Comparitive Study of Mutual Funds in India
Comparitive Study of Mutual Funds in India
Comparitive Study of Mutual Funds in India
PROJECT ON
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MUTUAL FUNDS
IN INDIA
SUBMITTED
In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements
For the Award of the Degree of
Bachelor of Management
BY
ANSARI SHEEMAN AHMED.
PROJECT GUIDE
MRS. MINAL GANDHI
1
DECLARATION
Student’s Signature
( )
2
CERTIFICATE
External Examiner
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Before we get into thick of things, I would like to add a few words of appreciation for the
people who have been a part of this project right from its inception. The writing of this project
has been one of the significant academic challenges I have faced and without the support,
patience, and guidance of the people involved, this task would not have been completed. It is to
them I owe my deepest gratitude.
It gives me Immense pleasure in presenting this project report on "COMPARATIVE
STUDY OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIA". It has been my privilege to have a team of project
guide who have assisted me from the commencement of this project. The success of this project
is a result of sheer hard work, and determination put in by me with the help of my project guide.
I hereby take this opportunity to add a special note of thanks for Mrs. MINAL GANDHI, who
undertook to act as my mentor despite her many other academic and professional commitments.
Her wisdom, knowledge, and commitment to the highest standards inspired and motivated me.
Without her insight, support, and energy, this project wouldn't have kick-started and neither
would have reached fruitfulness.
I also feel heartiest sense of obligation to my library staff members & seniors, who
helped me in collection of data & resource material & also in its processing as well as in drafting
manuscript. The project is dedicated to all those people, who helped me while doing this project.
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NEED FOR THE STUDY:
The main purpose of doing this project was to know about mutual fund and its
functioning. This helps to know in details about mutual fund industry right from its inception
stage, growth and future prospects.
It also helps in understanding different schemes of mutual funds. Because my study
depends upon prominent funds in India and their schemes like equity, income, balance as well as
the returns associated with those schemes.
The project study was done to ascertain the asset allocation, entry load, exit load,
associated with the mutual funds. Ultimately this would help in understanding the benefits of
mutual funds to investors.
OBJECTIVE:
To give a brief idea about the benefits available from Mutual Fund investment.
To give an idea of the types of schemes available.
To discuss about the market trends of Mutual Fund investment.
To study some of the mutual fund schemes.
To study some mutual fund companies and their funds.
Observe the fund management process of mutual funds.
Explore the recent developments in the mutual funds in India.
To give an idea about the regulations of mutual funds.
LIMITATIONS
• The lack of information sources for the analysis part.
• Though I tried to collect some primary data but they were too inadequate for the purposes
of the study.
• Time and money are critical factors limiting this study.
• The data provided by the prospects may not be 100% correct as they too have their
limitations.
• The study is limited to selected mutual fund schemes.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMERY
A mutual fund is a scheme in which several people invest their money for a common
financial cause. The collected money invests in the capital market and the money, which they
earned, is divided based on the number of units, which they hold.
The mutual fund industry started in India in a small way with the UTI Act creating what
was effectively a small savings division within the RBI. Over a period of 25 years this grew
fairly successfully and gave investors a good return, and therefore in 1989, as the next logical
step, public sector banks and financial institutions were allowed to float mutual funds and their
success emboldened the government to allow the private sector to foray into this area.
The biggest problems with mutual funds are their costs and fees it include Purchase fee,
Redemption fee, Exchange fee, Management fee, Account fee & Transaction Costs. There are
some loads which add to the cost of mutual fund. Load is a type of commission depending on the
type of funds.
Mutual funds are easy to buy and sell. You can either buy them directly from the fund
company or through a third party. Before investing in any funds one should consider some factor
like objective, risk, Fund Manager’s and scheme track record, Cost factor etc.
There are many, many types of mutual funds. You can classify funds based Structure
(open-ended & close-ended), Nature (equity, debt, balanced), Investment objective (growth,
income, money market) etc.
A code of conduct and registration structure for mutual fund intermediaries, which were
subsequently mandated by SEBI. In addition, this year AMFI was involved in a number of
developments and enhancements to the regulatory framework.
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The most important trend in the mutual fund industry is the aggressive expansion of the
foreign owned mutual fund companies and the decline of the companies floated by nationalized
banks and smaller private sector players.
Reliance Mutual Fund, UTI Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual
Fund and Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund are the top five mutual fund company in India.
Reliance mutual funding is considered to be most reliable mutual funds in India. People
want to invest in this institution because they know that this institution will never dissatisfy them
at any cost. You should always keep this into your mind that if particular mutual funding scheme
is on larger scale then next time, you might not get the same results so being a careful investor
you should take your major step diligently otherwise you will be unable to obtain the high
returns.
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INDEX
PAGE
SRNO. TOPICS
NO
MF JARGON 68
CONCLUSION 69
BIBLOGRAPHY 70
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Chapter: 1
INTRODUCTION OF MUTUAL FUND
There are a lot of investment avenues available today in the financial market for an investor with
an investable surplus. He can invest in Bank Deposits, Corporate Debentures, and Bonds where
there is low risk but low return. He may invest in Stock of companies where the risk is high and
the returns are also proportionately high. The recent trends in the Stock Market have shown that
an average retail investor always lost with periodic bearish tends. People began opting for
portfolio managers with expertise in stock markets who would invest on their behalf. Thus we
had wealth management services provided by many institutions. However they proved too costly
for a small investor. These investors have found a good shelter with the mutual funds.
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Mutual Funds are trusts, which accept savings from investors and invest the same in
diversified financial instruments in terms of objectives set out in the trusts deed with the view to
reduce the risk and maximize the income and capital appreciation for distribution for the
members. A Mutual Fund is a corporation and the fund manager’s interest is to professionally
manage the funds provided by the investors and provide a return on them after deducting
reasonable management fees.
The objective sought to be achieved by Mutual Fund is to provide an opportunity for
lower income groups to acquire without much difficulty financial assets. They cater mainly to
the needs of the individual investor whose means are small and to manage investors portfolio in a
manner that provides a regular income, growth, safety, liquidity and diversification
opportunities.
DEFINITION:
“Mutual funds are collective savings and investment vehicles where savings of small
(or sometimes big) investors are pooled together to invest for their mutual benefit and returns
distributed proportionately”.
“A mutual fund is an investment that pools your money with the money of an unlimited
number of other investors. In return, you and the other investors each own shares of the fund.
The fund's assets are invested according to an investment objective into the fund's portfolio of
investments. Aggressive growth funds seek long-term capital growth by investing primarily in
stocks of fast-growing smaller companies or market segments. Aggressive growth funds are also
called capital appreciation funds”.
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Why Select Mutual Fund?
