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What are Passive Funds?

Updated on October 2, 2024 , 68439 views

Passive funds are a type of funds that consistently tracks a Market index to allow a fund get maximum gains. It invests in a Portfolio that replicates a Market Index like Nifty, the Sensex, etc. All the securities along with their proportion in the portfolio will be the same as the index the fund is tracking.

Passive Funds

In passive funds, the fund manager does not actively choose what stocks will make up the fund. This is one of the reasons passive funds are easier to invest than active funds. Investors buy passive funds when they want their returns to be in line with the market. These funds are low-cost funds as there are no costs involved in selecting stocks and researching.

Types of Passive Funds

Passive funds are of two types, such as -

1. Index Funds

Index Funds are an open-ended scheme where the investors buy and redeem units of the Mutual Funds at the net-asset values. In other words, the performance of an index fund is dependent on the performance of a particular index. Index funds contain shares in a similar proportion as they are in a particular index.

2. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)

The units of exchange-traded funds are randomly listed on a stock exchange. Investors buy and sell units at real-time prices through Demat account.

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Difference Between Passive Funds and Active Funds

There are specific differences in the way they function and affect the investor.

The tabular differentiates between passive funds and active funds:

Passive Funds Active Funds
The fund manager does not actively participate in selecting funds Fund managers commit to a lot of research and take steps accordingly to select funds in various securities based on market performance
Costs less Costs more
Popularity because of the low-expense ratio Costlier management makes it less popular

How Passive Funds is Gaining Trust?

In 2019, Indian investors found that passive mutual funds were trustworthy. The total assets managed by passive funds, including gold and ETFs along with other index funds were huge. It was found that it stood at Rs. 177,181 crore on November 30, 2019. The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) stated that index funds had gathered an AUM of Rs. 7717 crore on November 2019. Passive large-cap ETFs offer returns of 11.53% compared to actively managed Large cap funds that offered 10.19%.

gold ETFs stood at Rs. 5,540.40 crore as of November 2019. This comes in comparison to Rs. 4,571 crore in December 2018. The AUM of other ETFs stood at Rs. 1,63,923.66 crore, as compared to Rs. 1,07,363 crore at the end of 2018. A large part of 2019 witnessed that large-cap schemes were at the top of return charts. Even in 2020, nine out of the top 15 large-cap schemes are passive funds.

Passive Funds Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

With the current situation across the globe, the financial markets are facing issues of deep concern. While investors were willing to take a risk in the past, today’s conditions have pushed the majority of the investors to look for a Safe Haven. This means they are looking for an investment that will yield higher returns or at least stable returns. Several investors are now looking to invest through passive modes such as exchange-traded funds or index funds. As per AMFI, Inflow into the index funds faced an all-time high of Rs. 2076.5 crore in March 2020.

Best Passive Funds 2024 - 2025

With the growing popularity of passive mutual funds, the chances of gaining higher returns are higher. Here are the best passive mutual funds you can choose to invest:

FundNAVNet Assets (Cr)3 MO (%)6 MO (%)1 YR (%)3 YR (%)5 YR (%)2023 (%)
Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan Growth ₹41.2948
↓ -0.41
₹7453.312.326.712.617.319.5
LIC MF Index Fund Sensex Growth ₹152.652
↓ -1.52
₹863.111.92612.216.919
Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan Growth ₹200.479
↓ -1.88
₹7284.213.129.913.517.720.2
SBI Nifty Index Fund Growth ₹219.537
↓ -2.07
₹8,4844.113.230.113.617.920.7
IDBI Nifty Index Fund Growth ₹36.2111
↓ -0.02
₹2089.111.916.220.311.7
Note: Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR basis. as on 4 Oct 24

*Below is the list for Index Mutual Funds having atleast 15 Crore or more in Net Assets.

1. Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan

The primary investment objective of the scheme is to replicate the composition of the Sensex, with a view to generate returns that are commensurate with the performance of the Sensex, subject to tracking errors.

Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan is a Others - Index Fund fund was launched on 28 Sep 10. It is a fund with Moderately High risk and has given a CAGR/Annualized return of 10.7% since its launch.  Ranked 74 in Index Fund category.  Return for 2023 was 19.5% , 2022 was 5% and 2021 was 22.4% .

