Reliance Mutual Fund
Reliance Mutual Fund
Reliance Mutual Fund
DONE FOR
Submitted By
BRIJESH PULAIYA
(Reg.No. 1095514)
MAY-JUNE 2010
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY
PUDUCHERRY-605014
CERTIFICATE
Place: Puducherry
Date:
DECLERATION
I, Brijesh Pulaiya, hereby declare that this Project Report entitled “ A STUDY ON
INVESTORS’ AWARENESS LEVEL ON MUTUAL FUND & PROMOTION
OF SIP PLAN” in Reliance Mutual Fund, Gwalior (M.P.) submitted in the
partial fulfillment of the requirement of Master of Business Administration (MBA)
of Department of Management Studies-School of Management, Pondicherry
University, Puducherry-605014 is based on primary & secondary data found by
me in various departments, books, magazines and websites & Collected by me in
under guidance of Mr. Alok Kumar Singh , Customer Relationship Manager,
Reliance Mutual Fund, Gwalior (M.P.).
I am indebted to the all powerful Almighty God for all the blessings he showered on me
and for being with me throughout the study.
I would also like to extend my thanks to other members for their support especially
Mr. VAIBHAV DESHPANDEY, Branch Manager, Reliance Mutual Fund, Gwalior
(M.P.) and entire Reliance Mutual Fund Sales Team and Other Private Banks’ Sales
Team for their constant guidance and support.
Lastly, I would like to express my gratefulness to the parent’s for seeing me through it
all.
BRIJESH PULAIYA
(Signature of the Candidate)
Page | 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In few years Mutual Fund has emerged as a tool for ensuring one’s financial well-
being. Mutual Funds have not only contributed to the India’s growth story but have
also helped families tap into the success of Indian Industry. As information and
awareness is rising more and more people are enjoying the benefits of investing in
mutual funds. The main reason the number of retail mutual fund investors remains
small is that nine in ten people with income in India do not know the benefits of
mutual funds. But once, people are aware of mutual fund investment opportunities
and benefits, the number of people who decide to invest in mutual funds increase to
as many as one in five people. The trick for converting a person with no knowledge
of mutual funds to a new mutual fund customer is to understand which of the
potential investors are more likely to buy mutual funds and to use the right
arguments in the sales process that customers will accept as important and relevant
to their decision.
This Project gave me a great learning experience and at the same time it gave me
enough scope to implement my analytical ability. The analysis and advice
presented in this Project Report is based on market research on the saving and
investment practices of the investors and preferences of the investors for investment
in Mutual Funds. This Report will help to know about the investors’ Preferences in
Mutual Fund means Are they prefer any particular Asset Management Company
(AMC), Which type of Product they prefer, Which Option (Growth or Dividend)
they prefer or Which Investment Strategy they follow (Systematic Investment Plan
or One time Plan). This Project as a whole can be divided into two parts.
The first part gives an insight about Mutual Fund and its various aspects, the
Company Profile, Objectives of the study, Research Methodology. One can have a
brief knowledge about Mutual Fund and its basics through the Project.
The second part of the Project consists of data and its analysis collected through
survey done on 100 people. For the collection of Primary data I made a
Page | 2
questionnaire and surveyed of 100 people. I also taken interview of many People
those who were coming at the Reliance Mutual Fund Gwalior (M.P.) Branch where
I done my Project. I visited other AMCs and several Private and Government
Banks in Gwalior (M.P.) to get some knowledge related to my topic. I studied about
the products and strategies of other AMCs in Gwalior (M.P.) to know why people
prefer to invest in those AMCs. This Project covers the topic “A STUDY ON
INVESTORS’ AWARENESS LEVEL ON MUTUAL FUND & PROMOTION
OF SIP PLAN”. The data collected has been well organized and presented. I hope
the research findings and conclusion will be of use.
