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5 Best Short Duration (Short Term) Debt Funds To Invest In 2025
Generally, people believe that Mutual Fund investments are for long-term investors. Well, that's not true! There is a category of funds called Short Duration Funds or Short Term Debt fund that allow investors to invest for short-term along with keeping their money accessible. Though there are various Short Duration Funds available in the Market, investors are suggested to look for best Short Duration (Short Term) Debt Funds.
The best Short Duration (Short Term) Debt Funds are funds that allow investors to invest for a short term, typically for three years, to earn good returns with less market risk. These funds are highly suitable investors with a low-risk appetite who seek quick returns and a steady flow of Income without being affected by the daily changes in the bond markets.
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Best Short Duration Funds or Short Term Debt Funds FY 25 - 26
To generate income through investments in a range of debt and money market instruments of various maturities with a view to maximising income while maintaining the optimum balance of yield, safety and liquidity. ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund is a Debt - Short term Bond fund was launched on 25 Oct 01. It is a fund with Moderate risk and has given a Below is the key information for ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund Returns up to 1 year are on (Erstwhile HDFC Short Term Opportunities Fund) To generate regular income through investments in Debt/Money Market Instruments and Government Securities with maturities not exceeding 36 months. HDFC Short Term Debt Fund is a Debt - Short term Bond fund was launched on 25 Jun 10. It is a fund with Moderately Low risk and has given a Below is the key information for HDFC Short Term Debt Fund Returns up to 1 year are on An Open ended Income scheme with the objective to generate regular income by investing primarily in investment grade fixed income securities / money market instruments with short to medium term maturities and across the credit spectrum within the universe of investment grade rating. Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund is a Debt - Short term Bond fund was launched on 9 May 03. It is a fund with Moderate risk and has given a Below is the key information for Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The primary investment objective of the scheme is to generate stable returns for investors with a short term investment horizon by investing in fixed income
securitites of a short term maturity. Nippon India Short Term Fund is a Debt - Short term Bond fund was launched on 18 Dec 02. It is a fund with Moderately Low risk and has given a Below is the key information for Nippon India Short Term Fund Returns up to 1 year are on To generate stable returns with a low risk strategy while maintaining liquidity through a portfolio comprising of debt and money market instruments. However, there can be no assurance that the investment objective of the scheme will be achieved. Axis Short Term Fund is a Debt - Short term Bond fund was launched on 22 Jan 10. It is a fund with Moderately Low risk and has given a Below is the key information for Axis Short Term Fund Returns up to 1 year are on Fund NAV Net Assets (Cr) 3 MO (%) 6 MO (%) 1 YR (%) 3 YR (%) 2024 (%) Debt Yield (YTM) Mod. Duration Eff. Maturity ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund Growth ₹60.3211
↑ 0.00 ₹21,284 2.7 5 9 8.1 7.8 7.08% 2Y 4M 17D 4Y 18D HDFC Short Term Debt Fund Growth ₹32.1111
↓ 0.00 ₹17,019 2.8 5 9.3 7.9 8.3 6.87% 2Y 9M 4Y 1M 2D Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund Growth ₹47.677
↓ -0.01 ₹9,193 2.6 4.9 9 7.7 7.9 6.92% 2Y 8M 12D 3Y 6M 18D Nippon India Short Term Fund Growth ₹52.9693
↑ 0.00 ₹7,058 3 5.1 9.4 7.7 8 6.87% 2Y 8M 16D 3Y 5M 26D Axis Short Term Fund Growth ₹31.0103
↓ 0.00 ₹9,494 2.8 5.2 9.4 7.7 8 6.83% 2Y 7M 6D 3Y 2M 23D Note: Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR basis. as on 27 Jun 25 Assets >= 100 Crore & Sorted on 3 Year CAGR Return.
1. ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund
CAGR/Annualized return of 7.9% since its launch. Ranked 11 in Short term Bond category. Return for 2024 was 7.8% , 2023 was 7.4% and 2022 was 4.7% . ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund
Growth Launch Date 25 Oct 01 NAV (27 Jun 25) ₹60.3211 ↑ 0.00 (0.00 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹21,284 on 31 May 25 Category Debt - Short term Bond AMC ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Limited Rating ☆☆☆☆ Risk Moderate Expense Ratio 1.11 Sharpe Ratio 2.39 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 1,000 Exit Load 0-7 Days (0.25%),7 Days and above(NIL) Yield to Maturity 7.08% Effective Maturity 4 Years 18 Days Modified Duration 2 Years 4 Months 17 Days Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 May 20 ₹10,000 31 May 21 ₹10,750 31 May 22 ₹11,062 31 May 23 ₹11,905 31 May 24 ₹12,764 31 May 25 ₹13,941 Returns for ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 27 Jun 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.3% 3 Month 2.7% 6 Month 5% 1 Year 9% 3 Year 8.1% 5 Year 6.7% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 7.9% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 7.8% 2023 7.4% 2022 4.7% 2021 3.9% 2020 10.6% 2019 9.7% 2018 5.8% 2017 5.9% 2016 11.1% 2015 8% Fund Manager information for ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund
Name Since Tenure Manish Banthia 19 Nov 09 15.54 Yr. Nikhil Kabra 29 Dec 20 4.42 Yr. Data below for ICICI Prudential Short Term Fund as on 31 May 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 4.07% Debt 95.68% Other 0.26% Debt Sector Allocation
Sector Value Corporate 60.44% Government 35.24% Cash Equivalent 4.07% Credit Quality
Rating Value AA 18.08% AAA 81.92% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity 7.1% Govt Stock 2034
Sovereign Bonds | -7% ₹1,597 Cr 151,555,180
↓ -57,500,000 7.81% Govt Stock 2033
Sovereign Bonds | -6% ₹1,262 Cr 121,501,270 6.79% Govt Stock 2034
Sovereign Bonds | -5% ₹1,025 Cr 98,905,400
↑ 42,754,550 6.99% Govt Stock 2034
Sovereign Bonds | -3% ₹708 Cr 69,574,740 7.58% LIC Housing Finance Limited (23/03/2035)
Debentures | -3% ₹611 Cr 60,000 National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -3% ₹555 Cr 55,000 National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -2% ₹514 Cr 50,500
↑ 2,500 Small Industries Development Bank Of India
Debentures | -2% ₹374 Cr 37,000 Small Industries Development Bank Of India
Debentures | -2% ₹368 Cr 36,500 National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -2% ₹353 Cr 35,000 2. HDFC Short Term Debt Fund
CAGR/Annualized return of 8.1% since its launch. Ranked 30 in Short term Bond category. Return for 2024 was 8.3% , 2023 was 7.1% and 2022 was 3.5% . HDFC Short Term Debt Fund
Growth Launch Date 25 Jun 10 NAV (27 Jun 25) ₹32.1111 ↓ 0.00 (-0.01 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹17,019 on 15 Jun 25 Category Debt - Short term Bond AMC HDFC Asset Management Company Limited Rating ☆☆☆ Risk Moderately Low Expense Ratio 0.71 Sharpe Ratio 2.57 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 300 Exit Load NIL Yield to Maturity 6.87% Effective Maturity 4 Years 1 Month 2 Days Modified Duration 2 Years 9 Months Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 May 20 ₹10,000 31 May 21 ₹10,768 31 May 22 ₹11,057 31 May 23 ₹11,805 31 May 24 ₹12,654 31 May 25 ₹13,876 Returns for HDFC Short Term Debt Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 27 Jun 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.2% 3 Month 2.8% 6 Month 5% 1 Year 9.3% 3 Year 7.9% 5 Year 6.5% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 8.1% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 8.3% 2023 7.1% 2022 3.5% 2021 3.9% 2020 11% 2019 9.7% 2018 7% 2017 6.5% 2016 9.3% 2015 8.7% Fund Manager information for HDFC Short Term Debt Fund
