Professional Documents
Culture Documents
8. SUGGESTIONS AND 67
CONCLUSIONS
8. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 69
9. QUESTIONNAIRE 71-72
10. BIBLIOGRAPHY 73
Mutual funds attracted the interests of academicians, researchers and financial analysts mostly
since 1986. A number of articles have been published in financial dailies like economic times,
business line and financial express, periodicals like capital market, Business India etc., and in
professional and research journals. Literature Review on performance evaluation of mutual
fund is enormous. Various studies have been carried out in India and abroad to evaluate the
performance of mutual funds schemes from time to time. A few research studies that have
influenced substantially in preparing the thesis are discussed below in this chapter.
Michael C. Jensen (1967) conducted an empirical study of mutual funds in the period
of 1954-64 for 115 mutual funds. The results indicate that these funds are not able to
predict security prices well enough to outperform a buy the market and hold policy.
The study ignored the gross management expenses to be free. There was very little
evidence that any individual fund was able to do significantly better than which
investors expected from mere random chance.
John McDonald (1974) examined the relationship between the stated fund
objectives and their risks and return attributes. The study concludes that, on an average
the fund managers appeared to keep their portfolios within the stated risk. Some funds
in the lower risk group possessed higher risk than funds in the most risky group.
Henriksson (1984) reported that mutual fund managers were not able to follow an
investment strategy that successfully times the return on the market portfolio. Again
Henriksson (1984) conclude there is strong evidence that the funds market risk exposures
change in response to the market indicated. But the fund managers were not successful in
timing the market.
Grinblatt and Titman (1989) concludes that some mutual funds consistently realize
abnormal returns by systematically picking stocks that realize positive excess returns.
Ariff and Johnson (1990) made an important study in Singapore and found that the
performance of Singapore unit trusts spread around the market performance with
approximately half of the funds performing below the market and another half performing
above the market on a risk-adjusted basis.
Vincent A. Warther(1995) in the article entitled “aggregate mutual fund flows and
security returns” concluded that aggregate security returns are highly correlated with
concurrent unexpected cash flows into MFs but unrelated to concurrent expected flows. The
study resulted in an unexpected flow equal to 1 percent of total stock fund assets corresponds
to a 5.7 percent increase in stock price index. Fund flows are correlated with the returns of
S Prassanna & S Kumar (2014) mention that the general knowledge & awareness level among
individual investors are so good. Mutual funds are concerning the maximum attention of the investors in
the scenario be it individual or corporate investors.
Desai & Joshi (2013) note that majority of the mutual fund investors invest in the insurance sector
which emphasizes their demand for safety and security of their funds. Majority of the mutual fund
investors consider balanced funds as a highly important type whereas the least preferred type is the tax
saving funds.
Singh and Vanita (2002) the findings of the study were that the investors’ preferred to invest in public
sector mutual funds with an investment objective of getting tax exemption and stayed invested for a
period of 3-5 years and the investors evaluated past performance. The study further concludes by stating
that majority of the investors were dissatisfied with the performance of their mutual funds and belonged
to the category who held growth schemes.
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
Empirical research, which tests the feasibility of a solution using empirical evidence.
The research room at the New York Public Library, an example of secondary research
in progress.
There are two major types of research design: qualitative research and quantitative
research. Researchers choose qualitative or quantitative methods according to the
nature of the research topic they want to investigate and the research questions they
aim to answer:
Maurice Hilleman is credited with saving more lives than any other scientist of the
20th century.
Qualitative research
Understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviour.
Asking a broad question and collecting data in the form of words, images, video etc
that is analyzed and searching for themes. This type of research aims to investigate a
question without attempting to quantifiably measure variables or look to potential
relationships between variables. It is viewed as more restrictive in testing hypotheses
Quantitative research
The Quantitative data collection methods rely on random sampling and structured data
collection instruments that fit diverse experiences into predetermined response
categories. These methods produce results that are easy to summarize, compare, and
generalize.[citation needed] Quantitative research is concerned with testing hypotheses
derived from theory and/or being able to estimate the size of a phenomenon of interest.
Depending on the research question, participants may be randomly assigned to
different treatments (this is the only way that a quantitative study can be considered a
true experiment). If this is not feasible, the researcher may collect data on participant
and situational characteristics in order to statistically control for their influence on the
dependent, or outcome, variable. If the intent is to generalize from the research
participants to a larger population, the researcher will employ probability sampling to
select participants.
There are two different types of data that we use when we are carrying our research
projects. These two different types of data are called Primary and Secondary data
collection.
Primary data: Data collected by the investigator himself/ herself for a specific
purpose.
Secondary data: Data collected by someone else for some other purpose (but being
utilized by the investigator for another purpose).
Examples: Census data being used to analyze the impact of education on career choice
and earning.
2. There is no doubt about the quality of the data collected (for the investigator).
3. If required, it may be possible to obtain additional data during the study period.
1. The investigator has to contend with all the hassles of data collection-
2. It is less expensive
3. The investigator is not personally responsible for the quality of data (“I didn’t do it”)
1. The investigator cannot decide what is collected (if specific data about something is
required, for instance).
3. Obtaining additional data (or even clarification) about something is not possible (most
often)
I. Research problem:
Sampling unit: all the investors who are occasionally or regularly investing in
financial assets and non-financial assets.
Sample size: Survey population comprises of the total reputed businessman,
professionals, and individual investors was approx. 70
Sampling method: In this study as suggested by the company a sample of reputed
businessman, professionals, and individual investors was selected and it was
selected through non-probability, convenience sampling method. Because all
the business, professionals, and individual investors could not be interviewed as
per our requirement but according to their availability and accessibility we meet
them.