Page | 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION 8
1.1 Introduction to the topic 9
1.2 Need for the study 9
1.3 Statement of the problem 11
1.4 Objectives of the study 11
1.5 Research methodology 12
1.6 Limitations of the study 12
1.7 Chapterization 13
2 PROFILE OF THE MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY AND THE 14
COMPANY
2.1 Profile of the mutual fund industry 15
2.2 Profile of the Reliance Mutual Fund 28
3 FUNCTIONING OF MUTUAL FUND 36
4 ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION 82
5 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS & 108
RECOMMENDATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY 112
QUESTIONNAIRE 114
Page | 4
LIST OF TABLES
Page | 5
4.16 What is your primary objective for your investment? * Occupation 98
Cross-tab
4.17 What is your primary objective for your investment? * Income level 99
Cross-tab
4.18 What is your primary objective for your investment? * Marital Status 100
Cross-tab
4.19 Do you know about the Mutual Funds? * Age Cross-tab 100
4.20 Do you know about the Mutual Funds? * Occupation Cross-tab 101
4.21 Do you know about the Mutual Funds? * Income level Cross-tab 101
4.22 Have you ever invested in mutual fund? * Age Cross-tab 102
4.23 Have you ever invested in mutual fund? * Occupation Cross-tab 102
4.24 Have you ever invested in mutual fund? * Income level Cross-tab 103
4.25 If no: What is/are the reason? * Age Cross-tab 103
4.26 If no: What is/are the reason? * Occupation Cross-tab 104
4.27 If no: What is/are the reason? * Income level Cross-tab 104
4.28 If invested in Reliance Mutual Fund; what are the reasons? 105
4.29 If Reliance Mutual Fund; what are the reasons?* Income level Cross 105
tab
4.30 Why do you prefer investment in mutual fund to other investment 106
avenue? * Occupation Cross-tab
4.31 What kind of investment schemes you prefer in Mutual Fund? * 107
Occupation Cross-tab
Page | 6
LIST OF CHARTS
Page | 7
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Page | 8
INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC
In the last decade we have seen enormous growth in the size of mutual fund industry in
India. Especially the private sector has shown tremendous growth. With unmatched
advances on the information technology, increased role of the institutional investors in
the stock market and the SEBI still in its infancy, the mutual fund industry players gained
unparalleled and unchecked power. To ensure the safety of investment of small investors
against whims and fancies of professional fund managers have become the need of the
hour.
WHAT IS INVESTMENT?
Trade off between risk and reward while aiming for incremental gain and preservation of
the invested amount (principal). In contrast, speculation aims at 'high gain or heavy loss,'
and gambling at 'out of proportion gain or total loss.' Two main classes of investment are
Page | 9
'B' and 'C' class cities are growing rapidly. Today most of the mutual funds are
concentrating on the 'A' class cities. Soon they will find scope in the growing cities.
Mutual fund can penetrate rural like the Indian insurance industry with simple and
limited products.
SEBI allowing the MF's to launch commodity mutual funds.
Emphasis on better corporate governance.
Trying to curb the late trading practices.
Introduction of Financial Planners who can provide need based advice.
The Indian mutual funds business is expected to grow significantly in the coming years
due to a high degree of transparency and disclosure standards comparable to anywhere in
the world, though there are many challenges that need to be addressed to increase net
mobilization of funds in this sector, as said by Mr. A.P. Kurian, Chairman of the
Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI).
Indian Mutual fund industry exhibited 200% growth in the last 10 yrs from Rs.470 billion
to Rs1400 billion in terms of assets under management (AUM). The Mutual Funds
industry is expected to jump sharply from its present share of 6% of GDP to 40% in the
next 10yrs provided the country’s growth rate is consistently above 6%. The growing
investor preference for mutual funds has resulted in the assets under management of
mutual funds growing 8-folds in last 5 yrs. Number of foreign AMC's are in the queue to
enter the Indian markets like US based Fidelity Investments, with over US$1trillion
assets under management worldwide. Our saving rate is over 23%, highest in the world.
Only channeling these savings in mutual funds sector is required. There is a big scope for
expansion as we have 37 mutual funds which are much less than US having more than
800.
Page | 10
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
One of the lucrative investment avenues available for investors is mutual fund nowadays.
The problem at hand was to study and measure the awareness level of people regarding
mutual funds in the city. To find out Investors’ awareness about Mutual funds and
Promotion of SIP plan. The study includes analysis of the investors on the basis of their
investment objectives, age etc. It also examined the position of MF among investment
avenues available for the investors and the past performances of various schemes from
the active AMCs in Indian market on the basis of NAV & time. So that it can help the
advisors as well as investors to choose the correct portfolio.
The major objective of the study was to determine the awareness about benefits of
Mutual funds and to impart information, knowledge and the functioning of mutual funds
among financial advisors.
Page | 11
1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This is a descriptive study. Two types of data were taken into consideration i.e.
Secondary data & primary data. My major emphasis was on gathering the primary data.
The secondary data has been used to make things more clear.
(i) Primary Data: Direct collection of data from the source of information,
technology including personal interviewing, survey etc.
(ii) Secondary Data: Indirect collection of data from sources containing past or
recent past information like Bank’s Brochures, Annual publications, Books, Fact sheets
of mutual funds, Newspaper & Magazines etc. The secondary data was collected to
know the theoretical aspect of the mutual funds and also for the performance evaluation
of various mutual fund schemes.
The next step is to extract the pertinent findings from the collected data. I have tabulated
the collected data & developed frequency distributions. Thus the whole data was grouped
aspect wise and was presented in tabular form. Thus, cross-tabulations, frequencies &
percentages were prepared to render impact of the study.