The risk return trade-off indicates that if investor is willing to take higher risk then
correspondingly he can expect higher returns and vise versa if he pertains to lower risk
instruments, which would be satisfied by lower returns. For example, if an investors opt for
bank FD, which provide moderate return with minimal risk. But as he moves ahead to invest in
capital protected funds and the profit-bonds that give out more return which is slightly higher as
compared to the bank deposits but the risk involved also increases in the same proportion.
Thus investors choose mutual funds as their primary means of investing, as Mutual funds
provide professional management, diversification, convenience and liquidity. That doesn’t mean
mutual fund investments risk free.
This is because the money that is pooled in are not invested only in debts funds which are
less riskier but are also invested in the stock markets which involves a higher risk but can expect
higher returns. Hedge fund involves a very high risk since it is mostly traded in the derivatives
market which is considered very volatile.
Ventur
e
Equi
Capita
l ty
Bank
Mutu
FD
al
P o s ta l Funds
S a v in g s
LOWER RISK LOWER RISK
LOWER RETURNS HIGIER RETURNS
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HISTORY OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIA:
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 history of mutual funds
in India can be broadly divided into four distinct phases
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The 1993 SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations were substituted by a more comprehensive
and revised Mutual Fund Regulations in 1996. The industry now functions under the SEBI
(Mutual Fund) Regulations 1996.
The number of mutual fund houses went on increasing, with many foreign mutual funds
setting up funds in India and also the industry has witnessed several mergers and acquisitions. As
at the end of January 2003, there were 33 mutual funds with total assets of Rs. 1,21,805 crores.
The Unit Trust of India with Rs.44,541 crores of assets under management was way ahead of
other mutual funds.
13
The graph indicates the growth of assets under management over the years.
(Source: www.amfiindia.com)
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ADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS:
If mutual funds are emerging as the favorite investment vehicle, it is because of the many
advantages they have over other forms and the avenues of investing, particularly for the investor
who has limited resources available in terms of capital and the ability to carry out detailed
research and market monitoring. The following are the major advantages offered by mutual
funds to all investors:
1. Portfolio Diversification:
Each investor in the fund is a part owner of all the fund’s assets, thus enabling him to
hold a diversified investment portfolio even with a small amount of investment that would
otherwise require big capital.
2. Professional Management:
Even if an investor has a big amount of capital available to him, he benefits from the
professional management skills brought in by the fund in the management of the investor’s
portfolio. The investment management skills, along with the needed research into available
investment options, ensure a much better return than what an investor can manage on his own.
Few investors have the skill and resources of their own to succeed in today’s fast moving, global
and sophisticated markets.
3. Reduction/Diversification Of Risk:
When an investor invests directly, all the risk of potential loss is his own, whether he
places a deposit with a company or a bank, or he buys a share or debenture on his own or in any
other from. While investing in the pool of funds with investors, the potential losses are also
shared with other investors. The risk reduction is one of the most important benefits of a
collective investment vehicle like the mutual fund.
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4. Reduction Of Transaction Costs:
What is true of risk as also true of the transaction costs. The investor bears all the costs of
investing such as brokerage or custody of securities. When going through a fund, he has the
benefit of economies of scale; the funds pay lesser costs because of larger volumes, a benefit
passed on to its investors.
5. Liquidity:
Often, investors hold shares or bonds they cannot directly, easily and quickly sell. When
they invest in the units of a fund, they can generally cash their investments any time, by selling
their units to the fund if open-ended, or selling them in the market if the fund is close-end.
Liquidity of investment is clearly a big benefit.
7. 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 upto 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.
8. Choice of Schemes:
Mutual Funds offer a family of schemes to suit your varying needs over a lifetime.
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9. Well Regulated:
All Mutual Funds are registered with SEBI and they function within the provisions of strict
regulations designed to protect the interests of investors. The operations of Mutual Funds are
regularly monitored by SEBI.
10. Transparency:
You get regular information on the value of your investment in addition to disclosure on the
specific investments made by your scheme, the proportion invested in each class of assets
and the fund manager's investment strategy and outlook.
2. No Tailor-Made Portfolio:
Investors who invest on their own can build their own portfolios of shares and bonds and
other securities. Investing through fund means he delegates this decision to the fund managers.
The very-high-net-worth individuals or large corporate investors may find this to be a constraint
in achieving their objectives. However, most mutual fund managers help investors overcome this
constraint by offering families of funds- a large number of different schemes- within their own
management company. An investor can choose from different investment plans and constructs a
portfolio to his choice.
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3. Managing A Portfolio Of Funds:
Availability of a large number of funds can actually mean too much choice for the
investor. He may again need advice on how to select a fund to achieve his objectives, quite
similar to the situation when he has individual shares or bonds to select.
5. No Control:
Unlike picking your own individual stocks, a mutual fund puts you in the passenger seat
of somebody else's car
6. Dilution:
Mutual funds generally have such small holdings of so many different stocks that
insanely great performance by a fund's top holdings still doesn't make much of a difference in a
mutual fund's total performance.
7. Buried Costs:
Many mutual funds specialize in burying their costs and in hiring salesmen who do not
make those costs clear to their clients.
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TYPES OF MUTUAL FUNDS SCHEMES IN INDIA
Wide variety of Mutual Fund Schemes exists to cater to the needs such as financial
position, risk tolerance and return expectations etc. thus mutual funds has Variety of flavors,
Being a collection of many stocks, an investors can go for picking a mutual fund might be easy.
There are over hundreds of mutual funds scheme to choose from. It is easier to think of mutual
funds in categories, mentioned below.
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A). BY STRUCTURE
3. Interval Schemes:
Interval Schemes are that scheme, which combines the features of open-ended and close-
ended schemes. The units may be traded on the stock exchange or may be open for sale or
redemption during pre-determined intervals at NAV related prices.
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B). BY NATURE
1. Equity Fund:
These funds invest a maximum part of their corpus into equities holdings. The structure
of the fund may vary different for different schemes and the fund manager’s outlook on different
stocks. The Equity Funds are sub-classified depending upon their investment objective, as
follows:
• Diversified Equity Funds
• Mid-Cap Funds
• Sector Specific Funds
• Tax Savings Funds (ELSS)
Equity investments are meant for a longer time horizon, thus Equity funds rank high on
the risk-return matrix.
2. Debt Funds:
The objective of these Funds is to invest in debt papers. Government authorities, private
companies, banks and financial institutions are some of the major issuers of debt papers. By
investing in debt instruments, these funds ensure low risk and provide stable income to the
investors. Debt funds are further classified as:
• Gilt Funds: Invest their corpus in securities issued by Government, popularly known as
Government of India debt papers. These Funds carry zero Default risk but are associated
with Interest Rate risk. These schemes are safer as they invest in papers backed by
Government.