OBJECTIVES:
INDUSTRY
PROFILE
The enactment of two British laws, the Joint Stock Companies Acts of 1862 and 1867,
permitted investors to share in the profits of an investment enterprise and limited investor
liability to the amount of investment capital devoted to the enterprise. Shortly thereafter, in
1868, the Foreign and Colonial Government Trust was formed in London.
It resembled the US fund model in basic structure, providing "the investor of moderate means
the same advantages as the large capitalists by spreading the investment over a number of
different stocks." More importantly, the British fund model established a direct link with the
US securities markets, helping finance the development of the post-Civil War US economy.
The Scottish American Investment Trust, formed in February 1873, by fund pioneer Robert
Fleming, invested in the economic potential of the US, chiefly through American railroad
bonds. Many other trusts followed them, who not only targeted investment in America, but
led to the introduction of the fund investing concept on the US shores in the late 1800s and the
early 1900s. The first mutual or 'open-ended' fund was introduced in Boston in March 1924.
The Massachusetts Investors Trust, which was formed as a common law trust, introduced
important innovations to the investment company concept by establishing a simplified capital
structure, continuous offering of shares, and the ability to redeem shares rather than holding
them until dissolution of the fund and a set of clear investment restrictions as well as policies.
The stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed greatly hampered the
growth of pooled investments until a succession of landmark securities laws, beginning with
the Securities Act, 1933 and concluded with the Investment Company Act, 1940,
reinvigorated investor confidence. Renewed investor confidence and many innovations led to
relatively steady growth in industry assets and number of accounts.
In 1963, UTI was established by an Act of Parliament. As it was the only entity offering
mutual funds in India, it had a monopoly. Operationally, UTI was set up by the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI), but was later delinked from the RBI. The first scheme, and for long one of the
largest launched by UTI, was Unit Scheme 1964. Later in the 1970s and 80s, UTI started
innovating and offering different schemes to suit the needs of different classes of investors.
Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP) was launched in 1971. The first Indian offshore fund,
India Fund was launched in August 1986. In absolute terms, the investible funds corpus of
UTI was about Rs 600 crores in 1984. By 1987-88, the assets under management (AUM) of
UTI had grown 10 times to Rs 6,700 crores.
The year 1987 marked the entry of other public sector mutual funds. With the opening up of
the economy, many public sector banks and institutions were allowed to establish mutual
funds. The State Bank of India established the first non-UTI Mutual Fund, SBI Mutual Fund
in November 1987. During this period, investors showed a marked interest in mutual funds,
allocating a larger part of their savings to investments in the funds.
A new era in the mutual fund industry began in 1993 with the permission granted for the entry
of private sector funds. This gave the Indian investors a broader choice of 'fund families' and
increasing competition to the existing public sector funds. Quite significantly foreign fund
management companies were also allowed to operate mutual funds, most of them coming into
India through their joint ventures with Indian promoters. The private funds have brought in
with them latest product innovations, investment management techniques and investor-
servicing technologies. During the year 1993-94, five private sector fund houses launched
their schemes followed by six others in 1994-95.
A comprehensive set of regulations for all mutual funds operating in India was introduced
with SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations, 1996. These regulations set uniform standards for all
funds. Erstwhile UTI voluntarily adopted SEBI guidelines for its new schemes. Similarly, the
budget of the Union government in 1999 took a big step in exempting all mutual fund
dividends from income tax in the hands of the investors. During this phase, both SEBI and
Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI) launched Investor Awareness Programme
aimed at educating the investors about investing through MFs.
The year 1999 marked the beginning of a new phase in the history of the mutual fund industry
in India, a phase of significant growth in terms of both amount mobilized from investors and
assets under management. In February 2003, the UTI Act was repealed. UTI no longer has a
special legal status as a trust established by an act of Parliament. Instead it has adopted the
same structure as any other fund in India - a trust and an AMC.
UTI Mutual Fund is the present name of the erstwhile Unit Trust of India (UTI). While UTI
functioned under a separate law of the Indian Parliament earlier, UTI Mutual Fund is now
under the SEBI's (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 like all other mutual funds in India. The
emergence of a uniform industry with the same structure, operations and regulations make it
easier for distributors and investors to deal with any fund house. Between 1999 and 2005 the
size of the industry has doubled in terms of AUM which have gone from above Rs 68,000
crores to over Rs 1,50,000 crores.
Phase VI (From 2004 Onwards): Consolidation and Growth:The industry has lately
witnessed a spate of mergers and acquisitions, most recent ones being the acquisition of
schemes of Allianz Mutual Fund by Birla Sun Life, PNB Mutual Fund by Principal, among
others. At the same time, more international players continue to enter India including Fidelity,
one of the largest funds in the world
Mutual funds mobilise savings, particularly from the small and household sectors, for
investment in capital and money market. Basically, these institutions professionally manage
the funds of individuals and institutions that may not have such high degree of expertise and
sufficient time to deal with the complexities of different investment avenues, legal provisions
associated and impulse and vicissitude of financial markets. Figure 2.1 depicts it’s working.
1. SPONSOR
Sponsor of a mutual fund is akin to the promoter of a company as he gets the fund registered
with SEBI. Under SEBI regulations, sponsor is defined as any person who acting alone or in
combination with another body corporate establishes the mutual fund. Sponsor can be Indian
companies, banks or financial institutions, foreign entities or a joint venture between two
entities. As Reliance mutual fund has been sponsored fully by an Indian entity. Whereas,
funds like Fidelity mutual fund and J P Morgan mutual fund are sponsored fully by foreign
entities. ICICI Prudential mutual fund has been set up as a joint venture between ICICI Bank
and Prudential plc. Both sponsors have contributed to the capital of the Asset Management
Company of ICICI Prudential.
