+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.
Top Equity MF investments FY 25 - 26
Fund NAV Net Assets (Cr) 3 MO (%) 6 MO (%) 1 YR (%) 3 YR (%) 5 YR (%) 2024 (%) ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund Growth ₹191.99
↑ 1.44 ₹8,043 7.5 12.4 1 29.5 35.7 27.4 Nippon India Small Cap Fund Growth ₹165.581
↑ 0.91 ₹66,602 9.1 9.9 -4.9 24 33.8 26.1 HDFC Infrastructure Fund Growth ₹47.148
↑ 0.38 ₹2,591 7.5 13 -2.1 29.8 33.6 23 Note: Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR basis. as on 11 Aug 25 Research Highlights & Commentary of 3 Funds showcased
Commentary ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund Nippon India Small Cap Fund HDFC Infrastructure Fund Point 1 Lower mid AUM (₹8,043 Cr). Highest AUM (₹66,602 Cr). Bottom quartile AUM (₹2,591 Cr). Point 2 Oldest track record among peers (19 yrs). Established history (14+ yrs). Established history (17+ yrs). Point 3 Rating: 3★ (lower mid). Top rated. Rating: 3★ (bottom quartile). Point 4 Risk profile: High. Risk profile: Moderately High. Risk profile: High. Point 5 5Y return: 35.66% (upper mid). 5Y return: 33.78% (lower mid). 5Y return: 33.65% (bottom quartile). Point 6 3Y return: 29.49% (lower mid). 3Y return: 23.96% (bottom quartile). 3Y return: 29.75% (upper mid). Point 7 1Y return: 0.98% (upper mid). 1Y return: -4.88% (bottom quartile). 1Y return: -2.06% (lower mid). Point 8 Alpha: 0.00 (upper mid). Alpha: -2.86 (bottom quartile). Alpha: 0.00 (lower mid). Point 9 Sharpe: 0.01 (upper mid). Sharpe: -0.10 (lower mid). Sharpe: -0.23 (bottom quartile). Point 10 Information ratio: 0.00 (upper mid). Information ratio: -0.10 (bottom quartile). Information ratio: 0.00 (lower mid). ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
HDFC Infrastructure Fund
*Below is the list of best mutual funds based on 5 year CAGR/Annualized and AUM > 100 Crore.
To generate capital appreciation and income distribution to unit holders by investing predominantly in equity/equity related securities of the companies belonging to the infrastructure development and balance in debt securities and money market instruments. Research Highlights for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund Below is the key information for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund Returns up to 1 year are on The primary investment objective of the scheme is to generate long term capital appreciation by investing predominantly in equity and equity related instruments of small cap companies and the secondary objective is to generate consistent returns by investing in debt and money market securities. Research Highlights for Nippon India Small Cap Fund Below is the key information for Nippon India Small Cap Fund Returns up to 1 year are on To seek long-term capital appreciation by investing predominantly in equity and equity related securities of companies engaged in or expected to benefit from growth and development of infrastructure. Research Highlights for HDFC Infrastructure Fund Below is the key information for HDFC Infrastructure Fund Returns up to 1 year are on 1. ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
Growth Launch Date 31 Aug 05 NAV (11 Aug 25) ₹191.99 ↑ 1.44 (0.76 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹8,043 on 30 Jun 25 Category Equity - Sectoral AMC ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Limited Rating ☆☆☆ Risk High Expense Ratio 2.22 Sharpe Ratio 0.01 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 100 Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹17,880 31 Jul 22 ₹21,387 31 Jul 23 ₹30,280 31 Jul 24 ₹49,231 31 Jul 25 ₹48,059 Returns for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 11 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month -3.1% 3 Month 7.5% 6 Month 12.4% 1 Year 1% 3 Year 29.5% 5 Year 35.7% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 16% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 27.4% 2023 44.6% 2022 28.8% 2021 50.1% 2020 3.6% 2019 2.6% 2018 -14% 2017 40.8% 2016 2% 2015 -3.4% Fund Manager information for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
Name Since Tenure Ihab Dalwai 3 Jun 17 8.17 Yr. Sharmila D’mello 30 Jun 22 3.09 Yr. Data below for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund as on 30 Jun 25
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Industrials 38.68% Basic Materials 16.98% Financial Services 16.27% Utility 9.82% Energy 7.24% Real Estate 2.75% Consumer Cyclical 1.63% Communication Services 1.14% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 5.5% Equity 94.5% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 09 | LT9% ₹727 Cr 1,980,204
↓ -150,000 NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 16 | 5325554% ₹358 Cr 10,679,473
↑ 3,079,473 Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 May 24 | ADANIPORTS4% ₹329 Cr 2,268,659
↓ -200,000 Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 23 | RELIANCE4% ₹290 Cr 1,929,725
↑ 266,998 NCC Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 21 | NCC4% ₹289 Cr 12,522,005 Vedanta Ltd (Basic Materials)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 24 | 5002954% ₹284 Cr 6,158,750
↑ 935,088 JM Financial Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 21 | JMFINANCIL3% ₹247 Cr 15,506,510
↓ -2,256,731 Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 20 | 5322153% ₹227 Cr 1,896,057
