Mutual Fund Investment Plans

Mutual Funds in India bring in diverse investment plans to cater the various objectives and the needs of the investors. It offers investment options for all kinds of investors, be it a risk-averse, high-risk or a moderate-risk taker, Mutual Funds have various risks ranging schemes. Its minimum investment amount, i.e., INR 500 monthly, has even attracted youngsters, students, house wife’s to begin their investments in Mutual Funds. So, if you are a new to Mutual Funds, here’s all you need to know about it.

What are Mutual Funds?

A mutual fund is a collective pool of money given by the investors to buy securities. Here the investment is made in various securities like stocks, Bonds, money market instruments, precious metals, commodities, etc. Mutual Funds are managed by professional fund managers who decide how to invest money by keeping a keen eye on the market movements.

The Mutual Fund in India is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). All the Mutual Fund guidelines, rules & regulations, policies are set by SEBI. There are 36 Mutual Fund schemes introduced by SEBI in order to cater to the diverse requirements of the investors.

Types of Mutual Fund Investment Plans

On 6th October 2017, SEBI had passed a notice of re-categorisation of Mutual Funds in India. This is done to bring uniformity in similar schemes launched by the different Mutual Funds. SEBI wants to ensure that investors can find it easier to compare the products and evaluate the different options available before investing in a scheme. So that the investors could invest according to their needs, financial goals and risk appetite.

SEBI has categorised Mutual Fund schemes into 5 broad categories and 36 sub-categories. This mandates Mutual Fund Houses to make the changes in their existing & future schemes. Here, the list of different types of MF schemes in India.

1. Equity Mutual Funds

An equity fund mainly invests in stocks. In other words, the money is invested into shares of different companies. These funds are high-risk, high-return funds, which means that an investor who can tolerate risk should only prefer investing in equities. Let's look at the various types of Equity Funds:

a. Large cap funds

These funds would invest in companies that fall under the 1st to 100th company in terms of full market capitalization. Large cap funds invest in those firms that have the possibility of showing year on year steady growth and profits, which in turn offers stability over a period of time to investors. These stocks give steady returns over long periods of time.

b. Mid cap funds

These funds would invest in companies that fall under the 101st to 250th company in terms of full market capitalization. From a standpoint of the investor, the investing period of mid-caps should be much higher than large-caps due to the higher fluctuations (or volatility) in the prices of the stocks.

c. Large and mid cap funds

SEBI has introduced a combo of large and mid cap funds, which means that these are the schemes that invest in both large & mid cap stocks. Here, the fund will invest a minimum of 35 percent each in mid and large cap stocks.

d. Small cap funds

small cap companies include the startups or firms that are in their early stage of development with small revenues. These funds would invest in companies that fall under the 251st company onwards in terms of full market capitalization. Small-caps have a great potential to discover the value and can generate good returns. However, given the small size, the risks are very high, hence the investing period of small-caps is expected to be the highest.

e. Multi cap funds

Also known as Diversified Funds, these invest across market capitalization, i.e., essentially across large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap. They typically invest anywhere between 40–60% in large cap stocks, 10–40% in mid-cap stocks and about 10% in small-cap stocks. While diversified equity funds or multi-cap funds invest across market capitalizations the risks of equity still remain in the investment.

f. Equity Linked Saving Schemes (ELSS)

These are equity mutual funds that save your tax as a qualified tax exemption under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. They offer the twin advantage of capital gains and tax benefits. ELSS schemes come with a lock-in period of three years. A minimum of 80 percent of its total assets has to be invested in equities.

g. Dividend yield funds

dividend yield funds are those where a fund manager deigns the fund portfolios as per dividend yield strategy. This scheme is preferred by investors who like the idea of regular income as well as capital appreciation. This fund invests in companies that provide high dividend yield strategy. This fund aims at buying good underlying businesses that pay regular dividends at attractive valuations. This scheme will invest a minimum 65 percent of its total assets in equities, but in dividend yielding stocks.

h.Value funds

value funds invest in those companies that have fallen out of favour but have good principles. The idea behind this is to select a stock that appears to be underpriced by the market. A value investor looks out for bargains and chooses investments that have a low price on factors such as earnings, net current assets, and sales.