Every research is incomplete without its own limitations. In this research too there were
some limitations. They are:
Page | 12
Results are just an indication of the present scenario and may not be applicable in the
future.
As the study was conducted only in Gwalior (M.P.) only, so it can be said that the study
was regionally biased.
Since sampling was done under the simple random sampling method, where easily
approachable respondents were picked up. So this may not represent the whole universe.
1.7 CHAPTERIZATION
Chapter 1 deals with the crisp introduction of topic. Along with this it deals with the
need for the study, statement of the study, objective of the study, period of the study,
research methodology used and limitations of the study.
Chapter 2 portrays the profiles of the mutual fund industry with history and Reliance
Mutual Fund.
Chapter 3 contains a detailed study of functioning of Mutual Fund and regulatory
authorities, tax planning for investors, SIP promotion and benefits of its.
Chapter 4 gives the analysis and interpretation of the data.
Chapter 5 suggests some suggestions and recommendation based on the study done.
Page | 13
CHAPTER 2
Profile of
Mutual fund
industry
&
company
Page | 14
PROFILE OF THE MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY
Historians are uncertain of the origins of investment funds; some cite the closed-end
investment companies launched in the Netherlands in 1822 by King William I as the first
mutual funds, while others point to a Dutch merchant named Adrian van Ketwich whose
investment trust created in 1774 may have given the king the idea. Van Ketwich probably
theorized that diversification would increase the appeal of investments to smaller
investors with minimal capital. The name of van Ketwich's fund, EENDRAGT MAAKT
MAGT, translates to "unity creates strength". The next wave of near-mutual funds
included an investment trust launched in Switzerland in 1849, followed by similar
vehicles which is followed by many kind of companies created in Scotland in the 1880s.
The idea of pooling resources and spreading risk using closed-end investments soon took
root in Great Britain and France, making its way to the United States in the 1890s. The
Boston Personal Property Trust, formed in 1893, was the first closed-end fund in the U.S.
The creation of the Alexander Fund in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1907 was an
important step in the evolution toward what we know as the modern mutual fund. The
Alexander Fund featured semi-annual issues and allowed investors to make withdrawals
on demand.
The creation of the Massachusetts Investors' Trust in Boston, Massachusetts, heralded the
arrival of the modern mutual fund in 1924. The fund went public in 1928, eventually
spawning the mutual fund firm known today as MFS Investment Management. State
Street Investors' Trust was the custodian of the Massachusetts Investors' Trust. Later,
State Street Investors started its own fund in 1924 with Richard Paine, Richard Saltonstall
and Paul Cabot at the helm. Saltonstall was also affiliated with Scudder, Stevens and
Page | 15
Clark, an outfit that would launch the first no-load fund in 1928. A momentous year in
the history of the mutual fund, 1928 also saw the launch of the Wellington Fund, which
was the first mutual fund to include stocks and bonds, as opposed to direct merchant bank
style of investments in business and trade.
By 1929, there were 19 open-end mutual funds competing with nearly 700 closed-end
funds. With the stock market crash of 1929, the dynamic began to change as highly-
leveraged closed-end funds were wiped out and small open-end funds managed to
survive.
Government regulators also began to take notice of the fledgling mutual fund
industry. The creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the passage of
the Securities Act of 1933 and the enactment of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 put
in place safeguards to protect investors: mutual funds were required to register with the
SEC and to provide disclosure in the form of a prospectus. The Investment Company Act
of 1940 put in place additional regulations that required more disclosures and sought to
minimize grievance of investor of different categories conflicts of interest.
The mutual fund industry continued to expand. At the beginning of the 1950s, the
number of open-end funds topped 100. In 1954, the financial markets overcame their
1929 peak, and the mutual fund industry began to grow in earnest, adding some 50 new
funds over the course of the decade. The 1960s saw the rise of aggressive growth funds,
with more than 100 new funds established and billions of dollars in new asset inflows.
Hundreds of new funds were launched throughout the 1960s until the bear market
of 1969 cooled the public appetite for mutual funds. Money flowed out of mutual funds
as quickly as investors could redeem their shares, but the industry's growth later resumed.
Page | 16
Massachusetts Investors Trust (now MFS Investment Management) was founded
on March 21, 1924, and, after one year, had 200 shareholders and $392,000 in assets. The
entire industry, which included a few closed-end funds, represented less than $10 million
in 1924.
The stock market crash of 1929 slowed the growth of mutual funds. In response to
the stock market crash, Congress passed the Security Act of 1933 and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. These laws require that a fund be registered with the SEC.
The U.S. mutual fund market, with $9.6 trillion in assets under management as of year-
end 2008, remained the largest in the world, accounting for 55 percent of the $19.0
trillion in mutual fund assets worldwide.
