Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An Investors
Guide
(AIMT,AMBALA)
Submitted
to:
Submitted by :
Ashwani Gupta(B.M)
Gurmeet kaur
Chand Kapoor(T.M)
M.B.A 3rd
INDEX
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
2.1 ) Concept of Mutual Funds.
2.2 ) Organization of Mutual Fund
2.3) History of Indian Mutual Fund Industry
2.4) Types of Mutual Fund
2.5) Advantages of Mutual Fund.
2.6 )
3. Investment Management
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Any work of this magnitude requires the inputs, efforts and encouragement of people
from all sides. In this project report I have been fortunate in having got the active cooperation of many people, whom I would like to thank.
I would like to thank Mr Ashwani Gupta, Mr. Chand Kpoor, and Mr.Sandeep Attray at
ShareKhan ltd.office for giving me an opportunity to work and enlightening my ways
whenever I need in completion of this project. Their able guidance and support helped
me a lot.
(Gurmeet kaur)
Executive Summary
Investment Planning involves identifying your financial goals throughout your life, and
prioritizing them. Investment Planning is important because it helps you to derive the
maximum benefit from your investments. Your success as an investor depends upon
your ability to choose the right investment options. This, in turn, depends on your
requirements, needs and goals. For most investors, however, the three prime criteria of
evaluating any investment option are liquidity, safety and return.
Investment Planning also helps you to decide upon the right investment strategy.
Besides your individual requirement, your investment strategy would also depend upon
your age, personal circumstances and your risk appetite. Investment planning is
necessary for every one who wishes to achieve any financial goal. You have to plan
your limited resources to avail the maximum benefit out of them. You should plan your
investments to fulfill major needs like:
Thus, Investment Planning is nothing but a holistic approach to meet your life's goals.
The investments avenues available to one are:
Apart from illiquid avenues like real estate, jewellery there is four major investment
avenues available to you, namely:
Debt Instruments
Equity
Mutual Funds
In this project I would be focusing on investments through Mutual Funds. The projects
aims at giving a brief glimpse into the Mutual Fund Industry, what mutual funds are ,
some of the basic concepts of mutual funds, how it is better than other investment
instruments in the market . It gives an insight into the mutual funds , what it is made up
of , how to invest in it , how it is managed and what are the things one should see to
measure and evaluate performance of various mutual fund schemes in the market. This
project comprises of 6 chapters.
The first chapter deals with the introduction of mutual fund concept to give a clearer
picture to the investors. This chapter provides the basic knowledge about what mutual
funds are .It deals with the definitions of mutual funds, the advantage it has over other
instruments and the types of mutual funds available and the history and future trends of
Mutual Funds industry.
The second chapter deals with Investment Management. It is a specialist function and
forms the foundation of a mutual fund business. It talks about what is equity and debt
portfolio, what constitutes them, what are the strategies available to a fund manager to
select from a vast pool of equity and debt instruments. It is an important and demanding
function for a fund manager to maintain an ever profiting portfolios.
Investment decisions taken today directly affect our future wealth; it would make sense
that we utilize a plan to help guide our decisions. The mutual fund scheme you choose
should provide direction and meaning to your financial decisions which can vary from
saving for your child's education or planning for retirement . So it is very important to
choose the right mutual fund scheme. Our third chapter is about what investors should
keep in mind before choosing a mutual fund scheme. It
common mistakes one makes while choosing a mutual fund scheme and the five things
one must see before investing in a mutual fund scheme. It would be foolish to say that
Mutual funds are risk free. As its portfolio comprises of market instruments, there is risk
involved in it .As higher the risk greater the returns/loss and lower the risk lesser the
returns/loss.
Tradeoff, what are the different types of risk available in the market and how mutual
funds reduce these risks through there properties of diversification, asset allocation and
rupee cost averaging.
Mutual funds can be a tax efficient instrument for investing. The following sub part
details on the tax provisions and benefits that apply to Mutual funds. It highlights the
taxation aspect of mutual funds with respect to the fund investor.
The
next chapter deals with imperative measures used to measure and evaluate the
performance of a mutual fund scheme. The final task for the investor is to choose a
mutual fund scheme after deciding its objectives of investment, its risk profile and cash
flow requirements. Before doing the same its is important to measure and evaluate the
performance of various schemes available in the market. This chapter throws light on
the absolute (NAV, Total Return etc) and relative measures like benchmarking the
scheme against the markets or other mutual fund schemes available. In the last a case
study has been given describing how a fund manager recommends a Mutual Fund
scheme depending on the investment objectives of the investor
The volumes of Indian mutual fund industry will keep flourishing in future as investors
will have wider belief and faith in mutual funds units. It may be mentioned here that
since 1987, its size was Rs.10bn . Since than this figure has kept ballooning, revealing
the efficiency of growth in the mutual fund industry which at current level is estimated to
be over Rs2000bn.
The ASSOCHAM study highlights that mutual funds will be one of the major instruments
of wealth creation and wealth saving in the years to come. The consistency in the
performance of the Mutual Funds has been a major factor for attracting many investors.
It has been observed that investors have now changed their view about the stock
market. Unlike earlier, investors have now developed more confidence and trust in the
stock market functioning. A majority of investors has reported interest in Mutual Funds
as these Mutual funds provide a great variety of schemes where they can invest. It is
observed that these are formed according to the requirements of the investor, be it
open-ended, close-ended tax saving or index fund, all are formed according to the need
of investors.
INTRODUCTION
2.1) Concept of Mutual Funds
These days you are hearing more and more about mutual funds as a means of
investment. If you are like most people, you probably have most of your money in a
bank savings account and your biggest investment may be your home. Apart from that,
investing is probably something you simply do not have the time or knowledge to get
involved in. You are not the only one. This is why investing through mutual funds has
become such a popular way of investing.
was
once
available
only
to
select
few.
Understanding Mutual funds is easy as it's such a simple concept: a mutual fund is a
company that pools the money of many investors -- its shareholders -- to invest in a
variety of different securities. Investments may be in stocks, bonds, money market
securities or some combination of these. Those securities are professionally managed
on behalf of the shareholders, and each investor holds a pro rata share of the portfolio -entitled to any profits when the securities are sold, but subject to any losses in value as
well.
For the individual investor, mutual funds provide the benefit of having someone else
manage your investments and diversify your money over many different securities that
may not be available or affordable to you otherwise. Today, minimum investment
requirements on many funds are low enough that even the smallest investor can get
started in mutual funds. A mutual fund, by its very nature, is diversified -- its assets are
invested in many different securities. Beyond that, there are many different types of
mutual funds with different objectives and levels of growth potential, furthering your
chances to diversify
The
fund's
Net
Asset
Value
(NAV)
is
determinedeachday.
3. Mutual Funds are financial intermediaries. They are companies set up to receive
your money, and then having received it, make investments with the money Via an
AMC.
It is an ideal tool for people who want to invest but don't want to be bothered with
deciphering the numbers and deciding whether the stock is a good buy or not. A mutual
fund manager proceeds to buy a number of stocks from various markets and industries.
Depending on the amount you invest, you own part of the overall fund.
The beauty of mutual funds is that anyone with an investible surplus of a few hundred
rupees can invest and reap returns as high as those provided by the equity markets or
have a steady and comparatively secure investment as offered by debt instruments.