Name Since Tenure Anil Bamboli 25 Jun 10 14.94 Yr. Dhruv Muchhal 22 Jun 23 1.94 Yr. Data below for HDFC Short Term Debt Fund as on 15 Jun 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 3.59% Debt 96.14% Other 0.27% Debt Sector Allocation
Sector Value Corporate 61.13% Government 35.01% Cash Equivalent 3.59% Credit Quality
Rating Value AA 10.88% AAA 89.12% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity 7.18% Govt Stock 2033
Sovereign Bonds | -6% ₹872 Cr 82,500,000 Aditya Birla Renewables Limited
Debentures | -3% ₹442 Cr 43,500 7.11% Govt Stock 2028
Sovereign Bonds | -3% ₹419 Cr 41,500,000 7.26% Govt Stock 2032
Sovereign Bonds | -2% ₹366 Cr 34,500,000 Jamnagar Utilities And Power Private Limited
Debentures | -2% ₹333 Cr 32,500 7.1% Govt Stock 2034
Sovereign Bonds | -2% ₹290 Cr 27,500,000 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Domestic Bonds | -2% ₹257 Cr 25,000 Bajaj Housing Finance Limited
Debentures | -2% ₹255 Cr 25,000 Pipeline Infrastructure Private Limited
Debentures | -2% ₹253 Cr 24,500 TVS Credit Services Limited
Debentures | -1% ₹208 Cr 200 3. Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund
CAGR/Annualized return of 7.3% since its launch. Ranked 18 in Short term Bond category. Return for 2024 was 7.9% , 2023 was 6.9% and 2022 was 4.2% . Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund
Growth Launch Date 9 May 03 NAV (27 Jun 25) ₹47.677 ↓ -0.01 (-0.02 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹9,193 on 31 May 25 Category Debt - Short term Bond AMC Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co Ltd Rating ☆☆☆☆ Risk Moderate Expense Ratio 1.06 Sharpe Ratio 2.44 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 1,000 Min SIP Investment 1,000 Exit Load 0-90 Days (0.5%),90 Days and above(NIL) Yield to Maturity 6.92% Effective Maturity 3 Years 6 Months 18 Days Modified Duration 2 Years 8 Months 12 Days Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 May 20 ₹10,000 31 May 21 ₹10,918 31 May 22 ₹11,267 31 May 23 ₹12,026 31 May 24 ₹12,836 31 May 25 ₹14,054 Returns for Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 27 Jun 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.1% 3 Month 2.6% 6 Month 4.9% 1 Year 9% 3 Year 7.7% 5 Year 6.7% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 7.3% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 7.9% 2023 6.9% 2022 4.2% 2021 3.8% 2020 11.1% 2019 8.5% 2018 6.5% 2017 5.6% 2016 11.3% 2015 8.4% Fund Manager information for Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund
Name Since Tenure Kaustubh Gupta 11 Sep 14 10.73 Yr. Mohit Sharma 6 Aug 20 4.82 Yr. Data below for Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund as on 31 May 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 6.29% Debt 93.43% Other 0.28% Debt Sector Allocation
Sector Value Corporate 59.87% Government 33.56% Cash Equivalent 6.29% Credit Quality
Rating Value AA 14.29% AAA 85.71% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -5% ₹432 Cr 42,500 Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. 6.94%
Domestic Bonds | -5% ₹376 Cr 37,500
↑ 37,500 7.18% Govt Stock 2033
Sovereign Bonds | -4% ₹311 Cr 29,500,000
↓ -20,000,000 7.48% National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -3% ₹264 Cr 26,000
↑ 26,000 Small Industries Development Bank Of India
Debentures | -3% ₹239 Cr 23,500 7.1% Govt Stock 2034
Sovereign Bonds | -3% ₹214 Cr 20,406,400
↓ -42,000,000 Bajaj Housing Finance Limited
Debentures | -2% ₹204 Cr 20,000 Small Industries Development Bank Of India