Page | 17
Korea 198,994 251,930 329,979 221,992 264,573
New 10,332 12,892 14,924 10,612 17,657
Zealand
Pakistan 2,164 4,956 1,985 2,224
Philippines 1,449 1,544 2,090 1,263 1,488
Taiwan 57,301 55,571 58,323 46,116 58,297
AFRICA 65,594 78,026 95,221 69,417 106,261
(South
Africa)
Mutual fund assets worldwide increased 2.3 percent to $22.88 trillion at the end of 2009.
Net cash flow to all funds was $77 billion in the fourth quarter, marking the fifth
consecutive quarter with positive net flows. Net inflows to long-term funds slowed to
$283 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, from $351 billion in the third quarter. Net
outflows from money market funds also decelerated, with $206 billion of net outflows,
from $283 billion in outflows in the previous quarter. For the year as a whole, net cash
flows into all mutual funds worldwide were $275 billion, on par with the $280 billion of
net inflows experienced in 2008. However, the composition of flows was considerably
different. Long-term funds had net inflows of $912 billion in 2009, compared to net
outflows of $610 billion in 2008. Money market funds had net outflows of $638 billion
in 2009, compared to net inflows of $891 billion in 2008.
Page | 18
2.1.5 INDIAN MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY- AN INSIGHT
The concept of mutual funds in India dates back to the year 1963. The era between 1963
and 1987 marked the existence 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 existence 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 37 mutual fund
companies 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 of India.
Though the growth was slow, but it accelerated from the year 1987 when Non-UTI
players entered into the Industry.
In the past decade, Indian mutual fund industry had seen a dramatic
improvement, both qualities wise as well as quantity wise. In March 1987, the
Page | 19
Asset under Management (AUM) was Rs.4564 crores. The private sector entry to
the fund family raised the AUM to Rs. 47000 crores in March 1993 and till April
30, 2010; it has reached the height of Rs. 7, 19,133 crores.
Source: www.amfiindia.com
The Mutual Fund Industry is obviously growing at a tremendous space with the
mutual fund industry can be broadly put into four phases according to the
development of the sector. Each phase is briefly described as under.
Page | 20
different investors. It launched ULIP in 1971, six more schemes between 1981 and 1984,
Children's Gift Growth Fund and India Fund (India's first offshore fund) in 1986, Master
share (India’s first equity diversified scheme) in 1987 and Monthly Income Schemes
(offering assured returns) during 1990s. By the end of 1987, UTI's assets under
management grew ten times to Rs. 6700 crores.
Mobilization
Amount
Assets Under as % of
Mobilized
1992-93 Management Gross
(In Rs.
(In Rs. crores) Domestic
crores)
Savings
Public
1,964 8,757 0.9%
Sector
Page | 22
Table 2.3
PUBLIC PRIVATE
AS ON UTI TOTAL
SECTOR SECTOR
31-
March- 53,320 8,292 6,860 68,472
99
Thirteen out of 37 fund houses witnesses a growth in average AUM in January, 2010,
with Reliance Mutual Fund continuing the largest fund house by asset at Rs. 1.17 trillion.
HDFC was at the second spot at Rs. 948 billion, followed by ICICI Prudential Mutual
Fund at Rs. 784 billion. UTI Mutual Fund and Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund followed with
an average AUM of Rs. 745 billion and Rs. 626 billion, respectively. The share of top 5
MF’s in the industry’s asset was at 56% while that of top 10 funds’ asset was close to
80% in January 2010.
As per AMFI data, UTI Mutual Fund had the highest number of investor folios at
10 million as of December 2009. The total number of investor folios for the mutual fund
industry stood at 48 million as of December 2009.
Page | 23
The average AUM data analyzed for equity oriented schemes showed that Reliance
Growth Fund held the highest corpus of around Rs. 70 billion, followed by HDFC top
200 fund, Reliance diversified Power Sector fund, HDFC equity fund and SBI magnum
Tax Gain Scheme1993 with an average AUM Rs. 61billion, Rs.58 billion, Rs. 55 billion,
Rs. 54 billion, respectively.