There are many entities involved and the diagram below illustrates the organizational
set up of a mutual fund:
Trust
The Mutual Fund is constituted as a trust in accordance with the provisions of the Indian
Trusts Act, 1882 by the Sponsor. The trust deed is registered under the Indian
Registration Act, 1908.
Trustee
Trustee is usually a company (corporate body) or a Board of Trustees (body of
individuals). The main responsibility of the Trustee is to safeguard the interest of the unit
holders and inter alia ensure that the AMC functions in the interest of investors and in
accordance with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds)
Regulations, 1996, the provisions of the Trust Deed and the Offer Documents of the
respective Schemes. At least 2/3rd directors of the Trustee are independent directors
who are not associated with the Sponsor in any manner.
The mutual fund industry in India started in 1963 with the formation of Unit Trust of
India, at the initiative of the Government of India and Reserve Bank the. The history of
mutual funds in India can be broadly divided into four distinct phases
funds. These private funds have brought with them the latest product innovation,
investment management techniques and investor servicing technology that make the
Indian mutual fund industry today a vibrant and growing financial intermediary. The
factors that contributed to greater invertors confidence were:
1. The development of SEBI, s regulatory framework for the Indian mutual fund
industry.
2. The steadily improving performance of several fund houses.
Investors now clearly saw the benefits of investing through mutual funds and became
discerning and selective.
The other major development in the fund industry has been the creation of level playing
field for all mutual funds operating in India. This happened in February 2003 ,when the
UTI Act was repealed .UTI no longer had a special legal status and had to adopt the
same structure as any other fund in India a Trust and an Asset Management
Company. Between 1999 and 2005, the size of the industry has doubled in terms of
assets under management which have gone from about Rs. 6800 to over Rs. 150,000
crores. Within the growing industry relative market shares of different players in terms of
amount mobilized and assets under management have also undergone changes.
Getting a handle on what's under the hood helps you become a better investor and put
together a more successful portfolio. To do this one must know the different types of
funds that cater to investor needs, whatever the age, financial position, risk tolerance
and return expectations. The mutual fund schemes can be classified according to both
their investment objective (like income, growth, tax saving) as well as the number of
units (if these are unlimited then the fund is an open-ended one while if there are limited
units then the fund is close-ended).
By Structure
1. Open-ended schemes
Open-ended schemes do not have a fixed maturity period. Investors can buy or sell
units at NAV-related prices from and to the mutual fund on any business day. These
schemes have unlimited capitalization, open-ended schemes do not have a fixed
maturity, there is no cap on the amount you can buy from the fund and the unit capital
can keep growing. These funds are not generally listed on any exchange.
Open-ended schemes are preferred for their liquidity. Such funds can issue and redeem
units any time during the life of a scheme. Hence, unit capital of open-ended funds can
fluctuate on a daily basis. EG: SBI Bluechip Fund-Growth, Reliance Vision Fund.
Benefits of Open-ended Schemes
Liquidity
In open-ended mutual funds, you can redeem all or part of your units any time you wish.
Some schemes do have a lock-in period where an investor cannot return the units until
the completion of such a lock-in period.
Convenience
An investor can purchase or sell fund units directly from a fund, through a broker or a
financial planner. The investor may opt for a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) or a
Systematic Withdrawal Advantage Plan (SWAP). In addition to this an investor
receives account statements and portfolios of the schemes.
Flexibility
Mutual Funds offering multiple schemes allow investors to switch easily between
various schemes. This flexibility gives the investor a convenient way to change the mix
of his portfolio over time.
Transparency
Open-ended mutual funds disclose their Net Asset Value (NAV) daily and the entire
portfolio monthly. This level of transparency, where the investor himself sees the
underlying assets bought with his money, is unmatched by any other financial
instrument. Thus the investor is in the know of the quality of the portfolio and can invest
further or redeem depending on the kind of the portfolio that has been constructed by
the investment manager.
Close ended schemes
Close-ended schemes have fixed maturity periods (generally ranging from 3 to 15
years)... Investors can buy into these funds during the period when these funds are
open in the initial issue. These schemes are launched with an initial public offer (IPO)
with a stated maturity period after which the units are fully redeemed at NAV linked
prices. In the interim, investors can buy or sell units on the stock exchanges where they
are listed. Unlike open-ended schemes, the unit capital in closed-ended schemes
usually remains unchanged. After an initial closed period, the scheme may offer direct
repurchase facility to the investors. The market price of the units could vary from the
NAV of the scheme due to demand and supply factors, investors expectations and
other market factors. EG: Franklin India Tax shield 97 , & 98, Benchmark Split Capital
Fund Class A.
Interval funds
These funds combine the features of both openended and close-ended funds wherein
the fund is close-ended for the first couple of years and open-ended thereafter. Some
funds allow fresh subscriptions and redemption at fixed times every year (say every six
months) in order to reduce the administrative aspects of daily entry or exit, yet providing
reasonable liquidity.
Growth Funds
The aim of growth funds is to provide capital appreciation over the medium to longterm. Such schemes normally invest a majority of their corpus in equities. It has been
proven that returns from stocks, have outperformed most other kind of investments held
over the long term. Growth schemes are ideal for investors having a long-term outlook
seeking growth over a period of time.
Income Funds
The aim of income funds is to provide regular and steady income to investors. Such
schemes generally invest in fixed income securities such as bonds, corporate
debentures and Government securities. Income Funds are ideal for capital stability and
regular income.
Balanced Funds
The aim of balanced funds is to provide both growth and regular income. Such schemes
periodically distribute a part of their earning and invest both in equities and fixed income
securities in the proportion indicated in their offer documents. In a rising stock market,
the NAV of these schemes may not normally keep pace, or fall equally when the market
falls. These are ideal for investors looking for a combination of income and moderate
growth .For eg : DSP ML Balanced Fund , Kotak Balanced Fund
Other Schemes:
individuals and HUFs are eligible for deduction under Section 80 C of the Income tax
Act, 1961. Investment is subject to a lock-in period of three years from the date of
allotment. EG :Prudential ICICI Tax Plan , HDFC Tax Saver
Special Schemes
Sector mutual funds are those mutual funds that restrict their investments to a particular
segment or sector of the economy. These funds concentrate on one industry such as
infrastructure, heath care, utilities, pharmaceuticals etc. The idea is to allow investors to
place bets on specific industries or sectors, which have strong growth potential. The
investment of these funds is limited to specific industries like InfoTech, FMCG, and
Pharmaceuticals etc. For eg:
Index Schemes
Index Funds attempt to replicate the performance of a particular index such as the BSE
Sensex or the NSE 50.
By Risk Profile
The nature of a funds portfolio and its investment objective imply different levels of risks
undertaken. Funds are therefore often grouped in order of risk.
1. Equity Funds/ Growth Funds
Funds that invest in equity shares are called equity funds. They carry the principal
objective of capital appreciation of the investment over the medium to long-term. The
returns in such funds are volatile since they are directly linked to the stock markets.
They are best suited for investors who are seeking capital appreciation. There are
different types of equity funds such as Diversified funds, Sector specific funds and Index
based funds.
Diversified funds
These funds invest in companies spread across sectors. These funds are generally
meant for risk-taking investors who are not bullish about any particular sector. EG:
Magnum Global fund , HDFC Equity Fund-Growth .