Debentures | -2% ₹186 Cr 1,850 Embassy Office Parks Reit
Debentures | -2% ₹183 Cr 18,000 7.17% Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited**
Debentures | -2% ₹178 Cr 17,500 4. Nippon India Short Term Fund
CAGR/Annualized return of 7.7% since its launch. Ranked 17 in Short term Bond category. Return for 2024 was 8% , 2023 was 6.8% and 2022 was 3.2% . Nippon India Short Term Fund
Growth Launch Date 18 Dec 02 NAV (27 Jun 25) ₹52.9693 ↑ 0.00 (0.00 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹7,058 on 31 May 25 Category Debt - Short term Bond AMC Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd. Rating ☆☆☆☆ Risk Moderately Low Expense Ratio 0.96 Sharpe Ratio 2.59 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 100 Exit Load NIL Yield to Maturity 6.87% Effective Maturity 3 Years 5 Months 26 Days Modified Duration 2 Years 8 Months 16 Days Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 May 20 ₹10,000 31 May 21 ₹10,755 31 May 22 ₹11,035 31 May 23 ₹11,737 31 May 24 ₹12,522 31 May 25 ₹13,761 Returns for Nippon India Short Term Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 27 Jun 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.2% 3 Month 3% 6 Month 5.1% 1 Year 9.4% 3 Year 7.7% 5 Year 6.3% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 7.7% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 8% 2023 6.8% 2022 3.2% 2021 4.4% 2020 9.5% 2019 9.4% 2018 5.5% 2017 5.7% 2016 9.8% 2015 8.1% Fund Manager information for Nippon India Short Term Fund
Name Since Tenure Vivek Sharma 1 Feb 20 5.33 Yr. Kinjal Desai 25 May 18 7.02 Yr. Sushil Budhia 31 Mar 21 4.17 Yr. Data below for Nippon India Short Term Fund as on 31 May 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 4.81% Debt 94.88% Other 0.31% Debt Sector Allocation
Sector Value Corporate 58.43% Government 37.96% Cash Equivalent 3.31% Credit Quality
Rating Value AA 10.45% AAA 89.55% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity 7.32% Govt Stock 2030
Sovereign Bonds | -8% ₹535 Cr 50,500,000 7.17% Govt Stock 2030
Sovereign Bonds | -7% ₹487 Cr 46,500,000 7.02% Govt Stock 2031
Sovereign Bonds | -4% ₹262 Cr 25,000,000 7.1% Govt Stock 2029
Sovereign Bonds | -3% ₹218 Cr 21,000,000 Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd. 7.86%
Debentures | -3% ₹203 Cr 20,000 Small Industries Development Bank Of India
Debentures | -3% ₹170 Cr 16,500 National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -3% ₹170 Cr 16,500 8.2% Can Fin Homes Limited**
Debentures | -3% ₹168 Cr 16,500 LIC Housing Finance Limited
Debentures | -2% ₹153 Cr 15,000 Rural Electrification Corporation Limited
Debentures | -2% ₹152 Cr 15,000 5. Axis Short Term Fund
CAGR/Annualized return of 7.6% since its launch. Ranked 26 in Short term Bond category. Return for 2024 was 8% , 2023 was 6.8% and 2022 was 3.7% . Axis Short Term Fund
Growth Launch Date 22 Jan 10 NAV (27 Jun 25) ₹31.0103 ↓ 0.00 (-0.01 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹9,494 on 31 May 25 Category Debt - Short term Bond AMC Axis Asset Management Company Limited Rating ☆☆☆ Risk Moderately Low Expense Ratio 0.92 Sharpe Ratio 2.54 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 1,000 Exit Load NIL Yield to Maturity 6.83% Effective Maturity 3 Years 2 Months 23 Days Modified Duration 2 Years 7 Months 6 Days Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 May 20 ₹10,000 31 May 21 ₹10,679 31 May 22 ₹10,967 31 May 23 ₹11,695 31 May 24 ₹12,466 31 May 25 ₹13,678 Returns for Axis Short Term Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 27 Jun 25 Duration Returns 1 Month 0.3% 3 Month 2.8% 6 Month 5.2% 1 Year 9.4% 3 Year 7.7% 5 Year 6.2% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 7.6% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 8% 2023 6.8% 2022 3.7% 2021 3.5% 2020 10.1% 2019 9.8% 2018 6.3% 2017 5.9% 2016 9.6% 2015 8.1% Fund Manager information for Axis Short Term Fund