SEBI has laid down the eligibility criteria for sponsor as it should have a sound track
record and at least five years’ experience in the financial services industry. SEBI ensures that
sponsor should have professional competence, financial soundness and general reputation of
fairness and integrity in business transactions. At least 40 percent of the capital of AMC has
to be contributed by the sponsor. Also, they identify and appoint the trustees and Asset
Management Company. Sponsors are also free to get incorporated an AMC as well as to
appoint a board of trustees. They, either directly or acting through trustees, will appoint a
custodian to hold the fund assets. To submit trust deed and draft of memorandum and articles
of association of AMC to SEBI is also a duty of sponsor. After the mutual fund is registered,
sponsors technically take a backseat.
ii. TRUSTEES
Under the Indian trust act 1882, a sponsor creates mutual fund trust, which is the main body
in creation of mutual funds. Trustees may be appointed as an individual or as a trustee
company with the prior approval of SEBI. As defined under the SEBI regulations, 1996,
trustees mean board of trustees or Trustee Company who hold the property of mutual fund for
Trustees can even dismiss AMC with the approval of the SEBI and in accordance with the
regulations. Under their obligations, trustees must ensure that the transactions of mutual funds
are in accordance with the trust deed and its activities are in compliance with SEBI
regulations. They must ensure that AMC has all the procedures and systems in place, and that
all the fund constituents are appointed. Also, they must ensure due diligence on the part of
AMC in the appointment of business associates and constituents. Trustees must furnish to
SEBI, on half-yearly basis a report on the activities of the AMC.
iv. CUSTODIAN
v. TRANSFER AGENT
Registrar and transfer (R&T) agents are responsible for creating and maintaining investor
records kept in numbered account called folios and servicing them. They accept and process
investor transactions and also operate investor service centre (ISCs) which acts as an official
point for accepting investor transactions with a fund. As for example, Computer Age
Management Services (CAMS) is the R&T agent for HDFC mutual fund. R&T functions
include issuing and redeeming the units and updating the unit capital account. R&T perform
creating, maintaining and updating the investors’ records and enabling their transactions such
as redemption, purchase and switches. Banking the payment instruments such as drafts and
cheques given by investors and notifying the AMC is also done by them. R&T send statutory
and periodic information to investors and process pay-outs to investors in the form of
dividends and redemptions.
CLASSIFICATION BY OPERATIONS
On the basis of operations of mutual funds schemes, they have been classified into open-
ended, close-ended and interval funds. These have been discussed below in detail.
1. OPEN-ENDED FUNDS
An open-ended fund offers its units to the investors for sale and repurchase at all the times at
a price based on the net asset value (NAV) per unit. AMFI booklet has described NAV as the
market value of the asset of the scheme minus its liabilities. It’s per unit value is obtained by
dividing the amount of the market value of the fund’s assets (plus accrued income minus
fund’s liabilities) by the number of units outstanding. Thus, the holders of the units in such
funds can buy or redeem units from the fund itself at any time. The corpus of these funds
changes constantly as investors buy from or sell their units to the fund. Both the value and
number of units fluctuate on a daily basis as the value of the securities and the number of
investors change. The securities in the portfolio are valued at the end of each day. The value
is then divided by number of units in the fund to arrive at a price per unit i.e. their net asset
value. The advantages of this open-ended structure are numerous as these funds are liquid,
convenient, and easy to buy and sell for the investors. Axis Triple Advantage Fund, Birla Sun
Life Basic Industries Fund, IDBI India Top 100 Equity Fund, L&T Contra Fund, Taurus Tax
Shield, Templeton Floating Rate Income Fund, UTI - G-Sec Fund are some of the open ended
mutual funds.
2. CLOSE-ENDED FUNDS
Close-ended funds offer a fixed number of units for a fixed period of subscription to the
investors as declared in their initial public offer (IPO). After subscription period is over, these
funds do not allow investors to buy or redeem units directly from the fund house. However,
many close-ended funds get themselves listed on stock exchange(s) and enable investors to
buy or sell units of these schemes in the same fashion as for the shares of a company. The
The trading price depends upon a variety of things, as supply and demand and the market’s
perception of the fund’s prospects, much like the price of a stock. Some close-ended funds
provide an exit route to the investors by giving an option of selling back the units to the
mutual fund through periodic repurchase at NAV related prices. SEBI Regulations stipulate
that at least one of the two exit routes are provided to the investor i.e. either through listing on
stock exchanges or repurchase facility. These mutual funds schemes disclose NAV generally
on weekly basis. Canara Robeco Equity Tax Saver-93, DSP Merrill Lynch Tax Saver Fund,
Tata Life Sciences and Technology Fund, JM Arbitrage Advantage Fund, Kotak Gold ETF
are some of the close ended funds in India.
In this category, funds differ significantly with one another with respect to their objectives
and the type of securities, comprising their portfolio. Therefore, these funds cater to the risk
and return profile of different type of investors. The following are the portfolio classification
of these funds:
i. GROWTH FUND
The objective of a growth fund is to achieve capital appreciation over medium to long term.
These schemes normally invest a majority of their funds in equities and are willing to bear
short term decline in value for possible future appreciation. Around 80-90 percent of corpus
of these funds is invested in equity and equity linked instruments and the balance in debt and
money market securities. These schemes are not for investors seeking regular income or
needing their money back in the short term but are suitable for long term investors seeking
capital appreciation and ready to bear a medium to high level of risk. These are also known as
“nest eggs” or “long haul” investments. BNP PARIBAS Equity Fund, Canara Robeco
emerging equities, DWS Investment Opportunity Fund, Fidelity Equity Fund, HSBC
Dynamic Fund, Quantum Long-Term Equity Fund are some examples of growth mutual funds
in India
These funds are ideal for investors who need some income to supplement their earnings as
retired people and others with a need for capital stability and regular income. NAV of such
funds are affected because of the change in interest rates in the country. If the interest rates
fall, NAV of such funds are likely to increase in the short run and vice versa. Some of the
examples of Indian income mutual funds are IDFC Capital Protection Oriented Fund, Kotak
Hybrid Fixed Term Plan, Reliance Fixed Horizon Fund, SBI Capital Protection Oriented
Fund etc.
