Beginner

Mutual funds have continued to be preferred by the retail investors with sustained SIP inflows during recent times. Investors may choose from a vast universe of mutual funds, which may be primarily classified into five major categories – equity funds, debt funds, hybrid funds, solution-oriented schemes, and other funds. Different types of mutual fund schemes tend to suit investors with different variants of risk profile, investment horizon, financial goals, etc.

The outbreak of COVID-19 is being referred to as a “once in a century event” and has heightened uncertainty for many companies which have to deal with the prospect of a significant drop in their cash flows. The longer the pandemic persists, greater the risks as leveraged businesses might find it hard to service the debt or access credit.

When it comes to investing in mutual funds, data suggests that investors are highly inclined to invest in equity funds. As per the quarterly data for July - September 2022, about 9.2 crore folios featured equity schemes across the mutual fund industry, with the total Assets Under Management (AUM) of ₹14.64 lakh crores. In comparison, the number of folios in debt-oriented schemes stood at around 72 lakh. (Source: AMFI)

On July 31, 2020, the Nifty Pharma index has hit a 52-week high levels. This no doubt gives us great satisfaction considering that the Pharmaceutical sector is the largest overweight sector position in UTI Value Opportunities Fund (the Fund). Even as many of our portfolio companies were battered by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this index has bounced nearly 79% from its low in Mar-2020.

Index funds are a type of funds, which aim to replicate a particular index. The fund manager does not have any individual discretion to make changes in the portfolio changes, and the portfolio can be changed only to align it with the changes in the underlying index. 

Planning for the child’s career is often one of the significant financial goals for parents. It is generally conceived that one should start planning for their child’s education at an early stage. A prudent planning and investment strategy from an early stage often helps the parents to provide a broader range of education options. 

A Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is an investment option for investors to invest in mutual funds periodically. Once a SIP is registered, the investment amount is automatically deducted from the bank account on the specified date and invested in mutual funds. This allows investors to make consistent investments towards their financial goals. 

As the fund manager of UTI Value Opportunities Fund, I often wonder if it would be more palatable to many investors if we called the fund ‘UTI Opportunities Fund’ (as it was once called) because the word ‘Value’ in the name of the fund has become unappealing to some.

Debt funds provide an excellent alternate investment option for investors for traditional investment products. The debt funds may be categorised based on their investment strategies and/or the issuer companies wherein such funds are invested.

SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) guidelines classify the stocks into large-caps, mid-caps, and small caps based on the market capitalisation of listed companies. The top 100 companies are termed as large-cap companies. In contrast, the companies with the ranking from 101 to 250 are classified as mid-cap companies. The companies featuring beyond that are classified as small-cap companies.