Since April there have been no new NFOs because of the delay in the implementation of the new norms around pooling of funds.

In April, the SIP contribution was Rs 11,863 crore.

'Investors need to expect steady returns over the next one to two years with bouts of high volatility.'

The spike in volatility may not have impacted equity inflows, but it has weighed on new investors coming via the systematic investment plan (SIP) route. In May, 1.97 million new SIPs got registered - nearly 15 per cent lower than the previous five-month average of 2.3 million - reveals the data provided by the Association of Mutual Funds in India. Since June 2021, new SIP registrations have been upwards of 2 million each calendar month. The new SIP tally in May was the lowest in 12 months.

On May 6, the fund house had issued a statement where it had stated that it had launched a suo motu investigation two months ago to probe potential irregularities.

On an average, small-cap funds have generated annualised returns of 67.5% in the last two years. Large-cap funds and mid-cap funds have given average annualised returns of 41.3% and 53.4% respectively.

And there have been months when flows have exceeded $3 billion.

'Looking at the speed at which changes were made post the Franklin Templeton issue, we are awaiting more stricter norms in the months to come.'

The surge in volatility across the globe sparked by Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to an increase in prices of gold and silver - considered to be safe-haven investment bets. In the past month, silver funds have delivered returns of 7.34 per cent, while gold funds on an average have risen around 6 per cent. In comparison, the benchmark Nifty has declined 4 per cent. Fund managers say precious commodities act as a good hedge against inflation and phases of geopolitical uncertainty.

Mutual fund (MF) houses have started realigning their overseas product offerings after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) advised them to stop subscriptions. PPFAS Asset Management has decided to suspend transactions in Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund with effect from February 2, 2022. Though new lump-sum and systematic investment plans (SIPs) will not be accepted, existing SIPs and systematic transfer plans (STPs) will continue.

Systematic investment plans (SIPs) of mutual funds (MFs) have seen a spike in demand with new registrations touching a five-year high already this year. Around 19.5 million new SIPs have been registered till December end, as against 14.1 million in the whole of financial year 2020-21 (FY21). Market participants say increasing investor awareness and positive experiences have spurred this increase.

'We would advise investors to invest in a disciplined way in equities for the long term.'

Neelesh Surana, who manages Mirae Asset Tax Saver and Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip, remains constructive on Indian equities from a three to five-year time frame.

Start-ups Zomato, PB Fintech, One97 Communications, and FSN E-Commerce Ventures have entered the large-cap category after the latest reclassification exercise by the Association of Mutual funds in India (Amfi). This comes despite stocks such as PB Fintech (Policybazaar) and One 97 Communication (Paytm) trading below their issue price. Others such as Mindtree, SRF, IRCTC, Tata Power, JSW Energy have been moved from mid-cap to large-cap category.

Strong performance by technology (tech) stocks in the current year has led to superior returns in information technology (IT) sector funds. On average, tech funds have given returns of 63.53 per cent in the past one year, the highest among all categories of funds, reveals the data from Value Research. Market participants say that Covid-19 has accelerated the growth of IT companies with rise in demand for digitisation.

'At current valuations, we believe large-caps offer better downside support.' 'Hence, we are suggesting a small tilt towards them.'

New fund offers collection in the current calendar year was the highest in a decade, with 13 of the 70 equity schemes cornering 75 per cent of the amount raised.

L&T Housing Finance on Thursday announced selling L&T Investment Management (LTIM) to HSBC Asset Management (India) at $425 million. LTIM is the investment manager of the mutual fund business of L&T. The divestment of the mutual fund business is in line with the strategic objective of L&T Finance Holdings of unlocking value from its subsidiaries to strengthen its balance sheet, it stated in a press release. The data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) shows L&T Mutual Fund (MF) has average assets under management (AAUM) worth Rs 78,273.80 crore, while HSBC MF has AAUM of Rs 11,314.32 crore as in the July-September quarter.

The global semiconductor shortage is turning into a headache for automotive (auto) and appliance manufacturers. But it is proving to be a boon for equity investors. Semiconductor stocks are among the best performers this year. The PHLX Semiconductor Index has gained more than 35 per cent year-to-date.

'Just because you don't see them does not mean they don't exist.' 'The greatest risk is overconfidence.