UTI Auto Sector Fund are some of the sector funds in India.
There three kinds of mutual funds based on the assets invested in. These are as follows:
A. EQUITY FUNDS:
These are funds that invest only in stocks. As a result, they are usually considered high
risk, high return funds. Most growth funds – the ones that promise high returns over a
long-term – are equity funds. These funds have less tax liability in the long-run as
B. DEBT FUNDS:
These funds invest in debt-market instruments like bonds, government securities,
debentures and so on. These are called debt instruments because they are a kind of
borrowing mechanism for companies, banks as well as the government. Simply put, you
give them money, which the company returns with interest over a period of time. After
which, it matures. Since the interest payments are fixed as well as the return of the
principle amount, debt instruments are considered low-risk, low-return financial assets.
For the same reason, debt funds are relatively safer. They are usually preferred for the
regular interest payments. Debt funds are further classified on the basis of the maturity
period of the underlying assets – long-term and short-term. Some debt funds also invest
in just a single type of debt instrument. Gilt funds are an example of such a fund.
C. HYBRID FUNDS:
These are funds which invest in both equities as well as debt instruments. For this
reason, they are less risky than equity funds, but more than debt funds. Similarly, they
are likely to give you higher returns than debt funds, but lower than equity funds. As a
result, they are often called ‘balanced funds’
There are some other types of mutual funds also apart from the above stated classification.
These have been discussed below in detail.
i. INDEX FUNDS
The objective of index funds is to generate capital commensurate with the index it tracks.
This is done by investing in all the stocks comprising the index in approximately the same
weightage that they represent in the specific index. For example, a fund that tracks the BSE
Sensitive Index will invest in the same 30 securities of the index and in the same proportion.
Portfolio of these funds appreciates or depreciates in more or less the same way as index
they have been following. Index funds are suitable for investors, looking for a return
approximately equal to that of an index. Goldman Sachs Nifty BeES 1, HDFC Index Fund -
These are a kind of equity scheme restrict their investing to one or more pre-defined
sectors, e.g. technology sector. Since they depend upon the performance of select sectors
only, these schemes are inherently more risky than general schemes. They are best suited
for informed investors, who wish to bet on a single sector.
A regional fund is a mutual fund run by managers who invest in securities from a specified
geographical area, such as Latin America, Europe or Asia. A regional mutual fund typically
owns a diversified portfolio of companies based in and operating out of its specified
geographical area.
Investors are now encouraged to invest in the equity markets through the Equity Linked
Savings Scheme (ELSS) by offering them a tax rebate. When you invest in such schemes,
your total taxable income falls. However, there is a limit of Rs 1 lakh for tax purposes. The
crutch is that the units purchased cannot be redeemed, sold or transferred for a period of three
years.
However, in comparison with other tax-saving financial instruments like Public Provident
Funds (PPF) and Employee Provident Funds (EPF), ELSS funds have the lowest lock-in
period. An example of ELSS scheme is the Kotak ELSS scheme.
Professional management: Whenever you invest in mutual funds, your money is managed by financial experts. Investors having no time or skill for
managing their portfolios, should invest in mutual funds. You gain from the expertise of professional managers which otherwise would have been expensive
for an individual investor.
Diversification: Mutual funds extend benefits of diversification across several business sectors and companies. They spread the investments across various
asset classes and industries. Thus, you benefit from asset allocation and diversification, without investing a large sum of money required to build an
individual portfolio.
Liquidity: Most mutual funds are liquid investments. Except the lock-in ones, you can withdraw your money at your own will, subject to the exit load.
Funds usually take 2-3 working days to release your money. They are well integrated with the banking system and the money is transferred directly into
your bank account.
Flexibility: Investors benefit from the flexibility and convenience offered by mutual funds from investing in an array of schemes. They offer systematic
investments and withdrawals to investors in most of the open-ended schemes. You can invest or withdraw funds according to your convenience.
Low transaction cost: Because of the economies of scale, mutual funds incur lower transaction costs and the benefits are passed on to the investors. An
individual is unlikely to enjoy the transaction cost benefit by entering the market directly.
Transparency: Funds provide investors updated information regarding markets and schemes through offer documents, factsheets, annual reports etc.
Well regulated: In India, all mutual funds are monitored and regulated the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). It protects investor interests. All
mutual funds have to be registered with SEBI to ensure full transparency. A fund must provide exhaustive information about its investments and the quantity
of money invested in each asset class.
Risks involved
Since mutual funds invest across various asset classes, each scheme has different risks depending on the portfolio. Value of investments may decline
because of economic downturns or other events that affect the market. Also, the government may introduce new regulations that may affect a particular
industry or a class of industries. These factors influence mutual fund performance. While diversification can help ease risks by offsetting the losses, at the
same time, it could limit the upside potential provided by holding a single security.
IMPORTANT TERMS
D Y PATIL VIDHYAPEETH, PUNE.[Type text]Page 28
Offer price: It’s the price you pay while investing in a mutual fund scheme. It’s also known as the sale price. It may include a sales load.
Repurchase price: It’s the price at which the mutual fund repurchases the units. The price may include a back-end load. It’s also known as the bid price.
Redemption price: It’s the price at which open-ended mutual funds repurchase the units and close-ended funds redeem units on maturity. Such prices are
related to the NAV.
Front-end/sales load: It’s the charge collected by the scheme at the time of selling the units. Schemes that don’t charge any entry load are called “no load”
schemes.
Back-end/repurchase load: It’s the charge collected by the scheme when it repurchases/buys back the units from the unit holders.