• Income Funds: Invest a major portion into various debt instruments such as bonds,
corporate debentures and Government securities.
• MIPs: Invests maximum of their total corpus in debt instruments while they take
minimum exposure in equities. It gets benefit of both equity and debt market. These
scheme ranks slightly high on the risk-return matrix when compared with other debt
schemes.
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• Short Term Plans (STPs): Meant for investment horizon for three to six months. These
funds primarily invest in short term papers like Certificate of Deposits (CDs) and
Commercial Papers (CPs). Some portion of the corpus is also invested in corporate
debentures.
• Liquid Funds: Also known as Money Market Schemes, These funds provides easy
liquidity and preservation of capital. These schemes invest in short-term instruments like
Treasury Bills, inter-bank call money market, CPs and CDs. These funds are meant for
short-term cash management of corporate houses and are meant for an investment
horizon of 1day to 3 months. These schemes rank low on risk-return matrix and are
considered to be the safest amongst all categories of mutual funds.
3. Balanced Funds:
As the name suggest they, are a mix of both equity and debt funds. They invest in both
equities and fixed income securities, which are in line with pre-defined investment objective of
the scheme. These schemes aim to provide investors with the best of both the worlds. Equity part
provides growth and the debt part provides stability in returns.
Further the mutual funds can be broadly classified on the basis of investment parameter viz,
Each category of funds is backed by an investment philosophy, which is pre-defined in the
objectives of the fund. The investor can align his own investment needs with the funds objective
and invest accordingly.
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C). BY INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE:
Growth Schemes:
Growth Schemes are also known as equity schemes. The aim of these schemes is to
provide capital appreciation over medium to long term. These schemes normally invest a major
part of their fund in equities and are willing to bear short-term decline in value for possible
future appreciation.
Income Schemes:
Income Schemes are also known as debt schemes. The aim of these schemes is to provide
regular and steady income to investors. These schemes generally invest in fixed income
securities such as bonds and corporate debentures. Capital appreciation in such schemes may be
limited.
Balanced Schemes:
Balanced Schemes aim to provide both growth and income by periodically distributing a
part of the income and capital gains they earn. These schemes invest in both shares and fixed
income securities, in the proportion indicated in their offer documents (normally 50:50).
Load Funds:
A Load Fund is one that charges a commission for entry or exit. That is, each time you
buy or sell units in the fund, a commission will be payable. Typically entry and exit loads range
from 1% to 2%. It could be worth paying the load, if the fund has a good performance history.
No-Load Funds:
A No-Load Fund is one that does not charge a commission for entry or exit. That is, no
commission is payable on purchase or sale of units in the fund. The advantage of a no load fund
is that the entire corpus is put to work.
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OTHER SCHEMES
Tax Saving Schemes:
Tax-saving schemes offer tax rebates to the investors under tax laws prescribed from time
to time. Under Sec.88 of the Income Tax Act, contributions made to any Equity Linked Savings
Scheme (ELSS) are eligible for rebate.
Index Schemes:
Index schemes attempt to replicate the performance of a particular index such as the BSE
Sensex or the NSE 50. The portfolio of these schemes will consist of only those stocks that
constitute the index. The percentage of each stock to the total holding will be identical to the
stocks index weightage. And hence, the returns from such schemes would be more or less
equivalent to those of the Index.
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NET ASSET VALUE (NAV):
Since each owner is a part owner of a mutual fund, it is necessary to establish the value of
his part. In other words, each share or unit that an investor holds needs to be assigned a value.
Since the units held by investor evidence the ownership of the fund’s assets, the value of the total
assets of the fund when divided by the total number of units issued by the mutual fund gives us
the value of one unit. This is generally called the Net Asset Value (NAV) of one unit or one
share. The value of an investor’s part ownership is thus determined by the NAV of the number of
units held.
Calculation of NAV:
Let us see an example. If the value of a fund’s assets stands at Rs. 100 and it has 10
investors who have bought 10 units each, the total numbers of units issued are 100, and the value
of one unit is Rs. 10.00 (1000/100). If a single investor in fact owns 3 units, the value of his
ownership of the fund will be Rs. 30.00(1000/100*3). Note that the value of the fund’s
investments will keep fluctuating with the market-price movements, causing the Net Asset Value
also to fluctuate. For example, if the value of our fund’s asset increased from Rs. 1000 to 1200,
the value of our investors holding of 3 units will now be (1200/100*3) Rs. 36. The investment
value can go up or down, depending on the markets value of the fund’s assets.
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MUTUAL FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
Mutual fund fees and expenses are charges that may be incurred by investors who hold
mutual funds. Running a mutual fund involves costs, including shareholder transaction costs,
investment advisory fees, and marketing and distribution expenses. Funds pass along these costs
to investors in a number of ways.
1. TRANSACTION FEES
i) Purchase Fee:
It is a type of fee that some funds charge their shareholders when they buy shares.
Unlike a front-end sales load, a purchase fee is paid to the fund (not to a broker) and is
typically imposed to defray some of the fund's costs associated with the purchase.
2. PERIODIC FEES
i) Management Fee:
Management fees are fees that are paid out of fund assets to the fund's investment
adviser for investment portfolio management, any other management fees payable to the
fund's investment adviser or its affiliates, and administrative fees payable to the
investment adviser that are not included in the "Other Expenses" category. They are also
called maintenance fees.
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ii) Account Fee:
Account fees are fees that some funds separately impose on investors in
connection with the maintenance of their accounts. For example, some funds impose an
account maintenance fee on accounts whose value is less than a certain dollar amount.
LOADS
Definition of a load
Load funds exhibit a "Sales Load" with a percentage charge levied on purchase or sale of
shares. A load is a type of Commission (remuneration). Depending on the type of load a mutual
fund exhibits, charges may be incurred at time of purchase, time of sale, or a mix of both. The
different types of loads are outlined below.
Front-end load:
Also known as Sales Charge, this is a fee paid when shares are purchased. Also known as
a "front-end load," this fee typically goes to the brokers that sell the fund's shares. Front-end
loads reduce the amount of your investment. For example, let's say you have Rs.10,000 and want
to invest it in a mutual fund with a 5% front-end load. The Rs.500 sales load you must pay
comes off the top, and the remaining Rs.9500 will be invested in the fund. According to NASD
rules, a front-end load cannot be higher than 8.5% of your investment.
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Back-end load:
Also known as Deferred Sales Charge, this is a fee paid when shares are sold. Also
known as a "back-end load," this fee typically goes to the brokers that sell the fund's shares. The
amount of this type of load will depend on how long the investor holds his or her shares and
typically decreases to zero if the investor holds his or her shares long enough.
