+91-22-48913909Mutual Funds Vs Stocks
Mutual Funds or stock markets directly – where to invest, is one of the oldest debates when it comes to personal wealth management. Mutual funds allow you to invest a certain amount in a fund where the fund managers use their expertise to invest a client’s money in a variety of stocks to achieve the highest rate of return. Investing in stock markets gives you greater control over the investment on shares is made by the user. However, it makes them more prone to risks as they have to directly deal with the markets.
Difference: Mutual Funds Vs Stocks/Shares
1. Understanding Mutual Funds and Stocks
When compared on a risk factor, stocks happen to be far riskier than mutual funds. The risk in mutual funds is spread across and hence reduced with the pooling in of diverse stocks. With stock,s one has to extensive research before investing, especially if you are a novice investor. Visit fincash for more details on the various areas of investments. In the case of mutual funds, the research is done, and the fund is managed by a mutual fund manager.
This service though is not free and comes with an annual management fee that is charged by the fund house under Total Expense Ration (TER).
2. When investing as a beginner
If you are a new investor with little or no experience in the financial markets, it is advisable to start with mutual funds as not only the risk is comparatively lesser but also because the decisions are made by an expert. These professionals have the insight to analyze and interpret financial data to gauge the outlook of a prospective investment.
3. Associated Costs
Though you have to pay a fee to mutual fund managers unlike in the case of stocks that you buy individually, the economies of scale also come into play. It is true that active management of funds is an affair that does not come free of cost. But the truth is that due to their large size, mutual funds pay only a small fraction of the brokerage charges that an individual shareholder pays for brokerage. Individual investors also have to pay the charges for DEMAT which is not needed in the case of mutual funds.
4. Risk and Return
It is already established that mutual funds have the advantage of reducing the risk by diversifying a Portfolio.
Stocks on the other hand are vulnerable to the market conditions and the performance of one stock can’t compensate for the other.
5. Short Term Capital Gain
Remember when investing in stocks, you will be liable to pay 15 percent tax on your short term Capital Gains (STCG) if you sell your stocks within a span of one year. On the other hand, there is no tax on capital gains on the stocks that are sold by the fund. This can mean substantial benefits for you. The tax saved is also available for you to invest it further thus making way for further income generation through investment. But you will have to hold on to your equity for more than a year in order to avoid paying that short-term capital gains tax.
6. Long Term Capital Gain
Long Term Capital Gain (LTCG) is taxed at 10% for gains exceeding 1 Lakh gain (As announced in Budget of 2018). which means one has to pay tax on gains incurred in period over an year (Long term) if amount exceeds 1 Lakhs in a year at a flat rate of 10%.
7. Control on your investment
In the case of mutual funds, the decision pertaining to the choice of stocks and their trading is solely in the hands of the funds manager. You do not have control over which stock is to be picked and for what duration. As an investor, if you invest in Mutual Funds you do not have the option to exit from some stocks that are in your portfolio. The decisions pertaining to the fate of the stocks rest in the hands of the fund manager. This way, an individual investing in stocks has more control over their investment than an investor who invests in mutual funds.
8. Diversification
A well-diversified portfolio should include at least 25 to 30 stocks but that would be a huge ask for a small investor. With mutual funds, investors with small funds can also get a diversified portfolio. Buying units of a fund allows you to invest in multiple stocks without having to invest a huge corpus.
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9. Time and Research
When you invest directly, you will need to invest a lot more time and research into your stock while in the case of mutual funds you can be passive. The fund manager is the one who invests his time to manage your portfolio.
10. Investment Tracking
With an investment in mutual funds, you have the benefit of a fund manager who has extensive expertise and experience in the field. Whether it is picking the stocks or monitoring them and making allocations, you do not have to worry about any of it. This service is not available in the case of stock investments. You are responsible for picking and tracking your investment.
11. Investment Horizon
When investing in mutual funds, remember that you will have to give the funds at least 8-10 years to generate good returns as these have a longer-term growth trajectory. In the case of stocks, you can get quick and good returns if you choose the right stocks and sell them at the right time.
Despite all of this if the stock market and its intricacies are something that an individual is familiar with, they can invest directly. They must be ready to play a long term game where a stock doesn’t provide immediate returns and must also have an increased appetite for risk. Unlike investors in mutual funds, they do not have the expertise on Smart investment which fund managers can provide. Even in the best of times, investment in stocks is a risk. In comparatively tougher times, it is better to invest in mutual funds due to the advantage of portfolio diversification, professional management and constant monitoring.
The choice between mutual funds or stocks generally boils down to personal factors like trust and an individual’s ability to take risks. It is a decision to be taken with the utmost of thought with all the options carefully weighed down. However what is important for an individual is the decision to plunge into personal wealth management and attempt to make their savings useful through either mutual funds or stocks, rather than simply sitting on it.