Net assets of a scheme go up when there is a realised income or appreciation in the market value of the scheme’s assets. It goes down in cases of realised
loss or depreciation in the value of scheme’s assets. NAV of all mutual fund schemes have to be posted on the website of AMFI every business day till 9
PM. Its value is rounded off to two decimal places for all schemes except for liquid, debt and index funds for which its value is rounded off to four decimal
places.
The charges that investors pay to buy or sell a mutual fund and ongoing fund operating expenses impact their rate of return. This is due to the fact that fees
are deducted from their investment returns. Many people wrongly assume that the only expense incurred in mutual fund investment is the load fee. With
various advantages offered by mutual funds as liquidity, diversification, and professional management, one additional huge advantage is the complete
disclosure of all the fees. Apart from the load fees and other charges, mutual fund costs are classified into the operation expenses, paid out of the fund's
earnings, and sales charges, that are directly deducted from the capital which investors invest.
i. SCHEME EXPENSES:
Expenses incurred in managing a mutual fund are borne by its investors and are deducted from the market value of investments to arrive at the net assets
value of scheme. SEBI regulates the heads of expenses that can be charged to mutual fund scheme and their maximum value that can be so charged. Any
expense that is not chargeable, or is higher than the regulatory limits, has to be borne by the AMC itself. There are two broad types of expenses incurred by
the mutual fund schemes. First are the initial issue expenses and second are fund running expenses.
Initial issue expenses are incurred at the time of launch of a scheme to meet expenses on advertisement and commission. These are the expenses at the time
of new fund offer (NFO) and cannot be charged to the investors as these have to be borne by the AMC itself.
Fund running expenses are incurred to manage the money mobilised from the investors. SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations have specified the heads of the
expenses that can be charged to the schemes and the maximum expense chargeable (Expense Ratio), as percentage of net assets.
Only certain types of expenses incurred to manage the mutual fund, called as direct expenses can be charged to its schemes. These expenses are
charged on the mutual fund scheme on accrual basis and are reduced from the assets of the scheme before computing their NAV. The costs are deducted
from the income earned by the fund, and are called ‘expense ratio.’ It is an annual fee that is charged to a mutual fund to pay for such expenses as:
Investment management fees, marketing and selling expenses including commission, fees of registrar and transfer agent, trustee fees, custodian fees, audit
fees, costs related to investor communication and costs of statutory disclosures and advertisements.
An entry load is a sales charge investors pay when they buy units of a mutual fund scheme. In other words, it is a charge collected by a scheme when it sells
its units. This charge reduces the amount of their investment in fund. It is also called as Front-end load or Sales Load. Schemes that do not charge a load are
called ‘No Load’ schemes.
Exit load is imposed on redemptions as this is the charge collected by a scheme when it buys back the units from its unit holders. Investors pay this charge
when they sell mutual fund units. This reduces the amount received by them at the time of redemption. It is also called as ‘Repurchase’ or ‘Back-end’ Load:
Investors will not be charged any entry load. Therefore, the purchase price for investors i.e., the sales price for mutual funds should be same as the NAV
of fund.
Exit loads or CDSC charged to investors in excess of 1 percent is credited back to the scheme.
Exit load does not vary on the basis of type of investor and is applied uniformly to all the investors in a scheme.
v. Sale Price
It is the price paid by investors at the time of investing in a scheme. Or in other words, it is the purchase price for investors and is also called as ‘Offer
Price’. Sale price may also include a sales load.
Whether you are a seasoned or first-time investor, mutual fund is something you should seriously consider adding to your investment portfolio. However,
you should be aware of the advantages as well as possible pitfalls of this investment tool.
Listed below are the advantages and disadvantages of mutual funds to help you make an informed decision.
a. Liquidity
Unless you opt for close-ended mutual funds, it is relatively easier to buy and exit a scheme. You can sell your units at any point (when the market is high).
Do keep an eye on surprises like exit load or pre-exit penalty. Remember, mutual fund transactions happen only once a day after the fund house releases that
day’s NAV.
b. Diversification
Mutual funds have their own share of risks as their performance is based on the market movement. Hence, the fund manager always invests in more than one
asset class (equities, debts, money market instruments etc.) to spread the risks. It is called diversification. This way, when one asset class doesn’t perform,
the other can compensate with higher returns to avoid the loss for investors.
c. Expert Management
Mutual fund is favored because it doesn’t require the investors to do the research and fund allocation. An asset manager takes care of it all and makes
decisions on what to do with your investment. He decides whether to invest in equities or debts or to hold them and for how long.
Your fund manager’s reputation in fund management should be an important criterion for you to choose a mutual fund for this reason. The expense ratio
(which cannot be more than 2.25% of the AUM guidelines as per SEBI) includes the fee of the manager too.
You must have noticed how price drops with increased volume, when you buy any product. For instance, if a 100g toothpaste costs Rs. 10, you might get a
500g pack for, say, Rs. 40. The same logic applies to mutual fund units as well. If you buy multiple units at a time, the processing fees and other commission
charges will be less compared to when you buy one unit.
By investing in smaller denominations (SIP), you get exposure to the entire stock (or any other asset class). This reduces the average transactional expenses
– you benefit from the market lows and highs. Regular (monthly or quarterly) investments as opposed to lumpsum investments give you the benefit of rupee-
cost averaging.
There are several types of mutual funds available in India catering to investors from all walks of life. No matter what your income is, you must make it a
habit to set aside some amount (however small) towards investments. It is easy to find a mutual fund that matches your income, expenditures, investment
goals and risk appetite.
g. Cost-efficiency
You have the option to pick zero-load mutual funds with less expense ratios. You can check the expense ratio of different mutual funds and choose one that
fits in your budget and financial goals. Expense ratio is the fee for managing your fund. It is a useful tool to assess a mutual fund’s performance.