Sector funds
Index funds
An index fund tracks the performance of a specific stock market index. These funds
invest in the same pattern as popular market indices like S&P 500 and BSE Index. The
value of the index fund varies in proportion to the benchmark index. The fund invests in
shares that constitute the index and in the same proportion as the index . EG: HDFC
Index Sensex Fund Growth, HDFC Index Nifty Fund Growth.
These schemes offer tax rebates to the investors under specific provisions of the Indian
Income Tax laws as the Government offers tax incentives for investment in specified
avenues. Opportunities provided under this scheme are in the form of tax rebates U/s 80
C as well saving in Capital Gains U/s 54EA and 54EB. They are best suited for
investors seeking tax concessions. EG: Prudential ICICI Tax Plan , HDFC Tax Saver
alternative for savings and short-term fixed deposit accounts with comparatively higher
returns. These funds are ideal for Corporate, institutional investors and business houses
who invest their funds for very short periods. Eg: DSP ML Lig(G), Llic MF Liquid.
4. Gilt Funds
These funds invest in Central and State Government securities. Since they are
Government backed bonds they give a secured return and also ensure safety of the
principal amount. They are best suited for the medium to long-term investors who are
averse to risk. EG : ING VYSYA Gilt Portfolio, Reliance Gilt Securities.
5. Balanced Funds
These funds invest both in equity shares and fixed-income-bearing instruments (debt) in
some proportion. They provide a steady return and reduce the volatility of the fund while
providing some upside for capital appreciation. They are ideal for medium- to long-term
investors willing to take moderate risks. EG: DSP ML Balanced Fund , Kotak Balanced
Fund
Big investors like mutual funds and Foreign Institutional Investors are increasingly
investing in mid caps nowadays because the price of large caps has increased
substantially. Small / mid sized companies tend to be under researched thus they
present an opportunity to invest in a company that is yet to be identified by the market.
Such companies offer higher growth potential going forward and therefore an
opportunity to benefit from higher than average valuations.
But mid cap funds are very volatile and tend to fall like a pack of cards in bad times. So,
caution should be exercised while investing in mid cap mutual funds. EG: Franklin India
Prima Fund-Growth , Prudential ICICI Dynamic Plan-Growth
Small Cap
The small cap stocks are for the most part companies most are unfamiliar with and they
are usually not followed to a great extend by analysts or individual investors.
Caps typically have a capitalization of less than Rs. 500 to Rs 600
Small
crores..EG:
Prudential ICICI Emerging STAR Fund-Growth , ING Vysya Dividend Yield Fund-Growth
Objective
Risk
Type
Investment
Portfolio
invest
Those
Liquidity
Money
Market
Certificate
Moderate
Income
+ Negligible
Reservation of
Capital
horizon
who
their
of funds
in
Deposits,
current
Commercial
accounts or
Papers,
Call short-term
Money
bank
2 days 3 weeks
deposits
Call
Short-
Commercial
term
Funds
Liquidity
(Floating Moderate
-
Money,
short- Income
Papers,
Those
with
Rate
3 months
CDs,
Short- short-term
term
term)
weeks
funds
Government
securities.
Predominantly
Bond
Funds
(Floating
-
Long-
Regular
Income
Credit
&
Risk
Interest
Rate Risk
term)
Debentures,
Government
securities,
Corporate
Salaried
&
conservative
investors
More than 9 - 12
months
Bonds
Gilt
Security
Funds
Income
Risk
securities
Equity
Long-term
High Risk
Stocks
Funds
Capital
Salaried
&
3 years plus
Appreciation
with
long
term
out
look.
To
generate
NAV
varies
commensurate with
index
Portfolio
indices
BSE,
like Aggressive
NIFTY investors.
3 years plus
etc
indices
Balanced ratio
Balanced
Funds
Growth
Regular
Income
&
Capital
of equity and
returns
2 years plus
at
lower risk
will pay. Good mutual fund managers with an excellent research team can do a better
job of monitoring the companies they have chosen to invest in than you can, unless you
have time to spend on researching the companies you select for your portfolio. That is
because Mutual funds hire full-time, high-level investment professionals. Funds can
afford to do so as they manage large pools of money. The managers have real-time
access to crucial market information and are able to execute trades on the largest and
most cost-effective scale. When you buy a mutual fund, the primary asset you are
buying is the manager, who will be controlling which assets are chosen to meet the
funds' stated investment objectives.
2. Diversification
The clich, "don't put all your eggs in one basket" really applies to the concept of
intelligent investing. A crucial element in investing is asset allocation. It plays a very big
part in the success of any portfolio. However, small investors do not have enough
money to properly allocate their assets. By pooling your funds with others, you can
quickly benefit from greater diversification Mutual funds invest in a broad range of
securities. This limits investment risk by reducing the effect of a possible decline in the
value of any one security. Mutual fund unit-holders can benefit from diversification
techniques usually available only to investors wealthy enough to buy significant
positions in a wide variety of securities.
3. Affordability
A mutual fund invests in a portfolio of assets, i.e. bonds, shares, etc. depending upon
the investment objective of the scheme. An investor can buy in to a portfolio of equities,
which would otherwise be extremely expensive. Each unit holder thus gets an exposure
to such portfolios with an investment as modest as Rs.500/-. This amount today would
get you less than quarter of an Infosys share! Thus it would be affordable for an investor
to build a portfolio of investments through a mutual fund rather than investing directly in
the stock market...
Investing in mutual funds has its own convenience. While you own just one security
rather than many, you still enjoy the benefits of a diversified portfolio and a wide range
of services. Fund managers decide what securities to trade collect the interest
payments and see that your dividends on portfolio securities are received and your
rights exercised. It also uses the services of a high quality custodian and registrar.
Another big advantage is that you can move your funds easily from one fund to another
within a mutual fund family. This allows you to easily rebalance your portfolio to respond
to significant fund management or economic changes.
5. Liquidity
With open-end funds, you can redeem all or part of your investment any time you wish
and receive the current value of the shares. Funds are more liquid than most
investments in shares, deposits and bonds. Moreover, the process is standardized,
making it quick and efficient so that you can get your cash in hand as soon as possible.
6. Transparency
Regulations for mutual funds have made the industry very transparent. You can track
the investments that have been made on you behalf and the specific investments made
by the mutual fund scheme to see where your money is going. In addition to this, you
get regular information on the value of your investment. As a unit holder, you are
provided with regular updates, for example daily NAVs, as well as information on the
fund's holdings and the fund manager's strategy.
7. Variety
There is no shortage of variety when investing in mutual funds. You can find a mutual
fund that matches just about any investing strategy you select. There are funds that
focus on blue-chip stocks, technology stocks, bonds or a mix of stocks and bonds. The
greatest challenge can be sorting through the variety and picking the best for you.
8. Regulations.
All mutual funds are required to register with SEBI (Securities Exchange Board of India).
They are obliged to follow strict regulations designed to protect investors. All operations
are also regularly monitored by the SEBI.
9. Tax Benefits
Any income distributed after March 31, 2002 will be subject to tax in the assessment of
all Unit holders. However, as a measure of concession to Unit holders of open-ended
equity-oriented funds, income distributions for the year ending March 31, 2003, will be
taxed at a concessional rate of 10.5%.
In case of Individuals and Hindu Undivided Families a deduction up to Rs. 9,000 from
the Total Income will be admissible in respect of income from investments specified in
Section 80L, including income from Units of the Mutual Fund. Units of the schemes are
not subject to Wealth-Tax and Gift-Tax.