i. Contra funds

contra funds take a contrarian view on equities. It is against the wind kind of investment style. The fund manager picks underperforming stocks at that point in time, which are likely to perform well in the long run, at cheap valuations. The idea here is to buy assets at a lower cost than its fundamental value in the long term. It is done with a belief that the assets will stabilize and come to its real value in the long term. Value/Contra will invest at least 65 percent of its total assets in equities, but a Mutual Fund house can either offer a value fund or a contra fund, but not both.

j. Focused funds

Focused funds hold a mix of equity funds, i.e., large, mid, small or multi-cap stocks, but has a limited number of stocks. As per SEBI, a focused fund can have a maximum of 30 stocks. These funds are allocated their holdings between a limited number of carefully researched securities. Focused funds can invest at least 65 percent of its total assets in equities.

k. Sector funds and Thematic equity funds

A sector fund is an equity scheme that invests in shares of companies that trade in a particular sector or industry like, for instance, a pharma fund would invest only in pharmaceutical companies. thematic funds can be across a wider sector than just keep a very narrow focus, for example, media and entertainment. In this theme, the fund can invest in various companies across publishing, online, media or broadcasting. The risks with thematic funds are the highest since there is virtually very little diversification. At least 80 percent of the total assets of these schemes will be invested in a particular sector or theme.

2. Debt Mutual Funds

A debt fund invests in a fixed income instrument like Government Securities, Treasury Bills, Corporate Bonds, etc. Debt funds are preferred by those who are looking for a steady income with relatively lower risks, as they are comparatively less volatile than equities. Debt fund has 16 broad categories that are as follows:

a. Overnight fund

These are a debt scheme that will invest bonds that mature in a day. In other words, investment is done in overnight securities with a maturity of one day. This is a safe option for investors who want to park money without worrying about risks and returns.

b. Liquid funds

Liquid Funds invest in short-term money market instruments such as treasury bills, commercial papers, term deposits, etc. They invest in securities that have a lower maturity period, usually less than 91 days. Liquid funds provide easy liquidity and are less volatile than the other types of debt instruments. Also, liquid fund's investment returns are better than that of a Savings Account.

c. Ultra short duration funds

Ultra short duration funds invest in fixed income instruments which have a Macaulay duration between three to six months. Ultra short-term funds help investors avoid interest rate risks and also offer better returns compared to liquid debt funds. Macaulay duration measures how long it will take the scheme to recoup the investment

d. Low duration funds

The scheme will invest in debt and money market securities with a Macaulay duration between six to 12 months.

e. Money market funds

The money market fund invests in many markets such as commercial/treasury bills, commercial papers, certificate of deposit and other instruments specified by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). These investments are a good option for risk-averse investors who want to earn good returns in short duration. This debt scheme will invest in money market instruments having a maturity up to one year.

f. Short duration funds

Short duration funds mainly invest in Commercial Papers, Certificate of Deposits, Money Market Instruments, etc, with a Macaulay duration of one to three years. They may provide a higher level of return than ultra-short-term and liquid funds but will be exposed to higher risks.

g. Medium duration funds

This scheme will invest in debt and money market instruments with a Macaulay duration of three to four years. These funds have an average maturity period that is longer than liquid, ultra-short and short duration debt funds.

h. Medium to long duration funds

This scheme will invest in debt and money market instruments with a Macaulay duration of four to seven years.

i. Long duration funds

This scheme will invest in debt and money market instruments with a Macaulay duration greater than seven years.

j. Dynamic bond funds

Dynamic Bond Funds invest in fixed income securities consisting of varying maturity periods. Here, the fund manager decides on which funds they need to invest based on their perception of the interest rate scenario and future interest rate movements. Based on this decision, they invest in funds across various maturity periods of debt instruments. This mutual fund scheme is suitable for individuals who feel puzzled about the interest rate scenario. Such individuals can rely on the view of the fund managers to earn money through dynamic bond funds.

k. Corporate bond funds

Corporate bond funds are essentially a certificate of debt issued by major companies. These are issued as a way of raising money for businesses. This debt scheme mainly invests in the highest rated corporate bonds. The fund can invest a minimum 80 percent of its total assets in the highest-rated corporate bonds. Corporate bond funds are a great option when it comes to good return and low-risk type investment. Investors can earn a regular income which is usually higher than that of interest on your Fixed Deposits (FDs).

l. Credit risk funds

This scheme will invest in below the high-rated corporate bonds. The credit risk fund should invest at least 65 percent of its assets below the highest-rated instruments.

