large, mid and smallcap stocks, but some schemes have significantly higher exposure to the riskier mid and smallcap segments. Nippon India Nifty 500 Equal Weight Index Fund topped the list in April 2026, followed by Samco, Groww, DSP and Bajaj Finserv Multi Cap Fund.

Gold and silver ETFs declined sharply on Monday as precious metal prices corrected on the MCX amid rising crude oil prices, inflation concerns and expectations of higher US interest rates. While the selloff weighed on returns, experts believe the correction offers a gradual accumulation opportunity for long-term investors through systematic investments.

These are open-ended funds with attributes of pre-defined maturity and glide path for goal-based investing.

South Korea and Taiwan are facing market pressure despite strong gains in semiconductor giants driving the AI boom. Heavy concentration in a few chipmakers has increased vulnerability to profit-taking and volatility, exposing the risks of narrow market leadership as investors reassess valuations amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties.

The BSE Sensex has fallen over 10,000 points from its peak. Market experts suggest this presents a buying opportunity for long-term investors. Continuing Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) is recommended to benefit from rupee cost averaging. Investors with idle cash can deploy it through staggered investments over several weeks. Diversified equity mutual funds are advised over single sector bets.

Large & mid cap mutual funds blend stability from large caps with the growth potential of mid caps, offering a riskier but potentially rewarding investment. These schemes are ideal for aggressive investors with a long-term horizon willing to embrace extra risk, with fund managers adjusting allocations based on market outlook.

Three major asset management companies have imposed purchase restrictions on large investors in gold mutual fund schemes. This move aims to curb gold imports and manage strong inflows, with retail investors expected to remain unaffected. Wealth managers see this as a response to the Prime Minister's call to reduce imports, following gold's significant recent performance.

The move comes after the company received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to commence mutual fund operations.

Eight flexi cap funds exhibited low performance consistency over the last five years, according to CRISIL's Mutual Fund Scorecard. These funds, despite generally low risk compared to peers, showed varying investment styles and delivered CAGRs ranging from 4.79% to 10.4%.

ICICI Prudential Large Cap Fund topped the list with a 97% performance consistency score, while eight other large-cap funds demonstrated strong return consistency and risk-adjusted performance over the past five years.

Five equity mutual funds, led by Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund, delivered over 20% CAGR in the last five years, highlighting the strong wealth-creation potential of select midcap and smallcap schemes.

Nippon India Mutual Fund has imposed temporary subscription limits on Nippon India ETF Gold BeES and Nippon India Gold Savings Fund from June 8. While SIPs and STPs will continue within prescribed limits, fresh lump-sum investments and direct subscriptions by large investors will face restrictions until further notice.

A 37-year-old investor planning a Rs 1,000 monthly SIP for 20 years sought advice on choosing between multicap and flexicap funds. Samir Shah of Investa Financial explained the differences, highlighting risk appetite, fund manager flexibility, and goal-based investing as key factors in selecting the right mutual fund category.