Company Affairs Minister, Mr. P C Gupta, says that investors in future will prefer
mutual funds for their investment destination than choosing to park their
surpluses in stock markets because of safer returns and lower degree of risk as
compared to other markets.
The ASSOCHAM Study has the compilation of observations made by over 210
investors across the country in which over 80% have exuded confidence that the
volumes of Indian mutual fund industry will keep flourishing in future as investors will
have wider belief and faith in mutual funds units. It may be mentioned here that since
1987, its size was Rs.10bn which went up to Rs41bn in 1991 and subsequently touched
a figure of Rs720bn in 1998. Since than this figure has kept ballooning, revealing the
efficiency of growth in the mutual fund industry which at current level is estimated to be
over Rs2000bn.
Mutual funds will be one of the major instruments of wealth creation and wealth saving
in the years to come, giving positive results. The consistency in the performance of the
Mutual Funds has been a major factor for attracting many investors. The Indian mutual
funds industry has been growing at a healthy pace of 16.68% for the past eight years
and the trend will move northward. Changing scenario of the market, government and
related authorities will also add a lot to the uplift of the Mutual Funds industry.
The presence of intelligent investors has already made the investment market scenario
fiercely competitive, with in increased number of foolproof high-yielding investment
opportunities. The industry has also witnessed several mergers and acquisitions. Mutual
Funds will be available in a wide range of schemes, providing investment opportunities
to all categories of the investors such as shares of corporate firms, commodities and
debt instruments.
The ASSOCHAM Study has revealed the futuristic nature of investors; they invest for
future security and certainty (54%). However, there were some investors who invest in
order to meet their current requirements (38%). In addition, it has been clearly indicated
by the respondents that investments that are long-term are preferred more (54%) over
medium-term (23%) and short-term investments (23%). It has also been perceived
during the survey that complete information about the investment instrument and about
the company of related mutual funds is required by the investors in order to take their
investment decision. Investors are keen to remain updated regarding the latest trends
being followed in the market so as to take full benefits of the market conditions.
It also discloses that Mutual Funds are open to various kinds of risk: international risk,
national risk, policy related risk, etc. The major risk faced by the investors is of uncertain
market conditions that are hard to predict. The reasons could be attributed to the
volatility/fluctuations in the market. Another large risk observed is the change in
government policy, the changes could be either by government or RBI on Mutual Fund
related policies or the economy as a whole that affect the Mutual Funds market.
It has been observed that investors have now changed their view about the stock
market. Unlike earlier, investors have now developed more confidence and trust in the
stock market functioning. It is also observed that the investors who directly make
investments in stock market prefer cash/spot market to futures and options market. It
was also observed that investors now focus on a wider market rather than concentrating
on single area. Among all the different areas of investment it was found that investors
are attracted more towards IT sector, followed by Banking, Drugs & Pharma,
Automobiles, Petro & Gas, Infrastructure, Telecom, Engineering, Textile and Steel.
However in reality, the group of stocks selected will have certain unique characteristics,
chosen in accordance with the preferred investment style, such that the portfolio as a
whole is consistent with the schemes objectives.
equity shares in 2 years time. Clearly, convertible debentures are debt instruments until
converted; when converted, they become equity shares.
Price/Earning Ratio
It is the price of the share divided by the earnings per share and indicates what the
investors are willing to pay for the companys earning potential. Young and fast growing
companies usually have high P/E ratios. Established companies in mature industries
may have lower P/E ratio.
Dividend Yield
Dividend yield for a stock is the ratio of dividend paid per share to current market prices.
Low P/E stocks usually have high dividend yields. What matters to fund managers is the
potential dividend yields based on earning prospects.
Based on companies anticipated earnings and in the light of the investment
management experience the world over, stock as are classified in the following
groups:
Cyclical Stocks
These are shares of companies whose earnings are correlated with the state of
economy. Cement or Aluminum producers fall into this category
Growth Stocks
Theses are the shares of companies whose earnings are expected to increase at the
rates exceed the normal market levels. They tend to reinvest earnings and usually have
high P/E ratios and low dividend yields. Fund managers try to identify the sectors
/companies that have high growth potential.
Value Stocks
These are shares of companies in mature industries and are expected to yield low
growth in earnings .fund managers try to identify such currently under valued stocks that
in their opinion can yield superior returns late.
expected to give above average returns; the manager feels that the earnings prospect
and therefore the stock prices in future will be higher.
Identifying such growth stocks is the challenge before the investment manager. In India
the funds recently identified three sectors as likely to have the greatest earning growth
in future; IT, FMCG and pharmaceuticals.
A value manager looks to buy companies that they believe are currently undervalued in
the market ,but whose worth they estimate will be recognized in the market valuation
eventually. The value manager seeks to cash in on the capital appreciation in future by
selling shares of companies as and when the unlocking of the value takes place. Thus,
an undervalued company may eventually be taken over or merged with another
company, or when PSU may be privatized or a company may be effect a buy back of its
shares.
Fundamental Analysis
It involves research into the operations and finance of a company with the objective of
estimating its future earnings and risk profile the researcher considers many factors
such as the companys position relative to other industry players, impact of the
regulatory environment and quality of management.
Technical analysis
It involves the study of historical data on the companys share price movements and
trading
volume.therefore,
factors
such
as
market
sentiment
and
trends
in
Quantities Analysis
It uses mathematical models for equity valuation and may also use fundamental and
technical information in tandem. In todays environment computer based models form
the basis for such analysis.
Debt Portfolio Management has to contend with the construction and management of
portfolios of debt instruments, with the primary objective of generating income. In
context of debt mutual funds, managers invest only in market traded instruments (not in
loans as done by banks).
Certificate of Deposit
These are issued by banks in denominations of Rs 5 lakhs and have maturity ranging
from 30 days to 3 years. Banks are allowed to issue CDs with a maturity of less than
one year while financial institutions are allowed to issue CDs with a maturity of at least
one year
Commercial Paper
A Commercial Paper is a short term unsecured promissory note issued by the raiser of
debt to the investor. In India Corporate, Primary Dealers (PD), Satellite Dealers (SD)
and
Financial
Institutions
(FIs)
can
issue
these
notes.
It is generally companies with very good ratings which are active in the CP market,
though RBI permits a minimum credit rating of Crisil-P2. The tenure of CPs can be
anything between 15 days to one year, though the most popular duration is 90 days.
Companies use CPs to save interest costs
Corporate Debenture
These are short to medium term interest bearing instruments issued by financial
intermediaries and corporations. The typical maturity of these bonds is 3 to 5 years
FRBs issued by financial institutions are generally unsecured while those from private
corporations are secured.
Government Securities
These are medium to long term interest bearing obligations issues through RBI by the
Govt. Of India and state governments. The RBI decides the cut off coupon on the basis
of bids received during auctions. There are issuers where the rate is pre-specified and
the investor only bids for the quantity.
Treasury Bills
Treasury Bills are instruments issued by RBI at a discount to the face value and form an
integral part of the money market. In India Treasury Bills are issued in four different
maturities
14
days,
90
days,
182
days
and
364
days.
Apart from the above money market instruments, certain other short-term instruments
are also in vogue with investors. These include short-term corporate debentures, bills of
exchange
and
promissory
notes.
Bank / FI Bonds
PSU Bonds
It is medium to long term obligations issued by PSU in which the government share
holding is generally greater than 51%. Some PSU bonds carry tax exemption. The
minimum maturity is 5 years for taxable bonds and 7 years for tax free bonds.