No-load Fund:
As the name implies, this means that the fund does not charge any type of sales load. But,
as outlined above, not every type of shareholder fee is a "sales load." A no-load fund may charge
fees that are not sales loads, such as purchase fees, redemption fees, exchange fees, and account
fees.
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SELECTION PARAMETERS FOR MUTUAL FUND
Your objective:
The first point to note before investing in a fund is to find out whether your objective
matches with the scheme. It is necessary, as any conflict would directly affect your prospective
returns. Similarly, you should pick schemes that meet your specific needs. Examples: pension
plans, children’s plans, sector-specific schemes, etc.
Cost factor:
Though the AMC fee is regulated, you should look at the expense ratio of the fund before
investing. This is because the money is deducted from your investments. A higher entry load or
exit load also will eat into your returns. A higher expense ratio can be justified only by
superlative returns. It is very crucial in a debt fund, as it will devour a few percentages from your
modest returns.
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Also, Morningstar rates mutual funds. Each year end, many financial publications list the
year's best performing mutual funds. Naturally, very eager investors will rush out to purchase
shares of last year's top performers. That's a big mistake. Remember, changing market conditions
make it rare that last year's top performer repeats that ranking for the current year. Mutual fund
investors would be well advised to consider the fund prospectus, the fund manager, and the
current market conditions. Never rely on last year's top performers.
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RISK FACTORS OF MUTUAL FUNDS:
2. Market Risk:
Sometimes prices and yields of all securities rise and fall. Broad outside influences
affecting the market in general lead to this. This is true, may it be big corporations or smaller
mid-sized companies. This is known as Market Risk. A Systematic Investment Plan (“SIP”) that
works on the concept of Rupee Cost Averaging (“RCA”) might help mitigate this risk.
3. Credit Risk:
The debt servicing ability (may it be interest payments or repayment of principal) of a
company through its cashflows determines the Credit Risk faced by you. This credit risk is
measured by independent rating agencies like CRISIL who rate companies and their paper. A
‘AAA’ rating is considered the safest whereas a ‘D’ rating is considered poor credit quality. A
well-diversified portfolio might help mitigate this risk.
4. Inflation Risk:
Things you hear people talk about:
"Rs. 100 today is worth more than Rs. 100 tomorrow."
"Remember the time when a bus ride costed 50 paise?"
"Mehangai Ka Jamana Hai."
The root cause, Inflation. Inflation is the loss of purchasing power over time. A lot of times
people make conservative investment decisions to protect their capital but end up with a sum of
money that can buy less than what the principal could at the time of the investment. This happens
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when inflation grows faster than the return on your investment. A well-diversified portfolio with
some investment in equities might help mitigate this risk.
7. Liquidity Risk:
Liquidity risk arises when it becomes difficult to sell the securities that one has
purchased. Liquidity Risk can be partly mitigated by diversification, staggering of maturities as
well as internal risk controls that lean towards purchase of liquid securities.
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Chapter: 2
WORKING OF MUTUAL FUNDS
The mutual fund collects money directly or through brokers from investors. The money is
invested in various instruments depending on the objective of the scheme. The income generated
by selling securities or capital appreciation of these securities is passed on to the investors in
proportion to their investment in the scheme. The investments are divided into units and the
value of the units will be reflected in Net Asset Value or NAV of the unit. NAV is the market
value of the assets of the scheme minus its liabilities. The per unit NAV is the net asset value of
the scheme divided by the number of units outstanding on the valuation date. Mutual fund
companies provide daily net asset value of their schemes to their investors. NAV is important, as
it will determine the price at which you buy or redeem the units of a scheme. Depending on the
load structure of the scheme, you have to pay entry or exit load.
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STRUCTURE OF A MUTUAL FUND:
India has a legal framework within which Mutual Fund have to be constituted. In India
open and close-end funds operate under the same regulatory structure i.e. as unit Trusts. A
Mutual Fund in India is allowed to issue open-end and close-end schemes under a common legal
structure. The structure that is required to be followed by any Mutual Fund in India is laid down
under SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations, 1996.
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As per the SEBI regulations, for the person to qualify as a sponsor, he must contribute at
least 40% of the net worth of the Asset Management Company and possesses a sound financial
track record over 5 years prior to registration.
Trustees:
A Trust is created through a document called the Trust Deed that is executed by the fund
sponsor in favour of the trustees. The Trust- the Mutual Fund – may be managed by a board of
trustees- a body of individuals, or a trust company- a corporate body. Most of the funds in India
are managed by Boards of Trustees. While the boards of trustees are governed by the Indian
Trusts Act, where the trusts are a corporate body, it would also require to comply with the
Companies Act, 1956. The Board or the Trust company as an independent body, acts as a
protector of the of the unit-holders interests. The Trustees do not directly manage the portfolio of
securities. For this specialist function, the appoint an Asset Management Company. They ensure
that the Fund is managed by ht AMC as per the defined objectives and in accordance with the
trusts deeds and SEBI regulations.
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The Asset Management Companies:
The role of an Asset Management Company (AMC) is to act as the investment manager
of the Trust under the board supervision and the guidance of the Trustees. The AMC is required
to be approved and registered with SEBI as an AMC. The AMC of a Mutual Fund must have a
net worth of at least Rs. 10 Crores at all times. Directors of the AMC, both independent and non-
independent, should have adequate professional expertise in financial services and should be
individuals of high morale standing, a condition also applicable to other key personnel of the
AMC. The AMC cannot act as a Trustee of any other Mutual Fund. Besides its role as a fund
manager, it may undertake specified activities such as advisory services and financial consulting,
provided these activities are run independent of one another and the AMC’s resources (such as
personnel, systems etc.) are properly segregated by the activity. The AMC must always act in the
interest of the unit-holders and reports to the trustees with respect to its activities.
Bankers:
A Fund’s activities involve dealing in money on a continuous basis primarily with respect
to buying and selling units, paying for investment made, receiving the proceeds from sale of the
investments and discharging its obligations towards operating expenses. Thus the Fund’s banker
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plays an important role to determine quality of service that the fund gives in timely delivery of
remittances etc.
Transfer Agents:
Transfer agents are responsible for issuing and redeeming units of the Mutual Fund and
provide other related services such as preparation of transfer documents and updating investor
records. A fund may choose to carry out its activity in-house and charge the scheme for the
service at a competitive market rate. Where an outside Transfer agent is used, the fund investor
will find the agent to be an important interface to deal with, since all of the investor services that
a fund provides are going to be dependent on the transfer agent.
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SEBI REGULATIONS:
• As far as mutual funds are concerned, SEBI formulates policies and regulates the mutual
funds to protect the interest of the investors.
• SEBI notified regulations for the mutual funds in 1993. Thereafter, mutual funds sponsored
by private sector entities were allowed to enter the capital market.