Below is the key information for Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan

Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan
Growth
Launch Date 28 Sep 10
NAV (04 Oct 24) ₹41.2948 ↓ -0.41   (-0.98 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹745 on 31 Aug 24
Category Others - Index Fund
AMC Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd.
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.58
Sharpe Ratio 1.69
Information Ratio -8.01
Alpha Ratio -0.58
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 100
Exit Load 0-7 Days (0.25%),7 Days and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 19₹10,000
30 Sep 20₹9,890
30 Sep 21₹15,421
30 Sep 22₹15,070
30 Sep 23₹17,365
30 Sep 24₹22,376

Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹470,047.
Net Profit of ₹170,047
Invest Now

Returns for Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 4 Oct 24

DurationReturns
1 Month -0.1%
3 Month 3.3%
6 Month 12.3%
1 Year 26.7%
3 Year 12.6%
5 Year 17.3%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 10.7%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2023 19.5%
2022 5%
2021 22.4%
2020 16.6%
2019 14.2%
2018 6.2%
2017 27.9%
2016 2%
2015 -4.7%
2014 28.7%
Fund Manager information for Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan
NameSinceTenure
Himanshu Mange23 Dec 230.69 Yr.

Data below for Nippon India Index Fund - Sensex Plan as on 31 Aug 24

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash0.03%
Equity99.97%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 10 | 500180
13%₹97 Cr593,345
↑ 5,674
Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 10 | 500325
11%₹81 Cr266,662
↑ 2,550
ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 10 | 532174
9%₹68 Cr554,096
↑ 5,298
Infosys Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 10 | 500209
7%₹55 Cr284,712
↑ 2,722
ITC Ltd (Consumer Defensive)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 12 | 500875
5%₹37 Cr728,265
↑ 6,963
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 10 | TCS
5%₹36 Cr79,858
↑ 764
Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 12 | 500510
5%₹34 Cr92,113
↑ 880
Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 10 | 532454
4%₹33 Cr210,202
↑ 2,010
Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 13 | 532215
3%₹26 Cr221,524
↑ 2,118
State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 10 | 500112
3%₹25 Cr302,508
↑ 2,892

2. LIC MF Index Fund Sensex

The main investment objective of the fund is to generate returns commensurate with the performance of the index either Nifty / Sensex based on the plans by investing in the respective index stocks subject to tracking errors.

LIC MF Index Fund Sensex is a Others - Index Fund fund was launched on 14 Nov 02. It is a fund with Moderately High risk and has given a CAGR/Annualized return of 13.8% since its launch.  Ranked 79 in Index Fund category.  Return for 2023 was 19% , 2022 was 4.6% and 2021 was 21.9% .

Below is the key information for LIC MF Index Fund Sensex

LIC MF Index Fund Sensex
Growth
Launch Date 14 Nov 02
NAV (04 Oct 24) ₹152.652 ↓ -1.52   (-0.99 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹86 on 31 Aug 24
Category Others - Index Fund
AMC LIC Mutual Fund Asset Mgmt Co Ltd
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.98
Sharpe Ratio 1.65
Information Ratio 0
Alpha Ratio 0
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 1,000
Exit Load 0-1 Months (1%),1 Months and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 19₹10,000
30 Sep 20₹9,891
30 Sep 21₹15,314
30 Sep 22₹14,902
30 Sep 23₹17,143
30 Sep 24₹21,972

LIC MF Index Fund Sensex SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹458,689.
Net Profit of ₹158,689
Invest Now

Returns for LIC MF Index Fund Sensex

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 4 Oct 24

DurationReturns
1 Month -0.2%
3 Month 3.1%
6 Month 11.9%
1 Year 26%
3 Year 12.2%
5 Year 16.9%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 13.8%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2023 19%
2022 4.6%
2021 21.9%
2020 15.9%
2019 14.6%
2018 5.6%
2017 27.4%
2016 1.6%
2015 -5.4%
2014 29.3%
Fund Manager information for LIC MF Index Fund Sensex
NameSinceTenure
Sumit Bhatnagar3 Oct 230.91 Yr.