2. Yield to Maturity
1. Current Yield
This relates interest on a bond to its current market price by dividing annual coupon
interest by the current market price. For example , the yield of a bond with a par value of
Rs. 1000 , coupon rate 10% and market price of 1200 is 8.33% (10% *1000 / 1200).
The yield of bond bears an inverse relationship to the movements in interest rate. foe
example , if interest rate on the similar newly issued bonds rise to 12% the bond in the
above example will become less attractive. Current yield as a performance measure is
simple to use, but ignores issues such as interest and gain/loss over purchase price
upon maturity.
2. Yield to Maturity
This is more sophisticated technique of bond analysis. It is the annual rate of return an
investor would realize if he bought a bond at a particular price, received all coupon
payments, reinvest the coupons at the same YTM rate and received the principal at
maturity. The relationship between YTM and price of a bond is an inverse relationship.
The different yield on the entire available universe of debt securities is tracked by the
fund managers with the help of yield curve.
Yield Curve
This is a graph showing yields from bonds of various maturities, using benchmark group
of bonds, such as Government securities. This is also known as Term Structure of
Interest Rates. (TSIR). It is an important indicator of expected trends in interest rates.
A
yield
curve
can
be
positive,
neutral
or
flat.
A positive yield curve, which is most natural, is when the slope of the curve is
positive, i.e. the yield at the longer end is higher than that at the shorter end of
the time axis. This is as a result of people demanding higher compensation for
parting their money for a longer time into the future.
A neutral yield curve is that which has a zero slope, i.e. is flat across time. This
occurs when people are willing to accept more or less the same returns across
maturities.
The negative yield curve (also called an inverted yield curve) is one of which the
slope is negative, i.e. the long-term yield is lower than the short-term yield. It is
not often that this happens and has important economic ramifications when it
does. It generally represents an impending downturn in the economy, where
people are anticipating lower interest rates in the future.
3. Credit selection
Some debt managers look to investing in a bond in anticipation of changes in its credit
ratings. An upgrade of a bond credit rating would lead to increase in its price, thereby
leading to a superior return. The fund would need to analyze the bonds credit quality so
as to implement this strategy. It would require frequent trading of bonds in anticipation of
changes in ratings.
factors
are
largely
macro-economic
in
nature
pushing
the
interest
rates
up
and
vice
versa.
2. Government Borrowing and Fiscal Deficit: Since the government is the biggest
borrower in the debt market, the level of borrowing also determines the interest rates.
On the other hand, supply of money is done by the Central Bank by either printing more
notes or through its Open Market Operations (OMO).
3.
RBI: RBI can change the key rates (CRR, SLR and bank rates) depending on the
state of the economy or to combat inflation. RBI fixes the bank rate which forms the
basis of the structure of interest rates and the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR), which determines the availability of credit and the level of money
supply in the economy.
(CRR is the percentage of its total deposits a bank has to keep with RBI in cash or near
cash assets and SLR is the percentage of its total deposits a bank has to keep in
approved securities. The purpose of CRR and SLR is to keep a bank liquid at any point
of time. When banks have to keep low CRR or SLR, it increases the money available for
credit in the system. This eases the pressure on interest rates and interest rates move
down. Also when money is available and that too at lower interest rates, it is given on
credit
to
the
industrial
sector
that
pushes
the
economic
growth)
Inflation Rate: Typically a higher inflation rate means higher interest rates. The interest
rates prevailing in an economy at any point of time are nominal interest rates, i.e., real
interest rates plus a premium for expected inflation. Due to inflation, there is a decrease
in purchasing power of every rupee earned on account of interest in the future; therefore
the interest rates must include a premium for expected inflation. In the long run, other
things being equal, interest rates raise one for one with rise in inflation.
Once you are comfortable with the basics, the next step is to understand your
investment choices, and draw up your investment plan relevant to your requirements.
Choosing your investment mix depends on factors such as your risk appetite, time
horizon of your investment, your investment objectives, age, etc.
A)
Identifying
the
Investment
Objective
your financial goals will vary, based on your age, lifestyle, financial independence,
family commitments, level of income and expenses, among many other factors. For
each goal, be sure to consider:
Very conservative
Conservative
Moderate
Aggressive
Very Aggressive
A lump sum after a fixed period of time for some specific need in the future
Or, you may have no need for cash, but you may want to create fixed assets for
the future
For Capital Appreciation go for equity sectoral funds, equity diversified funds or
balanced funds.
For Regular Income and Stability you should opt for income funds/MIPS
For Short-Term Parking of Funds go for liquid funds, floating rate funds, shortterm funds.
Investment
Investment
Ideal Instruments
Objective
Short-term
Investment
Capital
Appreciation
horizon
1- 6 months
Liquid/Short-term plans
Over 3 years
Tax Saving
3 yrs lock-in
The track record of performance over that last few years in relation to the
appropriate yardstick and similar funds in the same category.
How well the Mutual Fund is organized to provide efficient, prompt and
personalized service.
D) Evaluation of portfolio
Evaluation of equity fund involve analysis of risk and return, volatility, expense ratio,
fund managers style of investment, portfolio diversification, fund managers experience.
Good equity fund should provide consistent returns over a period of time. Also expense
ratio should be within the prescribed limits. These days fund house charge around
2.50% as management fees.
Evaluation of bond funds involve it's assets allocation analysis, return's consistency, its
rating profile, maturity profile, and its performance over a period of time. The bond fund
with ideal mix of corporate debt and gilt fund should be selected.
4.1.1 ) Five Things you must see before investing in a Mutual Fund
It helps if an investor follows this 5-point guide to select the right mutual fund:
1. Your risk profile
Investors must ascertain their own risk profile. As there are funds that cater to various
risk profiles in the market, ranging from very risky to very conservative, its important that
investors choose the fund that best suits his/her risk profile. For instance, it doesn't
make sense for a risk-taking investor to invest in debt funds because he would not be
satisfied by the kind of conservative returns debt funds give. Similarly, a conservative
investor should stay away from equity funds, as they are not suited to stomach the
accompanying volatility.
2. Your investment horizon
The amount of time investors are willing to stay invested in the fund also determines the
kind of fund suited for him. Equity funds are best suited for investors who have a longer
time horizon as equities give the best return amongst all other asset classes over the
long term. But for investors who want to invest for a shorter tenure, debt funds are the
best options.
3. Offer document
It is important to know your fund, as it is to know yourself. The best source of
information on a fund is its offer document. It has information on the nature of the
scheme, the kind of instruments the fund aims to invest in, its risk-profile, its investment
strategies, and so on. It also gives you an idea of how other schemes from the same
fund house have performed. It helps to check the potential of the fund and also the track
record of the fund house.
2. Meddling with your account too often. You should have a clear understanding of
your investments so that you are comfortable with their behavior. If you keep
transferring investments in response to downturns in prices, you may miss the upturns
as well. Even in the investment field, the "tortoise" who is more patient, may win over
the "hare". While past performance does not necessarily guarantee future performance,
your understanding of the behavior of various investments over time can help prevent
you from becoming short-sighted about your long-term goals.
3. Losing sight of inflation. While you may be aware of the fact that the cost of goods
and services is rising, people tend to forget the impact inflation will have on investments
in the long-term. You have to keep in mind that inflation will eat into your savings faster
than you can imagine.