• The regulations were fully revised in 1996 and have been amended thereafter from time to
time.
• SEBI has also issued guidelines to the mutual funds from time to time to protect the interests
of investors.
• All mutual funds whether promoted by public sector or private sector entities including those
promoted by foreign entities are governed by the same set of Regulations. The risks
associated with the schemes launched by the mutual funds sponsored by these entities are of
similar type. There is no distinction in regulatory requirements for these mutual funds and all
are subject to monitoring and inspections by SEBI.
• SEBI Regulations require that at least two thirds of the directors of trustee company or board
of trustees must be independent i.e. they should not be associated with the sponsors.
• Also, 50% of the directors of AMC must be independent. All mutual funds are required to be
registered with SEBI before they launch any scheme.
• Further SEBI Regualtions, inter-alia, stipulate that MFs cannot gurarnatee returns in any
scheme and that each scheme is subject to 20 : 25 condition [I.e minimum 20 investors per
scheme and one investor can hold more than 25% stake in the corpus in that one scheme].
• Also SEBI has permitted MFs to launch schemes overseas subject various restrictions and
also to launch schemes linked to Real Estate, Options and Futures, Commodities, etc.
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ASSOCIATION OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIA (AMFI):
With the increase in mutual fund players in India, a need for mutual fund association in
India was generated to function as a non-profit organisation. Association of Mutual Funds in
India (AMFI) was incorporated on 22nd August, 1995.
AMFI is an apex body of all Asset Management Companies (AMC) which has been
registered with SEBI. Till date all the AMCs are that have launched mutual fund schemes are its
members. It functions under the supervision and guidelines of its Board of Directors.
Association of Mutual Funds India has brought down the Indian Mutual Fund Industry to
a professional and healthy market with ethical lines enhancing and maintaining standards. It
follows the principle of both protecting and promoting the interests of mutual funds as well as
their unit holders.
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• AMFI undertakes all India awareness programme for investors in order to promote proper
understanding of the concept and working of mutual funds.
• At last but not the least association of mutual fund of India also disseminate informations
on Mutual Fund Industry and undertakes studies and research either directly or in
association with other bodies.
AMFI Publications:
AMFI publish mainly two types of bulletin. One is on the monthly basis and the other is
quarterly. These publications are of great support for the investors to get intimation of the
knowhow of their parked money.
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Chapter: 3
MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIA
In 1963, the day the concept of Mutual Fund took birth in India. Unit Trust of India
invited investors or rather to those who believed in savings, to park their money in UTI Mutual
Fund.
For 30 years it goaled without a single second player. Though the 1988 year saw some
new mutual fund companies, but UTI remained in a monopoly position.
The performance of mutual funds in India in the initial phase was not even closer to
satisfactory level. People rarely understood, and of course investing was out of question. But yes,
some 24 million shareholders were accustomed with guaranteed high returns by the beginning of
liberalization of the industry in 1992. This good record of UTI became marketing tool for new
entrants. The expectations of investors touched the sky in profitability factor. However, people
were miles away from the preparedness of risks factor after the liberalization.
The net asset value (NAV) of mutual funds in India declined when stock prices started
falling in the year 1992. Those days, the market regulations did not allow portfolio shifts into
alternative investments. There was rather no choice apart from holding the cash or to further
continue investing in shares. One more thing to be noted, since only closed-end funds were
floated in the market, the investors disinvested by selling at a loss in the secondary market.
The performance of mutual funds in India suffered qualitatively. The 1992 stock market
scandal, the losses by disinvestments and of course the lack of transparent rules in the
whereabouts rocked confidence among the investors. Partly owing to a relatively weak stock
market performance, mutual funds have not yet recovered, with funds trading at an average
discount of 1020 percent of their net asset value.
The securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) came out with comprehensive
regulation in 1993 which defined the structure of Mutual Fund and Asset Management
Companies for the first time.
The supervisory authority adopted a set of measures to create a transparent and
competitive environment in mutual funds. Some of them were like relaxing investment
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restrictions into the market, introduction of open-ended funds, and paving the gateway for
mutual funds to launch pension schemes.
The measure was taken to make mutual funds the key instrument for long-term saving.
The more the variety offered, the quantitative will be investors.
Several private sectors Mutual Funds were launched in 1993 and 1994. The share of the
private players has risen rapidly since then. Currently there are 34 Mutual Fund organizations in
India managing 1,02,000 crores.
At last to mention, as long as mutual fund companies are performing with lower risks and
higher profitability within a short span of time, more and more people will be inclined to invest
until and unless they are fully educated with the dos and don’ts of mutual funds.
Mutual fund industry has seen a lot of changes in past few years with multinational
companies coming into the country, bringing in their professional expertise in managing funds
worldwide. In the past few months there has been a consolidation phase going on in the mutual
fund industry in India. Now investors have a wide range of Schemes to choose from depending
on their individual profiles.
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MUTUAL FUND COMPANIES IN INDIA:
The concept of mutual funds in India dates back to the year 1963. The era between 1963
and 1987 marked the existance of only one mutual fund company in India with Rs. 67bn assets
under management (AUM), by the end of its monopoly era, the Unit Trust of India (UTI). By the
end of the 80s decade, few other mutual fund companies in India took their position in mutual
fund market.
The new entries of mutual fund companies in India were SBI Mutual Fund, Canbank
Mutual Fund, Punjab National Bank Mutual Fund, Indian Bank Mutual Fund, Bank of India
Mutual Fund.
The succeeding decade showed a new horizon in Indian mutual fund industry. By the end
of 1993, the total AUM of the industry was Rs. 470.04 bn. The private sector funds started
penetrating the fund families. In the same year the first Mutual Fund Regulations came into
existance with re-registering all mutual funds except UTI. The regulations were further given a
revised shape in 1996.
Kothari Pioneer was the first private sector mutual fund company in India which has now
merged with Franklin Templeton. Just after ten years with private sector players penetration, the
total assets rose up to Rs. 1218.05 bn. Today there are 33 mutual fund companies in India.
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For the first time in the history of Indian mutual fund industry, Unit Trust of India Mutual
Fund has slipped from the first slot. Earlier, in May 2006, the Prudential ICICI Mutual Fund was
ranked at the number one slot in terms of total assets.
In the very next month, the UTIMF had regained its top position as the largest fund house
in India.
Now, according to the current pegging order and the data released by Association of
Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), the Reliance Mutual Fund, with a January-end AUM of Rs
39,020 crore has become the largest mutual fund in India
On the other hand, UTIMF, with an AUM of Rs 37,535 crore, has gone to secomd
position. The Prudential ICICI MF has slipped to the third position with an AUM of Rs 34,746
crore.