Data below for LIC MF Index Fund Sensex as on 31 Aug 24

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Equity100.03%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 09 | 500180
13%₹11 Cr68,629
↓ -377
Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 09 | 500325
11%₹9 Cr31,162
↓ -130
ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 09 | 532174
9%₹8 Cr64,515
↑ 34
Infosys Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 09 | 500209
7%₹6 Cr33,085
ITC Ltd (Consumer Defensive)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 11 | 500875
5%₹4 Cr84,740
↑ 1,038
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 09 | TCS
5%₹4 Cr9,257
↑ 61
Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 09 | 500510
5%₹4 Cr10,727
↑ 95
Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 09 | 532454
4%₹4 Cr24,256
↓ -149
Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 13 | 532215
4%₹3 Cr25,783
↑ 06
State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 09 | 500112
3%₹3 Cr35,037
↓ -335

3. Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan

The Investment Objective of the Scheme is to invest in companies whose securities are included in the Nifty and subject to tracking errors, endeavouring to attain results commensurate with the Nifty 50 under NSENifty Plan

Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan is a Others - Index Fund fund was launched on 4 Aug 00. It is a fund with Moderately High risk and has given a CAGR/Annualized return of 13.3% since its launch.  Ranked 76 in Index Fund category.  Return for 2023 was 20.2% , 2022 was 4.9% and 2021 was 24.3% .

Below is the key information for Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan

Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan
Growth
Launch Date 4 Aug 00
NAV (04 Oct 24) ₹200.479 ↓ -1.88   (-0.93 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹728 on 31 Aug 24
Category Others - Index Fund
AMC Franklin Templeton Asst Mgmt(IND)Pvt Ltd
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.62
Sharpe Ratio 2.02
Information Ratio -4.3
Alpha Ratio -0.69
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 500
Exit Load 0-30 Days (1%),30 Days and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 19₹10,000
30 Sep 20₹9,782
30 Sep 21₹15,309
30 Sep 22₹14,959
30 Sep 23₹17,227
30 Sep 24₹22,748

Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹470,047.
Net Profit of ₹170,047
Invest Now

Returns for Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 4 Oct 24

DurationReturns
1 Month -0.1%
3 Month 4.2%
6 Month 13.1%
1 Year 29.9%
3 Year 13.5%
5 Year 17.7%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 13.3%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2023 20.2%
2022 4.9%
2021 24.3%
2020 14.7%
2019 12%
2018 3.2%
2017 28.3%
2016 3.3%
2015 -3.6%
2014 31.2%
Fund Manager information for Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan
NameSinceTenure
Varun Sharma30 Nov 158.76 Yr.
Sandeep Manam18 Oct 212.87 Yr.

Data below for Franklin India Index Fund Nifty Plan as on 31 Aug 24

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash0.6%
Equity99.4%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 03 | 500180
11%₹80 Cr489,818
Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 03 | 500325
9%₹66 Cr220,094
ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 10 | 532174
8%₹56 Cr458,310
Infosys Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 12 | 500209
6%₹45 Cr233,839
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 05 | TCS
4%₹30 Cr65,834
ITC Ltd (Consumer Defensive)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 11 | 500875
4%₹29 Cr586,607
Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 12 | 500510
4%₹28 Cr76,093
Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 04 | 532454
4%₹27 Cr172,998
Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 09 | 532215
3%₹22 Cr185,007
State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 03 | 500112
3%₹20 Cr249,522

4. SBI Nifty Index Fund

The scheme will adopt a passive investment strategy. The scheme will invest in stocks comprising the Nifty 50 Index in the same proportion as in the index with the objective of achieving returns equivalent to the Total Returns Index of Nifty 50 Index by minimizing the performance difference between the benchmark index and the scheme. The Total Returns Index is an index that reflects the returns on the index from index gain/loss plus dividend payments by the constituent stocks.

SBI Nifty Index Fund is a Others - Index Fund fund was launched on 17 Jan 02. It is a fund with Moderately High risk and has given a CAGR/Annualized return of 14.8% since its launch.  Ranked 75 in Index Fund category.  Return for 2023 was 20.7% , 2022 was 5.1% and 2021 was 24.7% .