4. Investing too little too late. People do not "pay themselves first". Most people these
days have too many monthly bills to pay, and planning for their future often takes a
backseat. Regardless of age or income, if you do not place long-term investing among
your top priorities, you may not be able to meet your financial goals. The sooner you
start, the less you have to save every month to reach your financial goals.
5. Putting all your eggs in one basket. When it comes to investing, most of us do not
appreciate the importance of diversification. While we know that we should not "put all
our eggs in one basket", we often do not relate this concept to stocks and bonds. Take
the time to discuss the importance of diversifying your investments among different
asset categories and industries with your financial advisor. When you diversify, you do
not have to rely on the success of just one investment.
6. Investing too conservatively. Because they are fearful of losing money, many
people tend to rely heavily on fixed-income investments such as bank fixed deposits
and company deposits. By doing this, however, you expose yourself to the risk of
inflation. Consider diversifying with a combination of investments. Include stock funds,
which may be more volatile, but have the potential to produce higher returns over the
long term.
Having understood the basics of mutual funds the next step is to build a successful
investment portfolio. Before you can begin to build a portfolio, one should understand
some other elements of mutual fund investing and how they can affect the potential
value of your investments over the years. The first thing that has to be kept in mind is
that when you invest in mutual funds, there is no guarantee that you will end up with
more money when you withdraw your investment than what you started out with. That is
the potential of loss is always there. The loss of value in your investment is what is
considered risk in investing.
Even so, the opportunity for investment growth that is possible through investments in
mutual
funds
far
exceeds
that
concern
for
most
investors.
Heres
why.
At the cornerstone of investing is the basic principal that the greater the risk you take,
the greater the potential reward. Or stated in another way, you get what you pay for and
you get paid a higher return only when you're willing to accept more volatility.
Risk then, refers to the volatility -- the up and down activity in the markets and individual
issues that occurs constantly over time. This volatility can be caused by a number of
factors -- interest rate changes, inflation or general economic conditions. It is this
variability, uncertainty and potential for loss, that causes investors to worry. We all fear
the possibility that a stock we invest in will fall substantially. But it is this very volatility
that is the exact reason that you can expect to earn a higher long-term return from these
investments
than
from
savings
account.
Different types of mutual funds have different levels of volatility or potential price
change, and those with the greater chance of losing value are also the funds that can
produce the greater returns for you over time. So risk has two sides: it causes the value
of your investments to fluctuate, but it is precisely the reason you can expect to earn
higher
returns.
You might find it helpful to remember that all financial investments will fluctuate. There
are very few perfectly safe havens and those simply don't pay enough to beat inflation
over the long run.
All investments involve some form of risk. Consider these common types of risk and
evaluate them against potential rewards when you select an investment.
Market Risk
At times the prices or yields of all the securities in a particular market rise or fall due to
broad outside influences. When this happens, the stock prices of both an outstanding,
highly profitable company and a fledgling corporation may be affected. This change in
price is due to "market risk". Also known as systematic risk.
Inflation Risk
trained and motivated personnel is very critical for the success of industries in few
sectors. It is, therefore, necessary to attract key personnel and also to retain them to
meet the changing environment and challenges the sector offers. Failure or inability to
attract/retain such qualified key personnel may impact the prospects of the companies
in the particular sector in which the fund invests
Mutual funds have experienced and skilled professionals who determine and monitor
risks on an ongoing basis. In addition, various bodies evaluate mutual fund returns by
the risks they carry.
Diversification
Asset allocation
Rupee-cost averaging
Diversification
Simply put, diversification means choosing several baskets for your investment eggs.
Sure, you could hit it big during good times by investing solely in one stock or sector.
But this strategy can be devastating if the market crashes and leaves you with a basket
of broken eggs.
Diversification is a little like buying insurance. By investing in multiple asset categoriesstocks, bonds, cash and real estate to name a few-you're less likely to get hurt if one
fares poorly.
Different ways to diversify
You can diversify within an asset category, across asset categories and investment
styles, and globally.
1. Diversifying within an asset category. By diversifying, you can reduce the impact
on your investments when a specific security does poorly. You could do this by
purchasing many bonds, for example, instead of one or two.
You're not really diversified, however, if all those bonds have short maturities.
Diversification means owning different types of bonds-long term, short term,
government, corporate and possibly high yield.
2. Diversifying among asset categories. Diversifying can also reduce the risk that an
entire asset category, such as stocks, will do poorly for an extended period of time. You
can select investments from several asset categories-stocks, bonds, cash and real
estate, for example.
3. Diversifying across investment styles. Value and growth stocks do not usually
move in tandem. In one year, one style typically outperforms the other. It's somewhat
like shopping, sometimes there's nothing better than a bargain and other times it's
better to spend a little more for something special.
Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than value stocks and are associated with higher
levels of risk and return.
4. Diversifying globally. Another advantage of diversifying is that you reduce the risk
that local financial markets will suffer an extended bear market. While global investing
includes some additional risks, such as currency fluctuations and political uncertainty,
diversifying globally can help offset overall portfolio volatility.
Asset Allocation
What is Asset Allocation?
Asset allocation means diversifying your money among different types of investment
categories, such as stocks, bonds and cash. The goal is to help reduce risk and
enhance returns.
This strategy can work because different categories behave differently, Stocks, for
instance, offer potential for both growth and income, while bonds typically offer stability
and income. The benefits of different asset categories can be combined into a portfolio
with a level of risk you find acceptable.
Establishing a well-diversified portfolio may allow you to avoid the risks associated with
putting all your eggs in one basket.
Aggressive Portfolio
This portfolio emphasizes growth, suggesting 65% in stocks or equity funds, 25% in
bonds of fixed-income funds and 10% in short-term money market funds or cash
equivalents. Investment experts recommend this portfolio for people who have a long
investment time frame. The portfolio provides for short-term emergencies and a midterm goal such as building a home, but otherwise assumes the investor has long- term
goals such as retirement in mind.
Moderate
Portfolio
The portfolio seeks to balance growth and stability. It recommends 50% in stocks or
equity funds, 30% in bonds or fixed-income funds and 20% in short-term money market
funds or cash equivalents. This portfolio would seek to provide regular income with
moderate protection against inflation. The equity component provides the potential for
growth, whereas the component in bonds and short-term instruments helps balance out
fluctuations in the stock market.
Conservative Portfolio
This portfolio suggests 25% in stocks or equity funds, 50% in bonds or fixed-income
funds, and 25% in money market funds or cash equivalents. This portfolio appeals to
people who is very risk averse or who are retired. The 25% equity component is
intended to help investors stay ahead of inflation.
No matter what type of savings programme you choose, it's important to review your
portfolio every 6-12 months to assess your progress. Your financial advisor can provide
you with expert help in determining the best way to allocate your assets.
Rupee-cost averaging
average cost of Rs.27.83 each. And there's no guesswork or worry about what the price
is about to do.
Purchase
Month
Invested
Unit Price
01-Jan
Rs.500
Rs.22
22.73
01-Feb
Rs.500
Rs.26
19.23
01-Mar
Rs.500
Rs.26
19.23
01-Apr
Rs.500
Rs.28
17.86
01-May
Rs.500
Rs.31
16.13
01-Jun
Rs.500
Rs.34
14.71
Total:
Avg
Rs.3000
Rs.27.83
Cost: Total:
109.89
For illustrative purposes only. Not intended to represent any specific Franklin Templeton
fund.