↑ 400,000 Kalpataru Projects International Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 06 | KPIL3% ₹221 Cr 1,803,566
↓ -100,000 AIA Engineering Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 21 | AIAENG3% ₹219 Cr 660,770
↑ 120,000 2. Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth Launch Date 16 Sep 10 NAV (11 Aug 25) ₹165.581 ↑ 0.91 (0.55 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹66,602 on 30 Jun 25 Category Equity - Small Cap AMC Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd. Rating ☆☆☆☆ Risk Moderately High Expense Ratio 1.55 Sharpe Ratio -0.11 Information Ratio -0.1 Alpha Ratio -2.86 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 100 Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹21,333 31 Jul 22 ₹23,526 31 Jul 23 ₹31,952 31 Jul 24 ₹49,722 31 Jul 25 ₹46,790 Returns for Nippon India Small Cap Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 11 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month -4.3% 3 Month 9.1% 6 Month 9.9% 1 Year -4.9% 3 Year 24% 5 Year 33.8% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch 20.7% Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 26.1% 2023 48.9% 2022 6.5% 2021 74.3% 2020 29.2% 2019 -2.5% 2018 -16.7% 2017 63% 2016 5.6% 2015 15.1% Fund Manager information for Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Name Since Tenure Samir Rachh 2 Jan 17 8.58 Yr. Kinjal Desai 25 May 18 7.19 Yr. Data below for Nippon India Small Cap Fund as on 30 Jun 25
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Industrials 23.43% Financial Services 14.84% Consumer Cyclical 14.65% Basic Materials 12.82% Health Care 8.57% Consumer Defensive 8.11% Technology 7.37% Utility 2.24% Energy 1.77% Communication Services 1.45% Real Estate 0.69% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 4.05% Equity 95.95% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 21 | MCX2% ₹1,656 Cr 1,851,010 HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 22 | HDFCBANK2% ₹1,331 Cr 6,650,000 Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 12 | KIRLOSBROS2% ₹1,054 Cr 4,472,130 Karur Vysya Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 17 | 5900031% ₹850 Cr 31,784,062 ELANTAS Beck India Ltd (Basic Materials)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 13 | 5001231% ₹827 Cr 651,246
↑ 36,498 Apar Industries Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 17 | APARINDS1% ₹784 Cr 899,271 Tube Investments of India Ltd Ordinary Shares (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 18 | TIINDIA1% ₹777 Cr 2,499,222 State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 19 | SBIN1% ₹747 Cr 9,100,000 Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 22 | 5001031% ₹732 Cr 27,500,000 Pfizer Ltd (Healthcare)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 22 | PFIZER1% ₹685 Cr 1,206,103 3. HDFC Infrastructure Fund
HDFC Infrastructure Fund
Growth Launch Date 10 Mar 08 NAV (11 Aug 25) ₹47.148 ↑ 0.38 (0.81 %) Net Assets (Cr) ₹2,591 on 30 Jun 25 Category Equity - Sectoral AMC HDFC Asset Management Company Limited Rating ☆☆☆ Risk High Expense Ratio 2.31 Sharpe Ratio -0.23 Information Ratio 0 Alpha Ratio 0 Min Investment 5,000 Min SIP Investment 300 Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL) Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Jul 20 ₹10,000 31 Jul 21 ₹18,825 31 Jul 22 ₹20,454 31 Jul 23 ₹29,022 31 Jul 24 ₹48,197 31 Jul 25 ₹45,754 Returns for HDFC Infrastructure Fund
absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 11 Aug 25 Duration Returns 1 Month -1.7% 3 Month 7.5% 6 Month 13% 1 Year -2.1% 3 Year 29.8% 5 Year 33.6% 10 Year 15 Year Since launch Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
Year Returns 2024 23% 2023 55.4% 2022 19.3% 2021 43.2% 2020 -7.5% 2019 -3.4% 2018 -29% 2017 43.3% 2016 -1.9% 2015 -2.5% Fund Manager information for HDFC Infrastructure Fund
Name Since Tenure Srinivasan Ramamurthy 12 Jan 24 1.55 Yr. Dhruv Muchhal 22 Jun 23 2.11 Yr. Data below for HDFC Infrastructure Fund as on 30 Jun 25
Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Industrials 39.21% Financial Services 19.99% Basic Materials 10.82% Utility 6.94% Energy 6.55% Communication Services 3.93% Real Estate 2.13% Health Care 1.68% Technology 1.43% Consumer Cyclical 0.5% Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 6.83% Equity 93.17% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 09 | 5321747% ₹188 Cr 1,300,000 HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 23 | HDFCBANK5% ₹140 Cr 700,000 Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 12 | LT5% ₹139 Cr 380,000 J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 15 | JKIL4% ₹101 Cr 1,400,000
↓ -50,000 Kalpataru Projects International Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 23 | KPIL4% ₹93 Cr 758,285 InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 21 | INDIGO3% ₹90 Cr 150,000 Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 May 24 | RELIANCE3% ₹75 Cr 500,000 NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 17 | 5325553% ₹74 Cr 2,200,000 Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 20 | BHARTIARTL3% ₹70 Cr 350,000 G R Infraprojects Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 21 | 5433172% ₹62 Cr 470,000
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