You can start with one mutual fund and slowly diversify. These days it is easier to identify and handpick fund(s) most suitable for you. Maintaining and
regulating the funds too will take no extra effort from your side. The fund manager with the help of his team of will decide when, where and how to invest.
In short, their job is to consistently beat the benchmark and deliver you maximum returns.
i. Tax-efficiency
You can invest up to Rs. 1.5 lakhs in tax-saving mutual funds mentioned under 80C tax deductions. ELSS is an example for that. Though a 10% Long Term
Capital Gains (LTCG) is applicable for returns after one year, they have consistently delivered higher returns than other tax-saving instruments like FD in
the recent years.
j. Automated payments
It is common to forget or delay SIPs or prompt lumpsum investments due to any given reason. You can opt for paperless automation with your fund house or
agent. Timely email and SMS notifications help to counter this kind of negligence.
k. Safety
There is a general notion that mutual funds are not as safe as bank products. This is a myth as fund houses are strictly under the purview of statutory
government bodies like SEBI and AMFI. One can easily verify the credentials of the fund house and the asset manager from SEBI. They also have an
impartial grievance redress platform that work in the interest of investors.
You can plan your mutual fund investment as per your budget and convenience. For instance, starting an SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) on a monthly or
quarterly basis suits investors with less money. On the other hand, if you have surplus amount, go for a one-time lump sum investment.
The salary of the market analysts and fund manager basically comes from the investors. Total fund management charge is one of the main parameters to
consider when choosing a mutual fund. Greater management fees do not guarantee better fund performance.
b. Lock-in periods
Many mutual funds have long-term lock-in periods, ranging from 5 to 8 years. Exiting such funds before maturity can be an expensive affair. A certain
portion of the fund is always kept in cash to pay out an investor who wants to exit the fund. This portion in cash cannot earn interest for investors.
c. Dilution
While diversification averages your risks of loss, it can also dilute your profits. Hence, you should not invest more than 4-5 mutual funds at a time.
As you have just read above, the benefits and potential of mutual funds can certainly override the disadvantages, if you make informed choices. However,
investors may not have the time, knowledge or patience to research and analyze different mutual funds. Investing with ClearTax Save could solve this as we
have already done the homework for you by hand-picking the top-rated funds from the best fund houses in the country.
COMPANY
PROFILE
ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Ltd. is a leading asset management company (AMC) in the country focused on bridging the gap between
savings & investments and creating long term wealth for investors through a range of simple and relevant investment solutions.
The AMC is a joint venture between ICICI Bank, a well-known and trusted name in financial services in India and Prudential Plc, one of UK’s largest
players in the financial services sectors. Throughout these years of the joint venture, the company has forged a position of pre-eminence in the Indian Mutual
Fund industry.
The AMC manages significant Assets under Management (AUM) in the mutual fund segment. The AMC also caters to Portfolio Management Services for
investors, spread across the country, along with International Advisory Mandates for clients across international markets.
The AMC has witnessed substantial growth in scale; from 2 locations and 6 employees at the inception of the joint venture in 1998, to a current strength of
1913 employees with a reach across over 200 locations reaching out to an investor base of more than 3 million investors (As on March 31, 2018). Driven by
an entirely investor centric approach, the organization today is a suitable mix of investment expertise, resource bandwidth and process orientation. The AMC
endeavors to simplify its investor’s journey to meet their financial goals, and give a good investor experience through innovation, consistency and sustained
risk adjusted performance.
SPONSORS:
ICICI Bank is India's largest private sector bank with total consolidated assets of Rs. 11,242.81 billion (US$ 172.5 billion) at March 31, 2018 and profit after
tax of Rs. 67.77 billion (US$ 1.0 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2018. ICICI Bank currently has a network of 4,867 Branches and 14,367 ATMs
across India.
Prudential plc is an international financial services group with significant operations in Asia, US and the UK. The company serves more than 26 million
insurance customers and has £669 billion of assets under management (as at 31 December 2017).
MANAGEMENT TEAM:
MANAGEMENT:
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
CSR has been a long-standing commitment of the ICICI Group (the Group) and forms an integral part of the Group’s activities. ICICI Foundation for
Inclusive Growth (ICICI Foundation) was established in 2008 with a view to significantly expand the ICICI Group’s activities in the area of CSR. Over the
last few years ICICI Foundation has developed significant projects in specific areas, and has built capabilities for direct project implementation as opposed
to extending financial support to other organisations.
The Company’s objective (either directly or through ICICI Foundation) is to pro-actively support meaningful socio-economic development in India and
enable a larger number of people to participate in and benefit from India’s economic progress. This is based on the belief that growth and development are
effective only when they result in wider access to opportunities and benefit a broader section of society.
The Corporate Social Responsibility Policy (CSR Policy) of the Company sets out the framework guiding the Company’s CSR activities. The Policy also
sets out the rules that need to be adhered to while taking up and implementing CSR activities.
In terms of Schedule VII of the Act, the Company’s primary focus areas for CSR activities are:
Enabling India’s youth to gain skills that can provide employment is key to realizing the potential of India’s demographic dividend and driving inclusive
growth. Improving employability of the youth from lower-income sections of society is hence an important focus area.
The ICICI Academy for Skills (ICICI Group Initiative) has been set up across the country to provide job-oriented skill training to youth. Several centres
have been set up across the country. In this initiative, ICICI Foundation is also leveraging the skills and training capabilities of large corporates in
developing training modules in their respective domains. ICICI Foundation is also liaising with corporates and businesses to get the trained youth employed,
through a job portal. The Company shall also offer skills in financial literacy to the trained youth.
2. Education
Education represents a critical area of action to realise India’s growth potential as also makes it inclusive, by enabling children from all sections of society to
have access to quality basic education that equips them for taking up higher education or job-oriented skill training. At the same time, India’s institutions of
higher learning also require investment in capacity building to support India’s growing and evolving needs and become global centres of excellence.