When unit price is falling. Rupee-cost averaging in this scenario can reduce loss
compared to making a lump-sum investment. Rs.500 is invested in a mutual fund on the
first of each month. The investor in this scenario would have bought 98.63 units at an
average cost per unit of Rs.30.83. The investment's value at the end of the period would
be Rs.2 564.38.
By comparison, someone who invested the entire Rs.3 000 in January at Rs.38 per unit
would have owned only 78.94 units, and the investment would have been worth only
Rs.2 052.44 at the end of the period.
Purchase
Month
Invested
Unit Price
01-Jan
Rs.500
Rs.38
13.16
01-Feb
Rs.500
Rs.31
16.13
01-Mar
Rs.500
Rs.29
17.24
01-Apr
Rs.500
Rs.32
15.63
01-May
Rs.500
Rs.29
17.24
01-Jun
Rs.500
Rs.26
19.23
Total:
Avg
Rs.3000
Rs.30.83
For illustrative purposes only. Not intended to represent any specific Franklin Templeton
fund.
It's not for everyone, but many investors believe this systematic approach to investing
and withdrawing is an effective way to accumu1ate wealth over the long term.
Rupee-cost averaging doesn't guarantee a profit or eliminate risk, and it won't protect
you from a loss if you sell shares at a market low. Before adopting this strategy, you
shou1d consider your ability to continue investing through periods of low price levels.
Risk-Return
Medium
High
Medium to High
Medium
Medium to High
High
Medium to High
Low
High
Low
Medium to High
Low to Medium
operating in India), Section 10(33) exempts income from funds in the hands of the unitholders. However, this does not mean that there is no tax at all on income distributions
by mutual funds.
If the units are held for a period of less than one year, then the gains are short-term
capital gains. For Debt oriented and Fund of Funds scheme, it will be taxed at the
marginal income tax rate applicable to the investors. For Equity oriented schemes, the
Short Term Capital Gains will be taxed at 10% of the gain amount.
Debt Scheme
The investor has to pay long-term capital gains on the units held by him for period of
more than 1 year. In this case, the investor will liable for the lower of the two:
Indexation means that the purchase price is marked up by an inflation index resulting in
lower capital gains and hence lower tax
No TDS is required to be deducted from capital gains arising at the time of redemptions
for the resident investors.
Income
Distribution
Tax
As per prevailing tax laws, income distributed by schemes other than open-end equity
schemes is subject to tax at 20 % (plus surcharge of 10 %). For this purpose, equity
schemes have been defined to be those schemes that have more than 50 % of their
assets in the form of equity. Open-end equity schemes have been left out of the purview
of this distribution tax for a period of three years beginning from April 1999.
Section 80C
Section 80C as introduced by the Finance Act, 2005, provides that from the total income
of an individual & HUF, deduction for an amount paid or deposited in certain eligible
schemes or investments would be available, subject to a maximum amount of Rs 1
lakh. According to clause (xiii) and clause (xx) to sub-section 2, any subscription to any
units of Mutual Fund notified under Section 10(23D) would qualify for deduction under
the aforesaid Section provided, the plan formulated in accordance with a scheme
notified by the Central Government or approved by CBDT on an application made by
the Mutual Fund and an amount of subscription to such units is subscribed only in
eligible issue of capital of any company. Vide CBDT clarification dated 11th November,
2005 investment up to Rs 1 lakh in ELSS Scheme by individuals and HUFs are eligible
for deduction under Section 80 C of the Income tax Act, 1961. Investment is subject to a
lock-in period of three years from the date of allotment. This section replaced Section 88
under which the maximum amount that can be invested in the ELSS schemes was
Rs.10, 000; therefore the maximum tax benefit available works out to Rs.2000. It was a
major breakthrough for tax saving schemes as it marketed mutual fund as tax saving
instrument.
The investor would naturally be interested in tracking the value of his investments,
whether he invests directly in the markets or indirectly through mutual funds. He would
have to make intelligent decisions on whether he gets an acceptable return on his
investments in the funds selected by him, or if he needs to switch to another fund. He
therefore needs to understand the basis of appropriate performance measurement of a
fund only then would be in a position to judge correctly whether his fund is performing
well or not and make the right decisions. SEBI requires mutual funds to specify
appropriate benchmarks foe each scheme in the Offer Document and Key Information
Memorandum.
The need to compare different funds performance requires the fund manager to have
the knowledge of the correct and appropriate measures of evaluating funds
performance.
Formula:
(Distributions + Change in NAV / NAV at the beginning of the period) * 100
Suitability: this measure is suitable for all kinds of funds. Performance of different types
of funds can be compared on the basis of total return. It is also more accurate as it
takes into account distributions during the period. It should, be interpreted in the light of
investments objective of the fund and current market conditions.
Limitations
Although more accurate than NAV change. It still ignores the fact that distributed
dividend also get reinvested if received during the year.
words, by how much the stock index itself moved up or down, and whether the fund
gave return that was better or worse than the index movement. . ion example of
diversified equity fund , we can use a market index like S& P CNX N ifty or BSE
SENSEX as benchmarks to evaluate the schemes performance.
Index Funds
In this the fund would invest in index stocks and expect its NAV change mirror the
changes in the index itself. The fund and therefore the investor would not expect to beat
the benchmark but merely earn the same return as the index.
Many fund houses in India now offer index funds based on and tracking the S&P CNX
Nifty Index and BSE SENSEX Index.
b) Active Equity Funds
Most of the other equity funds are actively managed by the fund managers. To evaluate
the performance therefore we need an appropriate benchmark and compare its returns
to the returns on the benchmarks. usually this means using the appropriate market
index. The appropriate index to be used to evaluate a broad based equity fund should
be decided on the basis of size and the composition of funds portfolio. If the fund in
question has a large portfolio, a broader market index like BSE 200 or 100 or NSE 100
may have to be used as a benchmark rather than S&P CNX Nifty or BSE 30. An actively
managed fund expects to be able to beat the index, in other words give higher returns
than the index itself. Sector funds can be compared to sector index such as InfoTech
and pharma sector funds . Similarly the choice of correct equity index as a benchmark
also depends upon the investment objective of the fund.
2. Debt funds
A debt funds performance ought to be judged against a debt market index . Further , for
debt funds the kind of debt that comprises the portfolio will also decide the index to be
used. If the Bond Fund or Debt Fund in question is broad based one ; then a broad
based index has to be used for this purpose. Performance of close end debt funds
with a clear period maturity may be compared with the bank fixed deposits
of
Market
price
movements
that
is
mirror
image
of
yield
called
The investment objectives and risk profiles of two funds being compared must be
the same. For example it would not be appropriate to compare equity fund with
debt fund nor debt fund investing in government securities be compared with a
fund investing in corporate debt instruments.
Different equity funds among themselves can be compared or debt funds among
themselves can be compared however in the same equity and debt funds the
portfolio composition of two funds in question are similar . For example , a high
return fund
portfolios are different. Similarly in debt funds investing in corporate and govt.
securities , the credit quality and the maturity profile of their assets are
important . The credit quality is indicated by the percentage of investment made
in instruments with different credit ratings . The average maturity of ones funds
investments may be 2 years , while that of other may be , say 6 years . In this
case if the interest rate go up the value of the second fund will drop more than
the first one.