It happened for the first time in last one year that a private sector mutual fund house has reached
to the top slot in terms of asset under management (AUM). In the last one year to January, AUM
of the Indian fund industry has risen by 64% to Rs 3.39 lakh crore.
According to the data released by Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), the
combined average AUM of the 35 fund houses in the country increased to Rs 5,512.99 billion in
April compared to Rs 4,932.86 billion in March
Reliance MF maintained its top position as the largest fund house in the country with Rs
74.25 billion jump in AUM to Rs 883.87 billion at April-end.
The second-largest fund house HDFC MF gained Rs 59.24 billion in its AUM at Rs 638.80
billion.
ICICI Prudential and state-run UTI MF added Rs 46.16 billion and Rs 57.35 billion re
respectively to their assets last month. ICICI Prudential`s AUM stood at Rs 560.49 billion at the
end of April, while UTI MF had assets worth Rs 544.89 billion.
The other fund houses which saw an increase in their average AUM in April include
-Canara Robeco MF, IDFC MF, DSP BlackRock, Deutsche MF, Kotak Mahindra MF and LIC
MF.
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Chapter: 4
RELIANCE MUTUAL FUND Vs UTI MUTUAL FUND
RMF is one of India’s leading Mutual Funds, with Average Assets Under Management
(AAUM) of Rs. 88,388 crs (AAUM for 30th Apr 09) and an investor base of over 71.53 Lacs.
Reliance Mutual Fund, a part of the Reliance - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, is one of the
fastest growing mutual funds in the country. RMF offers investors a well-rounded portfolio of
products to meet varying investor requirements and has presence in 118 cities across the country.
Reliance Mutual Fund constantly endeavors to launch innovative products and customer
service initiatives to increase value to investors. "Reliance Mutual Fund schemes are managed by
Reliance Capital Asset Management Limited., a subsidiary of Reliance Capital Limited, which
holds 93.37% of the paid-up capital of RCAM, the balance paid up capital being held by
minority shareholders."
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Investment Manager : Reliance Capital Asset Management Limited.
The Sponsor, the Trustee and the Investment Manager are incorporated under the
Companies Act 1956.
Vision Statement
“To be a globally respected wealth creator with an emphasis on customer care and a
culture of good corporate governance.”
Mission Statement
To create and nurture a world-class, high performance environment aimed at delighting
our customers.
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SCHEMES
A). EQUITY/GROWTH SCHEMES:
The aim of growth funds is to provide capital appreciation over the medium to long-
term. Such schemes normally invest a major part of their corpus in equities. Such funds have
comparatively high risks. Growth schemes are good for investors having a long-term outlook
seeking appreciation over a period of time.
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the secondary objective is to generate consistent returns by investing in debt and money
market securities.
Natural resources may include, for example, energy sources, precious and other
metals, forest products, food and agriculture, and other basic commodities.
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7. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (Open-Ended Equity):
The primary objective of the scheme is to generate long-term capital appreciation
from a portfolio that is invested predominantly in equity and equity related instruments.
Tax Benefits:
• Investment upto Rs 1 lakh by the eligible investor in this fund would enable you to avail
the benefits under Section 80C (2) of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
• Dividends received will be absolutely TAX FREE.
• The dividend distribution tax (payable by the AMC) for equity schemes is also NIL
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12. Reliance Long Term Equity Fund (Open-Ended Diversified Equity):
The primary investment objective of the scheme is to seek to generate long term
capital appreciation & provide long-term growth opportunities by investing in a portfolio
constituted of equity & equity related securities and Derivatives and the secondary objective
is to generate consistent returns by investing in debt and money market securities.
It is a 36-month close ended diversified equity fund with an automatic conversion
into an open ended scheme on expiry of 36-months from the date of allotment. It aims to
maximize returns by investing 70-100% in Equities focusing in small and mid cap
companies.
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1. Reliance Monthly Income Plan :
(An Open Ended Fund, Monthly Income is not assured & is subject to the availability
of distributable surplus) The Primary investment objective of the Scheme is to generate
regular income in order to make regular dividend payments to unit holders and the secondary
objective is growth of capital.
2. Reliance Gilt Securities Fund - Short Term Gilt Plan & Long Term Gilt
Plan :
(Open-ended Government Securities Scheme) The primary objective of the Scheme is
to generate optimal credit risk-free returns by investing in a portfolio of securities issued and
guaranteed by the central Government and State Government.
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Accordingly, investments shall predominantly be made in Debt and Money Market
Instruments.
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12.Reliance Fixed Horizon Fund–I:
(A closed ended Scheme) The primary investment objective of the scheme is to seek
to generate regular returns and growth of capital by investing in a diversified portfolio.
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18.Reliance Fixed Horizon Fund - V:
(A Close-ended Income Scheme.) The primary investment objective of the scheme is
to seek to generate regular returns and growth of capital by investing in a diversified
portfolio of:
Central and State Government securities and
Other fixed income/ debt securities normally maturing in line with the time profile of the
scheme with the objective of limiting interest rate volatility
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1. Reliance Banking Fund :
Reliance Mutual Fund has an Open-Ended Banking Sector Scheme which has the
primary investment objective to generate continuous returns by actively investing in equity /
equity related or fixed income securities of banks.
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UNIT TRUST OF INDIA MUTUAL FUND
'Unit Trust of India was created by the UTI Act passed by the Parliament in 1963. For
more than two decades it remained the sole vehicle for investment in the capital market by the
Indian citizens. In mid- 1980s public sector banks were allowed to open mutual funds. The real
vibrancy and competition in the MF industry came with the setting up of the Regulator SEBI and
its laying down the MF Regulations in 1993.UTI maintained its pre-eminent place till 2001,
when a massive decline in the market indices and negative investor sentiments after Ketan
Parekh scam created doubts about the capacity of UTI to meet its obligations to the investors.
This was further compounded by two factors; namely, its flagship and largest scheme US 64 was
sold and re-purchased not at intrinsic NAV but at artificial price and its Assured Return Schemes
had promised returns as high as 18% over a period going up to two decades.
In order to distance Government from running a mutual fund the ownership was
transferred to four institutions; namely SBI, LIC, BOB and PNB, each owning 25%. UTI lost its
market dominance rapidly and by end of 2005,when the new share-holders actually paid the
consideration money to Government its market share had come down to close to 10%.
A new board was constituted and a new management inducted. Systematic study of its
problems role and functions was carried out with the help of a reputed international consultant.
Once again UTI has emerged as a serious player in the industry. Some of the funds have won
famous awards, including the Best Infra Fund globally from Lipper. UTI has been able to
benchmark its employee compensation to the best in the market.
Besides running domestic MF Schemes UTI AMC is also a registered portfolio manager
under the SEBI (Portfolio Managers) Regulations.