Name Since Tenure Devang Shah 5 Nov 12 12.58 Yr. Aditya Pagaria 3 Jul 23 1.91 Yr. Data below for Axis Short Term Fund as on 31 May 25
Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 11.55% Debt 88.2% Other 0.25% Debt Sector Allocation
Sector Value Corporate 63.95% Government 27.77% Cash Equivalent 8.03% Credit Quality
Rating Value AA 14.3% AAA 85.7% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity 7.1% Govt Stock 2034
Sovereign Bonds | -7% ₹628 Cr 59,625,200
↓ -18,000,000 7.18% Govt Stock 2033
Sovereign Bonds | -6% ₹613 Cr 58,000,000
↑ 11,000,000 7.48% National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -6% ₹540 Cr 53,000
↑ 12,500 India Grid Trust
Debentures | -2% ₹193 Cr 19,000 National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -2% ₹178 Cr 17,500 National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development
Debentures | -2% ₹153 Cr 15,000 Kotak Mahindra Prime Ltd. 7.6%
Debentures | -1% ₹142 Cr 14,000
↑ 10,000 Rec Limited
Debentures | -1% ₹128 Cr 12,500
↑ 12,500 Indigrid Infrastructure Trust 7.88%
Debentures | -1% ₹128 Cr 12,500 Embassy Office Parks Reit
Debentures | -1% ₹128 Cr 12,500
Why Invest In Best Short Duration Debt Funds?
Given the short term nature of these investments, Short Duration (Short Term) Debt Funds do not offer very high returns like Equity Funds. However, there are certainly several reasons that ensure Investing in the best Short Duration (Short Term) Debt funds is totally worth to consider. Some of those include-
Short Duration (Short Term) debt funds are a highly suitable option for investors who are willing to make investments that have a slightly higher maturity than liquid & ultra short term debt funds but on the same hand are not very risky.
Being a short term investment, this fund is highly suitable for those who want to park their idle cash for 1-3 years to earn better returns than Fixed Income investment options like FDs.
As per the analysis, short term bond funds offer a better rate of return in accordance with the risk involved as compared to long term Bonds. Short Duration Funds are less sensitive to the rising Inflation than other intermediate and long term debt funds.
Lastly, the Short Duration (Short Term) debt funds are highly liquid, meaning that the investors can have an easy access to their cash. However, some schemes under this category do charge an exit load if the investment is redeemed in a very short duration (mostly 1 month to 6 months). So, it is always suggested to invest in best Short Duration Debt Funds wisely.
How to Invest in Short Duration Debt Funds Online?
Open Free Investment Account for Lifetime at Fincash.com.
Complete your Registration and KYC Process
Upload Documents (PAN, Aadhaar, etc.). And, You are Ready to Invest!
Conclusion
Investors can tweak their investment portfolios as per their risk profile. As the bond market offers the advantage of falling interest rates, one can earn better returns by increasing the duration o the investment. This is where Short Duration (Short Term) Debt Funds come in. These funds invest in debt market to offer long term returns over the duration of 2-3 years. So, invest in best Short Duration Funds today!
All efforts have been made to ensure the information provided here is accurate. However, no guarantees are made regarding correctness of data. Please verify with scheme information document before making any investment.
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