Fund Selection Methodology used to find 3 funds
Top Equity MF investments FY 26 - 27
Fund NAV Net Assets (Cr) 3 MO (%) 6 MO (%) 1 YR (%) 3 YR (%) 5 YR (%) 2025 (%) DSP World Gold Fund Growth ₹53.9141
↓ -0.88 ₹1,665 10.5 -5.2 28.1 49.5 25.1 167.1 SBI PSU Fund Growth ₹31.7117
↓ -0.22 ₹6,354 -6.9 -11.7 -5.8 18.1 19.5 11.3 DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund Growth ₹330.908
↓ -2.03 ₹6,265 -7.3 -3.8 3.3 17.7 18.4 -2.5 Note: Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR basis. as on 29 Oct 26 Research Highlights & Commentary of 3 Funds showcased
Commentary DSP World Gold Fund SBI PSU Fund DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund Point 1 Bottom quartile AUM (₹1,665 Cr). Highest AUM (₹6,354 Cr). Lower mid AUM (₹6,265 Cr). Point 2 Established history (19+ yrs). Established history (16+ yrs). Oldest track record among peers (22 yrs). Point 3 Rating: 3★ (lower mid). Rating: 2★ (bottom quartile). Top rated. Point 4 Risk profile: High. Risk profile: High. Risk profile: High. Point 5 5Y return: 25.14% (upper mid). 5Y return: 19.55% (lower mid). 5Y return: 18.36% (bottom quartile). Point 6 3Y return: 49.49% (upper mid). 3Y return: 18.09% (lower mid). 3Y return: 17.70% (bottom quartile). Point 7 1Y return: 28.15% (upper mid). 1Y return: -5.82% (bottom quartile). 1Y return: 3.33% (lower mid). Point 8 Alpha: 4.06 (upper mid). Alpha: -0.21 (bottom quartile). Alpha: 0.00 (lower mid). Point 9 Sharpe: 0.67 (upper mid). Sharpe: -0.14 (bottom quartile). Sharpe: 0.38 (lower mid). Point 10 Information ratio: -0.80 (bottom quartile). Information ratio: -0.42 (lower mid). Information ratio: 0.00 (upper mid). DSP World Gold Fund
SBI PSU Fund
DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund
*Below is the list of best mutual funds based on 5 year CAGR/Annualized and AUM > 100 Crore.
"The primary investment objective of the Scheme is to seek capital appreciation by investing predominantly in units of MLIIF - WGF. The Scheme may, at the discretion of the Investment Manager, also invest in the units of other similar overseas mutual fund schemes, which may constitute a significant part of its corpus. The Scheme may also invest a certain portion of its corpus in money market securities and/or units of money market/liquid schemes of DSP Merrill Lynch Mutual Fund, in order to meet liquidity requirements from time to time. However, there is no assurance that the investment objective of the Scheme will be realized." Research Highlights for DSP World Gold Fund Below is the key information for DSP World Gold Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The objective of the scheme would be to provide investors with opportunities for long-term growth in capital along with the liquidity of an open-ended scheme through an active management of investments in a diversified basket of equity stocks of domestic Public Sector Undertakings and in debt and money market instruments issued by PSUs AND others. Research Highlights for SBI PSU Fund Below is the key information for SBI PSU Fund Returns up to 1 year are on To generate capital appreciation, from a portfolio that is substantially constituted of equity securities and equity related securities of corporates, which could benefit from structural changes brought about by continuing liberalization in economic policies by the government and/or continuing investments in infrastructure, both by the public and private sector. Research Highlights for DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund Below is the key information for DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund Returns up to 1 year are on 1. DSP World Gold Fund
DSP World Gold Fund
Growth Launch Date 14 Sep 07 NAV (29 Oct 26) ₹53.9141 ↓ -0.88 (-1.60 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹1,665 on 30 Sep 26 Category Equity - Global AMC DSP BlackRock Invmt Managers Pvt. Ltd. Rating ☆☆☆ Risk High Expense Ratio 1.41 Sharpe Ratio 0.67 Information Ratio -0.8 Alpha Ratio 4.06 Min Investment 1,000 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load 0-12 Months (1%),12 Months and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Oct 21 ₹10,000 31 Oct 22 ₹7,688 31 Oct 23 ₹9,083 31 Oct 24 ₹12,987 31 Oct 25 ₹24,285 31 Oct 26 ₹29,194 Returns for DSP World Gold Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 29 Oct 26 Duration Returns 1 Month -8.2% 3 Month 10.5% 6 Month -5.2% 1 Year 28.1% 3 Year 49.5% 5 Year 25.1% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 9.2% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2025 167.1% 2024 15.9% 2023 7% 2022 -7.7% 2021 -9% 2020 31.4% 2019 35.1% 2018 -10.7% 2017 -4% 2016 52.7% Fund Manager information for DSP World Gold Fund
Name Since Tenure Kaivalya Nadkarni 1 May 25 1.42 Yr. Data below for DSP World Gold Fund as on 30 Sep 26
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Basic Materials 94.33% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 3.43% Equity 94.62% Debt 0.01% Other 1.94% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity BGF World Gold I2