Table 2.4
Latest Average Asset Under Management for all Mutual Fund houses & Ranking
according to the AAUM
MUTUAL FUND NO. OF ASSET UNDER MANAGEMENT (AMOUNT IN RS. CRORE)
NAME SCHEMES*
BIRLA SUN LIFE 219 MAY 31, 73,828.03 APR 30, 69,508.69 4319.346
MUTUAL FUND 2010 2010
(RANK 4)
Page | 24
DEUTSCHE 116 MAY 31, 10,102.46 APR 30, 10,111.61 -9.149
MUTUAL FUND 2010 2010
FORTIS MUTUAL 472 MAY 31, 7,537.44 APR 30, 6,902.15 635.297
FUND 2010 2010
HDFC MUTUAL 162 MAY 31, 101,863.31 APR 30, 94,702.79 7160.526
FUND 2010 2010
(RANK 2)
ICICI PRUDENTIAL 317 MAY 31, 87,709.81 APR 30, 83,035.51 4674.3
MUTUAL FUND 2010 2010
(RANK 3)
IDFC MUTUAL 170 MAY 31, 26,614.77 APR 30, 25,177.28 1437.488
FUND 2010 2010
Page | 25
JPMORGAN 31 MAY 31, 3,784.98 APR 30, 4,114.75 -329.768
MUTUAL FUND 2010 2010
LIC MUTUAL FUND 62 MAY 31, 38,962.82 APR 30, 40,507.21 -1544.388
2010 2010
(RANK 1)
SBI MUTUAL FUND 116 MAY 31, 36,235.76 APR 30, 39,826.35 -3590.585
2010 2010
Page | 26
SHINSEI MUTUAL 11 MAY 31, 323.71 APR 30, 222.28 101.433
FUND 2010 2010
SUNDARAM BNP 143 MAY 31, 13,976.11 APR 30, 14,361.18 -385.076
PARIBAS MUTUAL 2010 2010
FUND
TATA MUTUAL 168 MAY 31, 22,673.43 APR 30, 22,051.27 622.154
FUND 2010 2010
UTI MUTUAL FUND 203 MAY 31, 78,617.15 APR 30, 79,456.70 -839.544
2010 2010
(RANK 5)
Page | 27
2.2 PROFILE OF THE RELIANCE MUTUAL FUND
2.2.1 INTRODUCTION:
The Reliance group - one of India's largest business houses with revenues of Rs. 990
billion ($22.6 billion) that is equal to 3.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product
was split into two.
The group - which claims to contribute nearly 10 per cent of the country's indirect
tax revenues and over six percent of India's exports - was divided between Mukesh
Ambani and his younger brother Anil on June 18, 2005.
Reliance Mutual Fund (RMF) is one of India’s leading Mutual Funds, with
Average Assets under Management (AAUM) of Rs. 1, 18,973 Crores and an
investor count of over 74 Lakh folios. (AAUM and investor count as of May 2010).
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
159 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."
2.2.2 Sponsor
Reliance Capital Limited
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.
Reliance Mutual Fund (RMF) has been sponsored by Reliance Capital Ltd (RCL). The
promoter of RCL is AAA Enterprises Private Limited. Reliance Capital Limited is a Non
Banking Finance Company. Reliance Capital Limited is one of the India’s leading and
Page | 28
fastest growing financial services companies, and ranks among the top three private
sector financial services and banking companies, in terms of net worth.
Reliance Capital has interests in asset management and mutual funds, life and
non-life insurance, private equity and proprietary investments, stock broking and other
activities in the financial services sector. The net worth of RCL is Rs. 6086 crores as on
March 31, 2008. Given below is a summary of RCL’s financials:
Table 2.5
Reliance Capital Ltd. has contributed Rupees One Lac as the initial contribution to the
corpus for the setting up of the Mutual Fund. Reliance Capital Ltd. is responsible for
discharging its functions and responsibilities towards the Fund in accordance with the
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Regulations.
Page | 29
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
their customers”.
Pursuant to this IMA, RCAM is authorized to act as Investment Manager of the Mutual
Fund. The net worth of the Asset Management Company based on audited accounts as on
March 31, 2009 is Rs. 841.32 Crore. Table 2.6
No. of schemes 57
Equity Schemes 60
Money Market 0
Gilt Fund 6
1. Amit Tripathy,
2. Hiren Chandaria ,
3. Krishan Daga ,
4. Omprakash Kuckien ,
5. Sailesh Raj Bhan ,
6. Sunil Singhania
Reliance Monthly Income Plan aims to generate regular income in order to make
regular dividend payments to unit holders and the secondary objective is growth of
capital.
Reliance Income Fund aims to generate optimal returns consistent with moderate levels
of risk. This income may be complemented by capital appreciation of the portfolio.
Accordingly, investments shall predominantly be made in Debt and Money Market
Instruments.
Reliance Medium Term Fund aims to generate regular income in order to make regular
dividend payments to unit holders and the secondary objective is growth of capital.
Page | 31
Reliance Liquid Fund aims to generate optimal returns consistent with moderate levels
of risk and high liquidity. Accordingly, investments shall predominantly be made in Debt
and Money Market Instruments.
Reliance Liquidity Fund aims to generate optimal returns consistent with moderate
levels of risk and high liquidity. Accordingly, investments shall predominantly be made
in Debt and Money Market Instruments
Reliance Short Term Fund aims to generate stable returns for investors with a short
term investment horizon by investing in fixed income securities of a short term maturity.