Even when comparable on all other criteria two funds one big and one small
may not give comparable performance. Big funds have greater diversification
benefits such as risk sharing while the small one is easier to manage for quick
adjustments.
Compare returns of two funds over the same periods. Similarly , only average
annualized compound returns are comparable .
characteristics and with returns that are calculated over the same periods ought to be
used for meaningful comparison.
6. Case study
Equity Fund
,Reliance vision fund etc. from the above short listed aggressive funds the fund
manager will compare the short listed schemes on the basis of :
1. Reputation of the AMC owning it: does the fund house that owns the fund holds a
good image in the market.
2. Time period / Inception date: how long the funds have been in operation. Longer
the time period better it is as we can compare the performance of the funds, whether
the fund has a stable or volatile performance.
3.Fund Size : A Large corpus is generally considered good because large funds have
lower costs, as expenses are spread over large assets and the portfolio can be easily
manipulated as compared to the restrictions faced by the scheme that have small fund
size.
4. Returns since the inception and after regular interval say 3 months, 1year so
on: this gives an idea about the returns a person will get since its inception and about
the performance of the scheme.
5.
scheme has been constantly outperforming its index returns. If it is it means the scheme
is doing well.
On the basis of above mentioned criteria a fund manager can recommend to invest in
Equity or Vision Fund as both of them come from reputed fund houses. the funds have
been in years operation for the past 10 or 11 years, have a sound NAV, enjoy a good
returns.
Similarly we choose a fund in Balanced Schemes, Index funds etc.
FINDINGS
Like a traveler, who after completing his long and arduous journey reaches his destination and
looks back upon the area covered by him for recalling the important landmarks and experiences
he came across; similarly, it would be desirable to review the various aspects of the present
study. So prior to winding up this study, an attempt is made to summarize its major findings and
suggestions on the basis of forgoing chapters.
Findings:1. All the equity funds invested in high growth, current high importance sectors like
Energy, Infrastructure, IT, Telecom, Oil, Auto etc.
2. To maintain liquidity all the mutual funds have cash holdings of nearly 10% out of their
total asset. Maintaining cash also enables them to invest in any lucrative instrument as it
comes.
3. NAV of all the equity related funds fell down in June, July and August 2006 due to fall in
the Sensex. However those funds which invested in safer instruments like Bonds,
Government Securities there NAV were not much affected.
4. The main reasons for Sensex fall were found to be:
The interest rate hike in the US by the Federal Reserve Bank.
BSE Metal index lost 22%. This putted lot of impact as infrastructure
development is in Boom in INDIA.
Some people viewed that Sensex growth was valuated higher.
Markets in US and Japan were attracting liquidity and inflation scare was also
there, so a lot of emerging markets pulled back.
Industry feared more tax brackets.
Many reports were issued which criticized the growth shown by Sensex. It was
speculated by experts that Sensex may touch 9000 mark.
FIIs were net sellers in emerging markets to book profits.
The rise in the level of margin trading was very high.
International Crude Oil Prices were rising.
5. The one year equity related funds is higher than other funds. It proves the principal of
higher risk, high return.
6. DSP Merrill Lynch Mutual fund gave one year return of 36.4%. Total number of
instruments in its portfolio is 77. However HDFC Mutual Fund gave one year return of
nearly 34% with number of instruments in its portfolio close to 60. So its important what
instrument we include in portfolio rather than the number of securities. More number of
securities only complexes the portfolio management.
7. As the NAV increases, the number of units which an investor gets decreases and viceversa.
8. be less in one time investment than opting for SIP or Value Averaging (if available)
9. Average price which an investor has to pay to invest in a mutual fund was found to be
equal in SIP or Value Averaging .
10. Average cost associated with the mutual fund was found to be least in one time
investment than Value Averaging, whose average cost was further less than that
associated with SIP.
11. Average Price, average cost in one time investment was foundto be less in comparison to
other investing ways. This is one of the reasons why its one year returns are more.
12. To practically implement value averaging the minimum amount condition like in SIP has
to be eliminated. As we have seen in the calculations at one time investor was investing
Rs 1596/- and at other Rs 158/- only.
13. One year return in one time investment was found to be more than in Value Averaging
investment way, which was further high than one year return using SIP.
14. Growth fund option gives investors good returns as well as capital appreciation.
SUGGESTIONS
1. Best time to invest in stock market is when it is down because with same investment
money he will get more value.
2. Mutual fund is the best way to enter into market particularly for those investors who want
good returns with minimum risk as fund of mutual funds is handled by an expert.
3. To get good returns investor must invest considering the time horizon of at least two to
three years. This will help him in getting good returns.
4. Portfolio management is a difficult task. So fund managers must choose optimal number
of securities which meets the objectives of fund.
5. Mutual Fund companies must devise fund considering the end investor in mind.
6. Individual investors must also choose a basket of securities instead of making investment
in only one or two instruments, so that even if one instruments return is negative other
instruments return can compensate that.
7. Since there are large number of mutual funds in which an investor can invest, so he must
choose the fund in which investment is to be made by clearly understanding the little
aspects associated with it.
8. Those investors who are risk averse must invest in open ended funds because he can look
at the past performance of the fund under consideration.
9. Diversification of portfolio is must as it reduce the unsystematic risk and give the return
an edge.
LIMITATIONS
CONCLUSION
Thus on the whole it can be concluded that there is no conclusive evidence which suggest
that performance of mutual funds scheme portfolio is superior to others. But it is for sure
performance of the most of the funds in better.
Each investment alternative has its own strengths and weakness. Equity related funds
give more returns, but the risk associated is also very high. It would be clearer from the fact
that when Sensex was down in the middle of 2006, the NAV of all the equity related funds
fell down. On the other hand investing in safer instruments like Bank Deposits, Government
Bonds.. gives investor the assured return with nearly no risk. But the returns are very less
in comparison to other instruments. So if an investor wants to get good returns with
minimum risk he must invest in basket of securities. Selecting a fund is not an easy task. So
he must do his homework very clearly. While choosing the fund it is also very necessary that
he chose funds investing in different sectors. Mutual funds are probably the best investment
tool for those persons who dont know the basics of Stock Market but wish to invest in it. As
mutual fund investment are taken, care by expert fund managers so chances of making a loss
in the investment are very less.
Right now practical application of investing in mutual fund by using Value Averaging
appears to be difficult. But if it is applied than by investing a small amount an investor will
be able to get good returns in comparison to SIP. A lot of research has to be done on to it. In
last we can conclude that those investors who wish to get good returns with minimum risk
they must invest in mutual funds. But while investing they must consider their investment
objectives, expected returns, risk taking capability. Depending upon these they must choose
the instrument in which they should invest. Further they should insure that they make
investment in basket of instruments as this will give those advantages of various sectors, at
the same time minimize the risk.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Websites
www.reliancemutual.com
www.sbimf.com
www.franklintempletonindia.com
www.hdfcfund.com
www.dsmlmutualfund.com
www.kotakmutual.com
www.jmmutual.com
www.licmutual.com
www.utimf.com
www.valueresearcherindia.com
www.amfiindia.com
www.mutualfundindia.com
Books
Verna, Dr J.C., Mutual Funds & Investment Portfolio, Bharat Publications,
2nd Edition.
Pandian, punithavathy, Security Analysis and Portfolio Management, Vikas
Publications, 2nd Reprint.
Kothari, C.R., Research Methodology, New Age International Publishers,
2005.