The Company, either directly or through not-for-profit entities including ICICI Foundation, shall work with state governments and other not-for-profit
organisations to improve the quality of education in government and municipal schools, which account for the vast majority of school-going children in the
country.
3. Financial inclusion
The Company believes that to improve the overall economic condition of the low-income population and to empower them with means to overcome
adversities or inequalities, access to financial services is an important factor. Increasing the participation of the rural population as well as the urban poor
and migrant workers in the economic mainstream and the formal financial system is imperative for India to leverage its growth potential.
The Company’s initiatives in this area include using various channels like its distributor network, and leveraging technology to spread awareness about
financial services.
4. Health care
The Company shall either directly or tie-up with ICICI Foundation to enhance the availability of affordable healthcare to low income households, improve
health seeking behaviour among low-income and vulnerable groups through higher awareness and improve child nutrition. The Company will support
initiatives to make available clean and safe drinking water.
5. Sanitation
Assuring basic hygiene for one and all in India is a major task. Poor sanitation affects the health of the people of the country. Women are the most affected
by lack of proper sanitation. Majority of the diseases arise due to lack of clean water and sanitation and due to improper solid and liquid waste management.
The Company believes in promoting better human health and improved quality of life among people through improved sanitation measures.
The Company shall either directly or tie-up with ICICI Foundation to improve sanitation levels in various regions through the schools and/or through
participation in ‘Swatch Bharat Mission’ or through any other programme.
The Company supports the involvement of its employees in CSR activities. The Company will encourage employees to participate in CSR activities of the
Company and ICICI Foundation.
ICICI Foundation will promote incubation of expertise for implementing corporate social responsibility initiatives. It will also work towards providing a
platform for organisations engaged in social initiatives, and discussion and thought leadership on critical challenges to inclusive growth. The Company will
support ICICI Foundation in its initiatives that promote individual and corporate philanthropy.
8. Other areas
The Company will continue to provide support to specific needs such as during natural disasters, through financial as well as logistical support.
PRODUCTS:
1. Equity mutual funds: Equity schemes endeavor to provide potential for high growth and returns with a moderate to high risk by investing in
shares. Such schemes are either actively or passively (replicate indices) managed and are best suited for investors with a long-term investment
horizon. Under this category certain funds are covered:
(A) ICICI Prudential Blue-chip Fund
(B) ICICI Prudential Value Discovery Fund
(C) ICICI Prudential Long-Term Equity Fund
(D) ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
2. Hybrid mutual funds: Hybrid Schemes or balanced schemes bridge the gap between equity and debt schemes. This category is characterized
by a portfolio that is made up of a mix of equity stocks and bonds and will suit investors looking for debt plus returns with higher levels of
risk than fixed income schemes. Under this category certain funds are covered:
(A) ICICI Prudential Regular savings fund
(B) ICICI Prudential Equity – Debt fund
(C) ICICI Prudential Equity -arbitrage fund
(D) ICICI Prudential Multi Asset fund
3. Debt mutual funds: Debt Funds primarily invests in bonds and other debt instruments and will suit investors who want to optimize current
income assuming low to moderate levels of risk. Under this category certain funds are covered:
(A) ICICI Prudential savings fund
(B) ICICI Prudential floating interest fund
(C) ICICI Prudential corporate bond fund
(D) ICICI Prudential liquid fund
4. Others: Investing in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) can be a good way of complementing your existing mutual fund investments. They can
help in diversifying your portfolio at a low cost. An understanding of the features and benefits of various ETFs can help you make smarter
investment choices and reach your life goals. Under this category certain funds are covered:
(A) ICICI Prudential Nifty ETF
(B) ICICI Prudential Sensex ETF
(C) ICICI Prudential Mid cap Select fund
(D) ICICI Prudential Nifty 100 ETF
(E) ICICI Prudential Nifty 30 low vol. ETF
(F) ICICI Prudential NV20 ETF
(G) ICICI Prudential Gold ETF
5. Solution Oriented: Hybrid Schemes or balanced schemes bridge the gap between equity and debt schemes. This category is characterized by
a portfolio that is made up of a mix of equity stocks and bonds and will suit investors looking for debt plus returns with higher levels of risk
than fixed income schemes. Under this category only one fund is there:
(A) ICICI Prudential Child care plan (Gift Plan)
HERE’S A LIST OF OUR DURATION-BASED DEBT MUTUAL FUND SCHEMES* (1-10 YEARS)
The Macaulay Duration is the weighted average term to maturity of the cash flows from a bond. The weight of each cash flow is determined by dividing
the present value of the cash flow by the price. ^The Macaulay Duration of the portfolio of the Scheme would be between 1 year and 4 years under
adverse circumstances. $The Macaulay Duration of the portfolio of the Scheme would be between 1 year and 7 years under adverse circumstances.
Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. The asset allocation and investment strategy
will be as per Scheme Information Document. *The effective date of the proposed changes in the schemes mentioned in this communication is May
28, 2018 for all schemes except ICICI Prudential Money Market Fund, wherein the changes will be applicable from June 5, 2018.
#
For the purpose of identification of companies, communication provided by SEBI/AMFI shall be considered. Currently, as
per SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/IMD/DF3/CIR/P/2017/114 dated October 06, 2017 -
Large Cap companies are defined as - 1st -100th company in terms of full market capitalization;
Mid Cap companies are defined as - 101st -250th company in terms of full market capitalization;
Small Cap companies are defined as - 251st company onwards in terms of full market capitalization
Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. The asset allocation and
investment strategy will be as per Scheme Information Document. *The effective date of the proposed changes in the schemes
mentioned in this communication is May 28, 2018 for all schemes.
Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.