Reliance Gilt Securities Fund aims to generate optimal credit risk free returns by
investing in a portfolio of securities issued and guaranteed by the Central Government
and State Governments
Reliance Floating Rate Fund aims to generate regular income through investment in a
portfolio comprising substantially of Floating Rate Debt Securities (including floating
rate securitized debt and Money Market Instruments and Fixed Rate Debt Instruments
swapped for floating rate returns).
Reliance Regular Savings Fund Debt Option: The primary investment objective of this
plan is to generate optimal returns consistent with moderate level of risk. This income
may be complemented by capital appreciation of the portfolio. Accordingly investments
shall predominantly be made in Debt & Money Market Instruments.
Reliance Regular Savings Fund Equity Option: The primary investment objective is to
seek capital appreciation and or consistent returns by actively investing in equity / equity
related securities.
Reliance Regular Savings Fund Hybrid Option: The primary investment objective is
to generate consistent return by investing a major portion in debt & money market
securities and a small portion in equity & equity related instruments.
Reliance Growth Fund aims to achieve long term growth of capital by investment in
equity and equity related securities through a research based investment approach.
Reliance Vision Fund aims to achieve long term growth of capital by investment in
equity and equity related securities through a research based investment approach.
Page | 32
Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund aims to generate capital appreciation & provide
long term growth opportunities by investing in a portfolio constituted of equity securities
& equity related securities
Reliance Banking Fund aims to generate continuous returns by actively investing in
equity / equity related or fixed income securities of banks.
Reliance Diversified Power Sector Fund seek to generate consistent returns by
investing in equity / equity related or fixed income securities of Power and other
associated companies
Reliance Pharma Fund aims generate consistent returns by investing in equity / equity
related or fixed income securities of Pharma and other associated companies.
Reliance Media & Entertainment Fund to generate consistent returns by investing in
equity / equity related or fixed income securities of media & entertainment and other
associated companies.
Reliance Index Fund-Sensex Plan aims to replicate the composition of the Sensex, with
a view to endeavor to generate returns, which could approximately be the same as that of
Sensex.
Reliance Index Fund-Nifty Plan aims to replicate the composition of the Nifty, with a
view to endeavor to generate returns, which could approximately be the same as that of
Nifty.
Reliance NRI Equity Fund aims to generate optimal returns by investing in equity and
equity related instruments primarily drawn from the Companies in the BSE 200 Index.
Reliance Equity Fund: The primary investment objective of the scheme is to seek to
generate capital appreciation & provide long-term growth opportunities by investing in a
portfolio constituted of equity & equity related securities of top 100 companies by market
capitalization & of companies which are available in the derivatives segment from time
to time and the secondary objective is to generate consistent returns by investing in debt
and money market securities.
Page | 33
2.2.7 CUSTODIAN
Deutsche Bank, AG
Deutsche Bank AG, the Custodian shall, inter alia:
2.2.8 REGISTRAR
M/s. Karvy Computershare Pvt. Limited
The Registrar is responsible for carrying out diligently the functions of a Registrar and
Transfer Agent and will be paid fees as set out in the agreement entered into with it and
as per any modification made thereof from time to time.
2.2.9 TRUSTEE
Reliance Capital Trustee Co. Limited (RCTC), a company incorporated under the
Companies Act, 1956, has been appointed as the Trustee to the Fund vide the Trust Deed
dated April 25, 1995 executed between the Sponsor and the Trustee.
Page | 34
2.2.10 BANKERS TO THE SCHEMES OF RELIANCE CAPITAL ASSET
MANAGEMENT
Page | 35
CHAPTER 3
FUNCTIONING
OF
MUTUAL FUND
Page | 36
3.1 WHAT IS MUTUAL FUND?
Mutual fund is a trust that pools the savings of a number of investors who share a
common financial goal. This pool of money is invested in accordance with a stated
objective. The joint ownership of the fund is thus “Mutual”, i.e. the fund belongs to all
investors. The money thus collected is then invested in capital market instruments such as
shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through these investments and
the capital appreciations realized are shared by its unit holders in proportion the number
of units owned by them. Thus a Mutual Fund is the most suitable investment for the
common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed
basket of securities at a relatively low cost. A Mutual Fund is an investment tool that
allows small investors access to a well-diversified portfolio of equities, bonds and other
securities. Each shareholder participates in the gain or loss of the fund. Units are issued
and can be redeemed as needed. The fund’s Net Asset value (NAV) is determined each
day.
Investments in securities are spread across a wide cross-section of industries and
sectors and thus the risk is reduced. Diversification reduces the risk because all stocks
may not move in the same direction in the same proportion at the same time. Mutual fund
issues units to the investors in accordance with quantum of money invested by them.
Investors of mutual funds are known as unit holders.
