When it comes to investing in equity markets, retail investors often look at the movements of the benchmark indices - NSE Nifty 50, S&P BSE Sensex BSE 200, BSE Midcap Index, BSE Small Cap Index, Nifty 500, etc. This is because such indices may be considered indicators of financial markets.
Investing may be considered more of an art than a science. Amidst a wide range of investment options, products may be selected basis individual risk profiles, financial goals and investment horizons. Within an investment portfolio, the focus should also be on diversification and optimal asset allocation.
Diversification of investment portfolio across different asset classes
Mutual funds have emerged as a preferred investment option among retail investors due to the benefits of professional fund management and ease of investing. As a new investor, many people have this question in mind - how do mutual funds work? What do Asset Management Companies (AMCs) do with the small investments that individuals provide?
When it comes to equity markets, investors often use the terms ‘blue chip companies’ or ‘blue chip stocks’. A blue chip company is a well-established, fundamentally and financially strong with a proven track-record of performance. Such companies are considered more resilient to adverse economic events and minor hiccups in the financial performance and are thus considered relatively safe and stable for the investors.
mutual funds have been steadily emerging as a preferred investment option and have become one of the attractive avenues to invest money. Such preferences arise from the convenience of investing in mutual funds and a wide range of mutual fund schemes investors may choose from. However, investors may often be spoilt for choices amongst the available options and may be struggling to find the right mutual fund scheme that best suits their financial plans and risk appetite.
Mutual funds are investment products that create a portfolio of securities from the money invested by different investors. The investors can invest in mutual funds by submitting the application form physically at any official Points of Acceptance, through the website/ mobile app of the mutual fund house, or digital options provided by Registrar & Transfer Agents or any other online aggregator’s platform.
investors can choose to invest in different mutual fund schemes to suit their risk appetite, financial goals, and investment horizon. People generally consider liquid funds and debt funds as different mutual fund categories. However, this is not the case.
Debt funds are a larger category of mutual fund schemes, which include overnight funds, liquid funds, duration funds, gilt funds, credit opportunities funds, etc. A liquid fund is a subset within the broader universe of debt funds.
New-age and millennial investors prefer investing in equities directly as they can track the movements of their top stock picks and attribute the investment performance to themselves. Further, the intra-day price movements in share prices create further excitement for some investors. However, direct equity investing may be complex since it requires a lot of research and adequate knowledge of stock markets in general.