m. Banking and PSU funds

This scheme predominantly invests in debt and money market instruments consisting of securities issued by entities such as Banks, Public Financial Institutions, Public Sector Undertakings. This option is considered to maintain an optimum balance of liquidity, safety, and yield.

n. Gilt fund

This scheme invests in government securities issued by RBI. Government-backed securities include G-secs, treasury bills, etc. As the papers are backed by the government these schemes are relatively safer. Depending on their maturity profile, long-term Gilt Funds carry interest rate risks. For instance, the higher the maturity of the scheme the higher would be the interest rate risk. Gilt Funds will invest a minimum 80 percent of its total assets in government securities.

o. Gilt fund with 10-year constant duration

This scheme will invest in government securities with a maturity of 10 years. 15. Gilt Fund with a 10-year Constant Duration will invest a minimum 80 percent in government securities.

p. Floater funds

This debt scheme mainly invests in floating rate instruments, where the interest paid changes in order with the changing interest rate scenario in the debt market. Floater Fund will invest a minimum of 65 percent of its total assets in floating rate instruments.

3. Hybrid Mutual Funds

Hybrid Funds act as a combination of equity and debt fund. This fund allows an investor to invest in both equity and debt markets in certain proportions.

a. Conservative hybrid funds

This scheme will majorly invested in debt instruments. About 75 to 90 percent of their total assets will be invest in debt instruments and about 10 to 25 percent in equity-related instruments. This scheme is named as conservative because it is for people who are risk-averse. Investors who don't want to take much risk in their investment can prefer investing in this scheme.

b. Balanced hybrid funds

This fund will invest around 40-60 percent of its total assets in both debt and equity instruments. The beneficial factor of a Balanced Fund is that they provide equity comparable returns with a lower risk factor.

c. Aggressive hybrid funds

This fund will invest around 65 to 85 percent of its total assets in equity-related instruments and about 20 to 35 percent of their assets in debt instruments. Mutual Fund Houses can offer either a balanced hybrid or an aggressive hybrid fund, not both.

d. Dynamic asset allocation or Balanced advantage funds

This scheme would dynamically manage their investments in equity and debt instruments. These funds tend to increase the allocation to debt and reduce the weightage to equities when the market becomes costly. Also, these funds focus on providing stability at a low-risk.

e. Multi asset allocation

This scheme can invest in three asset classes, which means that they can invest in an extra asset class apart from equity and debt. The fund should invest at least 10 percent in each of the asset classes. Foreign securities will not be treated as a separate asset class.

f. Arbitrage funds

This fund will follow the arbitrage strategy and will invest at least 65 percent of its assets in equity-related instruments. Arbitrage funds are Mutual Funds that leverage the differential price between the cash market and derivative market to generate mutual fund returns. The returns generated by arbitrage funds are dependent on the volatility of the stock market. Arbitrage mutual funds are hybrid in nature and in times of high or persistent volatility, these funds offer relatively risk-free returns to investors.

g. Equity savings

This scheme will invest in equity, arbitrage and debt. Equity savings will invest at least 65 percent of the total assets in stocks and a minimum 10 percent in debt. The scheme would state the minimum hedged and unhedged investments in the scheme information document.

4. Solution Oriented Schemes

a. Retirement fund

This is a retirement solution oriented scheme that will have a lock-in of five years or till the age of retirement.

b. Children’s fund

This is children oriented scheme having a lock-on for five years or until the child attains the age of majority, whichever is earlier.

5. Other Schemes

a. Index Fund/ETF

These funds invest their corpus in shares that constitute a part of a particular index. In other words, these schemes mimic the performance of an index. These schemes are designed to track the returns of a particular market index. These schemes can be purchased either as Mutual Funds or as Exchange Traded Fund (ETFs). Also known as Index Tracker Funds, the corpus of these schemes is invested in the exact proportion as they are in the index. As a consequence, whenever, individuals purchase units of Index Funds, they indirectly own a share in the portfolio that has instruments of a particular index. This fund can invest at least 95 percent of its total asset in securities of a particular index.

b. FoFs (Overseas Domestic)

A Mutual Fund Investing its collected pool of money in another mutual fund (one or maybe more) is referred to as fund of funds. Investors in their portfolios take exposure to different funds and keep track of them separately. However, by investing in multi-manager mutual funds this process gets more simplified as investors need to track only one fund, which in turn holds numerous mutual funds within it. This fund can invest a minimum of 95 percent of its total assets in the underlying fund.

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