Page | 37
Source: www.jmfinancial.com
When an investor subscribes for the units of a mutual fund, he becomes part owner of the
assets of the fund in the same proportion as his contribution amount put up with the
Corpus (the total amount of the fund). Mutual Fund investor is also known as a mutual
fund shareholder or a unit holder.
Any change in the value of the investments made into capital market
instruments (such as shares, debentures etc) is reflected in the Net Asset Value
(NAV) of the scheme. NAV is defined as the market value of the Mutual Fund
scheme's assets net of its liabilities. NAV of a scheme is calculated by dividing the
market value of scheme's assets by the total number of units issued to the investors.
Page | 38
NAV = Market Value of the scheme / Number of unit-holders
A mutual fund is set up in the form of a trust, which has sponsor, trustees, Asset
Management Company (AMC) and custodian. The trust is established by a sponsor or
more than one sponsor who is like promoter of a company. The trustees of the mutual
fund hold its property for the benefit of the unit holders.
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. The performance
of a particular scheme of a mutual fund is denoted by Net Asset Value (NAV).
In India, the following are involved in mutual fund operations: the sponsor, the
mutual fund, the trustees, the asset management company, the custodian, and the
registrars and transfer agents.
Page | 39
1. Fund Sponsor:
The sponsor of a mutual fund is like the promoter of a company. The sponsor may be a
bank, a financial institution, or a financial service company. It may be Indian or foreign.
The sponsor is responsible for setting up and establishing the
the mutual fund. The sponsor is
the settler of the mutual fund trust. The sponsor delegates the trustee functions to the
trustees.
2. Mutual fund :
The mutual funds constituted as a trust under the Indian trust act, 1881, and registered
with SEBI.
Page | 40
3. Trustees:
A trust is a notional entity that cannot contract in its own name. so, the trust enters into
contracts in the name of the trustees. Appointment by the sponsor, the trustees can be
either individuals or a corporate body. Typically it is the latter. The trustees appoint the
asset management company (AMC), secure necessary approval, periodically monitor
how the AMC functions, and hold the properties of the various schemes in trust for the
benefits of investors.
5. Custodian:
The custodian handles the investment back office operations of a mutual fund. It looks
after the receipt and delivery of securities, collection of income, distribution of dividends,
and segregation of assets between schemes. The sponsor of a mutual fund cannot act as
its custodian.
The registrars and transfer agents handle investor related services such as issuing units,
redeeming units, sending fact sheets and annual reports, and so on. Some funds handle
such functions in house, while others outsource it to be SEBI approved registrars and
transfer agents like Karvy and CAMS. The legal structure and organization of mutual
funds as laid down by SEBI guidelines is as follows.
Page | 41
3.2 CLASSIFICATION OF MUTUAL FUNDS
Mutual Funds
Investment
Return based Sector based Others
based
Commodity
Income funds Equity funds Debt funds Balanced funds IT industry
funds
Conservative Opportunities
Liquid funds Power sector Real estate funds
funds funds
MIPs
Page | 42
CLASSIFICATION- I
The investors of the mutual fund schemes are made to enjoy a good return in form of
regular dividends or capital appreciation or a combination of these both.
a) Income Funds
Income funds are floated for the interest of investors who want to maximize current
income. These funds distribute periodically the income earned by them, in the form of
either a constant income at relatively low risk or in the form of maximum income
possible with higher risk by the use of leverage.
b) Growth Funds
These Schemes have the objective to achieve an increase in the value of the underlying
investments through capital appreciation, and they invest in growth oriented securities.
c) Conservative Funds
These funds offer a blend of good average returns and reasonable capital appreciation.
These funds are very popular and are ideal for the investors who want both growth and
income from their investment.
Mutual funds may also be classified on the basis of the kind of securities that they invest
in.
Equity Funds:
Equities are a high risk-high return asset class; the same risk profile spills over to equity
funds as well. However investors must take note of the fact that a large number of
variations exist within the 'high risk' equity funds segment. For example a sector fund
would be on the relatively higher scale in the risk-return paradigm when compared to an
index fund, which simply tracks the movements in a chosen benchmark index. These
funds invest most of their investible shares in equity shares of companies and undertake
Page | 43
the risk associated with the investment in equity shares. In a developed market, Equity
funds can be of different categories. For example, ‘Blue Chip’, FMCG, PSUs, etc.
Fund managers handling opportunities funds have perhaps the most flexible investment
mandates. Opportunities funds can invest in stocks across market segments, sectors and
some are even permitted to invest a significant portion of their corpus in debt. As the
name suggests, the idea is to seek opportunities for clocking gains from any sector/market
segment.
Theme based funds are fairly similar to sector funds, however the differentiating factor is
the level of diversification they offer. Instead of concentrating on stocks from a single
sector/industry, their focus lies on a specific theme like globally competitive Indian
companies or multinational corporations operating in India. In terms of diversification
and risk profiles, these companies tread the path between a sector fund and a
conventional diversified equity fund.