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This company runs two successful funds with large international investors being active
participants. UTI has also launched a Private Equity Infrastructure Fund along with HSH Nord
Bank of Germany and Shinsei Bank of Japan
Vision:
To be the most Preferred Mutual Fund.
Mission:
• The most trusted brand, admired by all stakeholders.
• The largest and most efficient money manager with global presence
• The best in class customer service provider
• The most preferred employer
• The most innovative and best wealth creator
• A socially responsible organisation known for best corporate governance
Reliability
UTIMF has consistently reset and upgraded transparency standards. All the branches,
UFCs and registrar offices are connected on a robust IT network to ensure cost-effective quick
and efficient service. All these have evolved UTIMF to position as a dynamic, responsive,
restructured, efficient and transparent entity, fully compliant with SEBI regulations.
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SCHEMES
A). EQUITY FUND
1. UTI Energy Fund (Open Ended Fund):
Investment will be made in stocks of those companies engaged in the following are:
a) Petro sector - oil and gas products & processing
b) All types of Power generation companies.
c) Companies related to storage of energy.
d) Companies manufacturing energy development equipment related ( like petro and
power )
e) Consultancy & Finance Companies
2. UTI Transportation And Logistics Fund (Auto Sector Fund) (Open Ended
Fund):
Investment Objective is “capital appreciation” through investments in stocks of the
companies engaged in the transportation and logistics sector. At least 90% of the funds will
be invested in equity and equity related instruments. Atleast 80% of the funds will be
invested in equity and equity related instruments of the companies principally engaged in
providing transportation services, companies principally engaged in the design, manufacture,
distribution, or sale of transportation equipment and companies in the logistics sector. Upto
10% of the funds will be invested in cash/money market instruments.
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materials, oil and gas, power, chemicals, engineering etc. The fund will invest in the stocks
of the companies which form part of Infrastructure Industries
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10. UTI Master Plus Unit Scheme (Open Ended Fund):
An open-ended equity fund with an objective of long-term capital appreciation
through investments in equities and equity related instruments, convertible debentures,
derivatives in India and also in overseas markets.
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16. UTI MNC Fund (Open Ended Fund):
An open-ended equity fund with the objective to invest predominantly in the equity
shares of multinational companies in diverse sectors such as FMCG, Pharmaceutical,
Engineering etc.
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21. UTI SPREAD Fund (Open Ended Fund):
The investment objective of the scheme is to provide capital appreciation and
dividend distribution through arbitrage opportunities arising out of price differences between
the cash and derivative market by investing predominantly in equity & equity related
securities, derivatives and the balance portion in debt securities. However, there can be no
assurance that the investment objective of the scheme will be realised.
23. UTI Long Term Advantage Fund - Series I (Close Ended Fund):
The investment objective of the scheme is to provide medium to long term capital
appreciation along with income tax benefit.
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2. UTI Gold Exchange Traded Fund (Open Ended Fund):
To endeavour to provide returns that, before expenses, closely track the performance and
yield of Gold. However the performance of the scheme may differ from that of the
underlying asset due to racking error. There can be no assurance or guarantee that the
investment objective of UTI-Gold ETF will be achieved.
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3. UTI Retirement Benefit Pension Fund (Open Ended Fund):
The objective of the scheme is to provide pension to investors particularly self-
employed persons after they attain the age of 58 years, in the form of periodical cash flow
upto the extent of repurchase value of their holding through a systematic withdrawal plan.
5. UTI CCP (Children Career Plan) Advantage Fund (Open Ended Fund):
An open ended balanced fund with 70-100% investment in Equity. Investment can be
made in the name of the children upto the age of 15 years so as to provide them, after they
attain the age of 18 years, a means to receive scholarship to meet the cost of higher education
/ or help them in setting up a profession, practice or business or enabling them to set up a
home or finance, the cost of other social obligations.
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2. UTI Floating Rate Fund STP (Open Ended Fund):
To generate regular income through investment in a portfolio comprising
substantially of floating rate debt / money market instruments and fixed rate debt / money
market instruments.
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8. UTI Monthly Income Scheme (Open Ended Fund):
This is an open-end debt oriented scheme with no assured returns. The scheme aims
at distributing income, if any, periodically.
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RELIANCE MUTUAL UTI MUTUAL FUND
FUND
When Started? Established in 1995, Established in 1964.
Currently, number one company in First mutual fund company in
India. India
How they came into Registered with SEBI as trust under By the UTI Act passed by the
business Indian Trusts Act, 1882 Parliament in 1963.
Minimum investment. Rs. 500 Rs.1000
Investment. Equity Equity
Bank: 8-15% Financial Service: 16-22%
Software: 8-19% Energy: 12-18%
Petroleum Products: 4-8% Consumer goods: 08-14%
Pharmaceuticals: 6-10%
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Chapter: 5
MUTUAL FUNDS VS. OTHER INVESTMENTS
From investors’ viewpoint mutual funds have several advantages such as:
• Professional management and research to select quality securities.
• Spreading risk over a larger quantity of stock whereas the investor has limited to buy
only a hand full of stocks. The investor is not putting all his eggs in one basket.
• Ability to add funds at set amounts and smaller quantities such as $100 per month
• Ability to take advantage of the stock market which has generally outperformed other
investment in the long run.
• Fund manager are able to buy securities in large quantities thus reducing brokerage fees.
However there are some disadvantages with mutual funds such as:
• The investor must rely on the integrity of the professional fund manager.
• Fund management fees may be unreasonable for the services rendered.
• The fund manager may not pass transaction savings to the investor.
• The fund manager is not liable for poor judgment when the investor's fund loses value.
• There may be too many transactions in the fund resulting in higher fee/cost to the
investor - This is sometimes call "Churn and Earn".
• Prospectus and Annual report are hard to understand.
• Investor may feel a lost of control of his investment dollars.
There may be restrictions on when and how an investor sells/redeems his mutual fund
shares.
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Company Fixed Deposits versus Mutual Funds
Fixed deposits are unsecured borrowings by the company accepting the deposit. Credit
rating of the fixed deposit program is an indication of the inherent default risk in the investment.
The moneys of investors in a mutual fund scheme are invested by the AMC in specific
investments under that scheme. These investments are held and managed in-trust for the benefit
of scheme’s investors. On the other hand, there is no such direct correlation between a
company’s fixed deposit mobilisation, and the avenues where these resources are deployed.
A corollary of such linkage between mobilisation and investment is that the gains and
losses from the mutual fund scheme entirely flow through to the investors. Therefore, there can
be no certainty of yield, unless a named guarantor assures a return or, to a lesser extent, if the
investment is in a serial gilt scheme. On the other hand, the return under a fixed deposit is
certain, subject only to the default risk of the borrower.