Below is the key information for SBI Nifty Index Fund

SBI Nifty Index Fund
Growth
Launch Date 17 Jan 02
NAV (04 Oct 24) ₹219.537 ↓ -2.07   (-0.93 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹8,484 on 31 Aug 24
Category Others - Index Fund
AMC SBI Funds Management Private Limited
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.5
Sharpe Ratio 2.03
Information Ratio -21.52
Alpha Ratio -0.56
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 500
Exit Load 0-15 Days (0.2%),15 Days and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 19₹10,000
30 Sep 20₹9,763
30 Sep 21₹15,365
30 Sep 22₹15,025
30 Sep 23₹17,348
30 Sep 24₹22,942

SBI Nifty Index Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹470,047.
Net Profit of ₹170,047
Invest Now

Returns for SBI Nifty Index Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 4 Oct 24

DurationReturns
1 Month -0.2%
3 Month 4.1%
6 Month 13.2%
1 Year 30.1%
3 Year 13.6%
5 Year 17.9%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 14.8%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2023 20.7%
2022 5.1%
2021 24.7%
2020 14.6%
2019 12.5%
2018 3.8%
2017 29.1%
2016 3.4%
2015 -4.2%
2014 30.5%
Fund Manager information for SBI Nifty Index Fund
NameSinceTenure
Raviprakash Sharma1 Feb 1113.59 Yr.
Pradeep Kesavan1 Dec 230.75 Yr.

Data below for SBI Nifty Index Fund as on 31 Aug 24

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash0.1%
Equity99.9%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 03 | 500180
11%₹934 Cr5,704,344
↑ 105,842
Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 03 | 500325
9%₹774 Cr2,562,023
↑ 47,540
ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 03 | 532174
8%₹655 Cr5,328,758
↑ 98,874
Infosys Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 03 | 500209
6%₹532 Cr2,735,638
↑ 50,756
ITC Ltd (Consumer Defensive)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 12 | 500875
4%₹351 Cr6,996,867
↑ 129,824
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 05 | TCS
4%₹349 Cr767,238
↑ 14,235
Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 04 | 500510
4%₹328 Cr885,048
↑ 16,419
Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 04 | 532454
4%₹322 Cr2,025,675
↑ 37,585
Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 10 | 532215
3%₹253 Cr2,153,008
↑ 39,946
State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 03 | 500112
3%₹237 Cr2,906,370
↑ 53,929

5. IDBI Nifty Index Fund

The investment objective of the scheme is to invest in the stocks and equity related instruments comprising the S&P CNX Nifty Index in the same weights as these stocks represented in the Index with the intent to replicate the performance of the Total Returns Index of S&P CNX Nifty index. The scheme will adopt a passive investment strategy and will seek to achieve the investment objective by minimizing the tracking error between the S&P CNX Nifty index (Total Returns Index) and the scheme.

IDBI Nifty Index Fund is a Others - Index Fund fund was launched on 25 Jun 10. It is a fund with Moderately High risk and has given a CAGR/Annualized return of 10.3% since its launch.  Ranked 83 in Index Fund category. .

Below is the key information for IDBI Nifty Index Fund

IDBI Nifty Index Fund
Growth
Launch Date 25 Jun 10
NAV (28 Jul 23) ₹36.2111 ↓ -0.02   (-0.06 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹208 on 30 Jun 23
Category Others - Index Fund
AMC IDBI Asset Management Limited
Rating
Risk Moderately High
Expense Ratio 0.9
Sharpe Ratio 1.04
Information Ratio -3.93
Alpha Ratio -1.03
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 500
Exit Load NIL

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 19₹10,000
30 Sep 20₹9,778
30 Sep 21₹15,230
30 Sep 22₹14,843

IDBI Nifty Index Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹405,518.
Net Profit of ₹105,518
Invest Now

Returns for IDBI Nifty Index Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 4 Oct 24

DurationReturns
1 Month 3.7%
3 Month 9.1%
6 Month 11.9%
1 Year 16.2%
3 Year 20.3%
5 Year 11.7%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 10.3%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Fund Manager information for IDBI Nifty Index Fund
NameSinceTenure

Data below for IDBI Nifty Index Fund as on 30 Jun 23

Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity

Conclusion

Passive funds are definitely proving to be a ray of hope for investors, especially in the current financial crisis. Before Investing in any passive mutual fund, make sure to read all schemes related documents carefully. This will help you gain an understanding of what to expect and what to give along with a sense of security.

Disclaimer:
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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