Investment Fund | -68% ₹1,133 Cr 958,135 VanEck Gold Miners ETF
- | GDX29% ₹483 Cr 573,719 Treps / Reverse Repo Investments
CBLO/Reverse Repo | -3% ₹50 Cr Net Receivables/Payables
Net Current Assets | -0% -₹1 Cr 2. SBI PSU Fund
SBI PSU Fund
Growth Launch Date 7 Jul 10 NAV (30 Oct 26) ₹31.7117 ↓ -0.22 (-0.69 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹6,354 on 30 Sep 26 Category Equity - Sectoral AMC SBI Funds Management Private Limited Rating ☆☆ Risk High Expense Ratio 1.86 Sharpe Ratio -0.14 Information Ratio -0.42 Alpha Ratio -0.21 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Oct 21 ₹10,000 31 Oct 22 ₹11,705 31 Oct 23 ₹14,845 31 Oct 24 ₹24,447 31 Oct 25 ₹25,925 31 Oct 26 ₹24,415 Returns for SBI PSU Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 29 Oct 26 Duration Returns 1 Month -2.8% 3 Month -6.9% 6 Month -11.7% 1 Year -5.8% 3 Year 18.1% 5 Year 19.5% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 7.3% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2025 11.3% 2024 23.5% 2023 54% 2022 29% 2021 32.4% 2020 -10% 2019 6% 2018 -23.8% 2017 21.9% 2016 16.2% Fund Manager information for SBI PSU Fund
Name Since Tenure Rohit Shimpi 1 Jun 24 2.33 Yr. Data below for SBI PSU Fund as on 30 Sep 26
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Financial Services 35.44% Utility 27.31% Industrials 20.68% Energy 10.39% Basic Materials 4.84% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 1.34% Equity 98.66% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 10 | SBIN16% ₹995 Cr 10,367,500 NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 10 | 5325559% ₹547 Cr 16,943,244 Bharat Electronics Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 24 | BEL8% ₹500 Cr 12,885,000 Power Grid Corp Of India Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 10 | 5328987% ₹471 Cr 18,085,554 GAIL (India) Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 31 May 24 | 5321557% ₹436 Cr 25,590,000 Bank of Baroda (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 24 | 5321345% ₹331 Cr 14,350,000 Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 24 | 5005475% ₹294 Cr 9,700,000 Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 25 | 5001034% ₹270 Cr 6,500,000 Container Corporation of India Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 26 | CONCOR4% ₹233 Cr 5,200,000 Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 May 20 | 5003124% ₹233 Cr 10,299,690
↓ -4,355,310 3. DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund
DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund
Growth Launch Date 11 Jun 04 NAV (30 Oct 26) ₹330.908 ↓ -2.03 (-0.61 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹6,265 on 30 Sep 26 Category Equity - Sectoral AMC DSP BlackRock Invmt Managers Pvt. Ltd. Rating ☆☆☆☆ Risk High Expense Ratio 1.89 Sharpe Ratio 0.38 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 1,000 Min SIP Investment 500 Exit Load 0-12 Months (1%),12 Months and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Oct 21 ₹10,000 31 Oct 22 ₹11,201 31 Oct 23 ₹14,250 31 Oct 24 ₹23,089 31 Oct 25 ₹22,409 31 Oct 26 ₹23,226 Returns for DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 29 Oct 26 Duration Returns 1 Month -4.9% 3 Month -7.3% 6 Month -3.8% 1 Year 3.3% 3 Year 17.7% 5 Year 18.4% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 16.9% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2025 -2.5% 2024 32.4% 2023 49% 2022 13.9% 2021 51.6% 2020 2.7% 2019 6.7% 2018 -17.2% 2017 47% 2016 4.1% Fund Manager information for DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund
Name Since Tenure Rohit Singhania 21 Jun 10 16.29 Yr. Data below for DSP India T.I.G.E.R Fund as on 30 Sep 26
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Industrials 28.22% Energy 14.19% Basic Materials 11.57% Financial Services 10.44% Utility 9.35% Consumer Cyclical 4.77% Health Care 2.94% Communication Services 2.84% Real Estate 1.52% Technology 0.96% Consumer Defensive 0.15% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 8% Equity 92% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 19 | RELIANCE6% ₹402 Cr 3,388,108 Nifty Oct26
- | -5% ₹316 Cr 139,165
↑ 139,165 NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 17 | 5325555% ₹299 Cr 9,249,176 Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 04 | LT4% ₹267 Cr 709,133 Coal India Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 23 | COALINDIA3% ₹191 Cr 4,501,439
↑ 1,149,141 Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 24 | 5003123% ₹185 Cr 8,196,206
↑ 2,307,764 Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 18 | BHARTIARTL3% ₹178 Cr 1,011,761 Bharat Electronics Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 May 26 | BEL3% ₹158 Cr 4,081,390 Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Ordinary Shares (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 25 | HAL2% ₹152 Cr 324,769 Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 23 | KIRLOSENG2% ₹141 Cr 611,976
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