Both fixed deposits and mutual funds offer liquidity, but subject to some differences:
The provider of liquidity in the case of fixed deposits is the borrowing company. In
mutual funds, the liquidity provider is the scheme itself (for open-end schemes) or the market (in
the case of closed-end schemes).
The basic value at which fixed deposits are encashed is not subject to a market risk.
However, the value at which units of a scheme are redeemed depends on the market. If
securities have gained in value during the period, then the investor can even earn a return that is
higher than what he anticipated when he invested. But he could also end up with a loss.
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Bank Fixed Deposits verses Mutual Fund:
Bank fixed deposits are similar to company fixed deposits. The major difference is that
banks are generally more stringently regulated than companies. They even operate under stricter
requirements regarding Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR).
While the above are causes for comfort, bank deposits too are subject to default risk.
However, given the political and economic impact of bank defaults, the government as well as
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) try to ensure that banks do not fail.
Further, bank deposits upto Rs 100,000 are protected by the Deposit Insurance and Credit
Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), so long as the bank has paid the required insurance premium
of 5 paise per annum for every Rs 100 of deposits. The monetary ceiling of Rs 100,000 is for all
the deposits in all the branches of a bank, held by the depositor in the same capacity and right.
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Bonds and Debentures versus Mutual Funds
As in the case of fixed deposits, credit rating of the bond / debenture is an indication of
the inherent default risk in the investment. However, unlike FD, bonds and debentures are
transferable securities.
While an investor may have an early encashment option from the issuer (for instance
through a “put” option), generally liquidity is through a listing in the market.
• If the security does not get traded in the market, then the liquidity remains on paper. In
this respect, an open-end scheme offering continuous sale / re-purchase option is superior.
• The value that the investor would realise in an early exit is subject to market risk. The
investor could have a capital gain or a capital loss. This aspect is similar to a MF scheme.
The investments of a mutual fund scheme are held by a custodian for the benefit of
investors in the scheme. Thus, the securities that relate to a scheme are ring-fenced for the
benefit of its investors.
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Equity versus Mutual Funds
Investment in both equity and mutual funds are subject to market risk.
An investor holding an equity security that is not traded in the market place has a
problem in realising value from it. But investment in an open-end mutual fund eliminates this
direct risk of not being able to sell the investment in the market. An indirect risk remains,
because the scheme has to realise its investments to pay investors. The AMC is however in a
better position to handle the situation
Another benefit of equity mutual fund schemes is that they give investors the benefit of
portfolio diversification through a small investment. For instance, an investor can take an
exposure to the index by investing a mere Rs 5,000 in an index fund.
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Advantages Of Stock Over Mutual Funds?
• The opposite of the diversification issue: If you own just one stock and it doubles, you
are up 100%. If a mutual fund owns 50 stocks and one doubles, it is up 2%. On the other
hand, if you own just one stock and it drops in half, you are down 50% but the mutual fund
is down 1%. Cuts both ways.
• If you hold your stocks several years, you aren't nicked a 1% or so management fee every
year (although some brokerage firms charge if there aren't enough trades).
• You can take your profits when you want to and won't inadvertently buy a tax liability.
(This refers to the common practice among funds of distributing capital gains around
November or December of each year. See the article elsewhere in this FAQ for more
details.)
• You can do a covered write option strategy. (See the article on options on stocks for more
details.)
• You can structure your portfolio differently from any existing mutual fund portfolio.
(Although with the current universe of funds I'm not certain what could possibly be missing
out there!)
• You can buy smaller cap stocks which aren't suitable for mutual funds to invest in.
• You have a potential profit opportunity by shorting stocks. (You cannot, in general, short
mutual funds.)
• The argument is offered that the funds have a "herd" mentality and they all end up
owning the same stocks. You may be able to pick stocks better.
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Life Insurance versus Mutual Fund
Life insurance is a hedge against risk – and not really an investment option. So, it would
be wrong to compare life insurance against any other financial product.
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FUTURE PROSPECT OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIA
Financial experts believe that the future of Mutual Funds in India will be very bright. It
has been estimated that by March-end of 2010, the mutual fund industry of India will reach Rs
40,90,000 crore, taking into account the total assets of the Indian commercial banks. In the
coming 10 years the annual composite growth rate is expected to go up by 13.4%.
Looking at the past developments and combining it with the current trends it can be
concluded that the future of Mutual Funds in India has lot of positive things to offer to its
investors.
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MF JARGON
Net Asset Value (NAV)
Net Asset Value is the market value of the assets of the scheme minus its liabilities. The
per unit NAV is the net asset value of the scheme divided by the number of units outstanding on
the Valuation Date.
Sale Price
Sale price is the price you pay when you invest in a scheme. Also called Offer Price. It
may include a sales load.
Repurchase Price
Is the price at which a close-ended scheme repurchases its units and it may include a
back-end load. This is also called Bid Price.
Redemption Price
It is the price at which open-ended schemes repurchase their units and close-ended
schemes redeem their units on maturity. Such prices are NAV related.
Sales Load
It is a charge collected by a scheme when it sells the units. Also called as ‘Front-end’
load. Schemes that do not charge a load are called ‘No Load’ schemes.
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CONCLUSION
Mutual Funds now represent perhaps most appropriate investment opportunity for most
investors. As financial markets become more sophisticated and complex, investors need a
financial intermediary who provides the required knowledge and professional expertise on
successful investing. As the investor always try to maximize the returns and minimize the risk.
Mutual fund satisfies these requirements by providing attractive returns with affordable risks.
The fund industry has already overtaken the banking industry, more funds being under mutual
fund management than deposited with banks. With the emergence of tough competition in this
sector mutual funds are launching a variety of schemes which caters to the requirement of the
particular class of investors. Risk takers for getting capital appreciation should invest in growth,
equity schemes. Investors who are in need of regular income should invest in income plans.
The stock market has been rising for over three years now. This in turn has not only
protected the money invested in funds but has also to helped grow these investments.
This has also instilled greater confidence among fund investors who are investing more
into the market through the MF route than ever before.
Reliance India mutual funds provide major benefits to a common man who wants to
make his life better than previous.
India's largest mutual fund, UTI, still controls nearly 80 per cent of the market. Also, the
mutual fund industry as a whole gets less than 2 per cent of household savings against the 46 per
cent that go into bank deposits. Some fund managers say this only indicates the sector's potential.
"If mutual funds succeed in chipping away at bank deposits, even a triple digit growth is possible
over the next few years.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
REFERENCE BOOK:
FINANCIAL MARKET AND SERVICES
-Gordon and Natarajan
WEBSITE:
www.utimf.com
www.reliancemutual.com
www.amfiindia.com
SEARCH ENGINE:
www.google.com
www.altavista.com
www.yahoo.com
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