The asset allocation and investment strategy will be as per Scheme Information Document.
DATA ANALYSIS
&
INTERPRETATIONS
1. Occupation:
OCCUPATIONS
28%
6%
INTERPRETATION:
44% OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE FROM BUSINESS CLASS
5% OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE STUDENTS
28% OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE FROM SERVICE CLASS
6% OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE HOUSEWIVES
17% OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE PROFESSIONALS
35
35
30
25
21
20
15
11
10
5 3
0
BANK FIXED DEPOSITS RBI BONDS MUTUAL FUNDS EQUITIES
INTERPRETATION:
As per the above diagram 21 out of 70 respondents are investing in bank
fixed deposits, 3 are investing in RBI or government bonds.
Majority of them are investing in mutual funds as they consider it as a
safer tool to save money for future.
Only 15% of them are investing in equities as equities mostly give long
term gains ranging from 7-12 years,
INTERPRETATION:
The above data represents that majority of investors who invest once in a
month are professionals such as lawyers, doctors, teachers etc
INTERPRETATION:
The data shows above explains that majorly business class prefer to
invest in once in six months as they less prefer to have more number of
transaction that’s they invest in this way. Lumsum amount is being paid
by them.
INTERPRETATION:
The data shows above explains that majorly business class prefer to invest in
once a year also service class people who are normally paid higher than normal
are covered here. Lumsum amount is being paid by them.
Yes No
INTERPRETATION:
The above figure shows that out of 70 respondents 65% (approx..45 out of 70) of them were
investing in mutual funds. While 35% (approx..25 out of 70) of them were not investing in
mutual funds.
NO 6
FEW 12
YES 27
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
INTERPRETATION:
The above graph displays that not all respondents were aware about the various
schemes in which they were investing their amount out of 70 respondents 27 of them
were aware about the schemes. 12 of them were have having some knowledge about
the schemes while 6 of them of they simply invested their amount without having any
kind of understanding of the schemes.
0
BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS SERVICE STUDENT HOUSEWIVIES
INTERPRETATION:
There are majorly three types of mutual funds based upon the returns and risk factor. Equity
type of mutual funds contains high risk so accordingly have high returns as compared to debt
and balanced fund. The above level shows that the risk-taking capacity changes as per the
occupation of an individual. The above diagram shows that business class consider highest
level of holding in equities after that they consider debt and then in balanced fund. In the
same way professionals consider to invest less in balanced ,service class consider to invest
more in equity, students prefers to invest more in balanced and housewives also consider to
invest more in balanced funds.
b) Do you know that you can get tax advantage by investing in Mutual
Funds?
45
40
35
30
25 42
20
15
10 15
13
5
0
YES NO NOT SURE
INTERPRETATION:
The above figure explains that 42 60% of the respondents (42 people out of 70people) know
that by investing in mutual funds they are getting tax advantage and 18.57% of the
respondents (13 people out of 70 people) have no idea about tax benefit and 21.43% of the
respondents (15 people out of 70 people) were not sure about the tax advantage.
21
10
INTERPRETATION:
The figure shown above displays that 28 people (40%) take external
advice from bank, 21 people (30%) take advice from distributors
among 7 of them (10%) take advice from direct investors, 10 people
(14.28%) believes that agents can give better investment advice and
remaining 4 of them (5.72%) think that C.A. will suggest them in a
proper way.
6. If No,
a) You do not invest in mutual fund because of
INTERPRETATION:
The above diagram shows the different reasons that why people do no invest in mutual funds.
60% were had bad experience in terms of returns and penalties.10% of them are not having
sufficient knowledge 5% of them are having lack of confidence in servicing being provided.
2% of them do not understand which scheme is good for them i.e., difficulties in selection of
schemes and 23% have in-efficient investors advisors because they undertook more than
three advisors for better investment opportunities.
NO
YES
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
INTERPRETATION:
Fom the above diagram it can be understood that if mutual fund offers you steady
returns, tax benefits, liquidity, diversification 95% them were ready to invest in
mutual funds. 2% of them still are no ready to invest in mutual funds. 3% of
them ticked may be option so that it can be concluded these benefits can attract
the mutual funds.
17%
YES
NO
83%
INTERPRETATION:
After filling all the questions in the questionnaire the last question was- Would you be
interested to know more about mutual fund? 83% of the people were interested to know
more about mutual funds while 17% of them were not interested to understand the concept
and working of mutual funds.
FINDINGS &
SUGGESTIONS
FINDINGS
The investors in Surat are having potential to invest in mutual fund they only
need proper guidance and information about mutual fund.
Mutual fund companies should try to educate the investors to invest in mutual
funds through regular awareness program.
LIMITATIONS OF
THE STUDY
Questionnaire method can be used only when respondents are literate and co-
operative.
Sampling size was 70 that are not enough to study the awareness of independent
individuals.
Though I tried to collect some primary data but they were too inadequate for the
purposes of the study.
As sampling technique is convenient sampling so it may result in personal bias. Every
respondent gives bias answer.
Time is the main constraint of the research as we have been given project as a well as
study simultaneously.
Research limited for Surat city only.
ANNEXURE AND
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ANNEXURE
(b) Do you know that you can get tax advantage by investing in Mutual Funds?
Yes
No
Not sure
(c) On whose external advice do you invest?
o Bank
o Distributor
o Agents
o Direct investments
o C.A.
(B) If mutual fund offers you steady returns, tax benefits, liquidity,
diversification
o Yes
o No
o May be
The information provided by you will be used for academic purpose only & will be kept as
confidential.
1. Name:
2. Age:
3. Gender: Male ( ) Female ( )
4. Occupation: Business ( ) Student( ) Housewife( )
Professional( ) Service( ) Others( )
5. Email ID. :
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VALUABLE TIME
Bibliography
BOOKS