Index funds are launched with the mandate of tracking benchmark indices like the BSE
Sensex or S&P CNX Nifty. These funds invest in stocks from the index in the same
Page | 44
proportion as the benchmark, thereby offering investors the opportunity to capture the
growth in the chosen index. Index funds are generally more popular in developed markets
where actively managed funds find it difficult to outperform the benchmark indices as
markets are relatively better researched; also their expenses (fees, charges) tend to be
lower vis-à-vis actively managed funds.
v. Fund of Funds
A regular mutual fund invests in equities, bonds and fixed income securities depending
on its objective. Fund of Funds (FoF) extend this concept by investing in units of other
mutual fund schemes. By investing in more than one mutual fund they take
diversification to a new level For example an FoF could invest in five top performing
equity funds and offer a highly diversified portfolio to the investor. Similarly others could
invest in equity and debt funds simultaneously, thereby offering a portfolio that is
diversified across asset classes. On the flipside, FoF investors must be wary of higher
expenses on account of overlapping of costs. FT India Life Stage Fund is the example of
a FoF.
We have used the term "conventional" diversified equity funds at various places during
the course of this discussion. This is not a variant; instead these are equity funds in their
purest form and might seem rather lackluster in the present scenario. Typically, a
diversified equity fund invests in a number of equity/ equity related instruments from
various sectors thereby enabling investors to benefit from diversification. HDFC Equity
Fund and Sundaram Growth Fund can be classified as conventional diversified equity
funds.
Debt Funds:
These Funds have their portfolio comprising of bonds and debentures (Debt Instruments).
These funds are considered to be very secure with a steady income.
Page | 45
i. Long-term debt funds
Long-term debt funds are conventional debt/bond funds that have been in existence for as
long as equity funds. Investors prefer to invest in debt funds for the same reasons they
choose to invest in equity funds viz. they get benefits of diversification across debt
instruments and the services of a professional fund manager. In fact, for retail investors,
debt funds are one of the most important avenues for investing in debt securities like
corporate bonds and government securities, chiefly because individual transactions in
debt are of a very high value (running in millions of rupees) and beyond most retail
investors. This is unlike equities for instance, where retail investors can invest on their
own in smaller lots.
Debt funds invest across a range of debt/fixed income securities. The corpus of
long-term debt funds comprises mainly of corporate bonds and government securities
(gilts/G-secs).
When these securities have a residual maturity of at least 12 months, they are
classified as long-term debt or longer-dated paper. Debt funds also invest in shorter-dated
paper like treasury bills, certificate of deposit (CDs) and commercial paper to name a
few.
a) Liquid funds
Liquid funds invest in very short-term debt instruments maturing in 30-45 days.
Typically this includes Treasury bills and call money. Liquid funds serve needs quite
Page | 46
similar to that of short-term debt funds, only difference is that liquid fund investors have
an even shorter investment time frame, at times as short as one day. If investors are
looking at being invested for more than a month, they can consider short-term debt funds
for a marginally higher return.
b) Gilt Funds
Long-term gilt funds:
A short-term gilt fund invests primarily gilts of a shorter tenure (less than 12 months).
The rationale for investing in short-term gilt funds is similar o that of short-term debt
funds. The reason investors choose short-term gilt funds over short-term debt funds is
because gilts can provide a higher capital appreciation vis-à-vis bonds.
Dynamic debt funds attempt to combine the benefits of debt funds and gilt funds. They
can invest across corporate bonds and gilts without any restrictions. They are distinct
from conventional debt funds that invest in gilts and corporate bonds because these funds
usually maintain a cap on their gilt investments. Dynamic debt funds tend to increase
their gilt investments in times of economic stability as gilt prices tend to have a more
lucrative spread (i.e. difference between the buy and sell prices). Investments in dynamic
debt funds should be made with a time frame of at least 12 months.
Floating rate funds invest in debt instruments that have their coupon rates adjusted at
periodic intervals. These instruments are called 'floating rate instruments'. The floating
rate paper is benchmarked against a reference point like the MIBOR (Mumbai Inter-bank
Page | 47
Offered Rate) for instance. Changes in the MIBOR are a cue for the coupon rate on the
floating rate paper to be reset accordingly.
Short-term floating rate funds work on the same lines as long-term floating rate funds
except that they invest in floating rate paper of shorter tenure (less than 12 months). If
investors are looking to be invested across a shorter time frame of 1-6 months, short-term
floating rate funds should be preferred over their long-term counterparts. Templeton
Floating Rate Fund (Short Term) is an example of a short-term floating rate fund.
Fixed maturity plans (FMPs) are another 'invention' that became a 'necessity' to counter
interest rate instability, a problem that has become acute over the last two years.
Typically, FMPs are close-ended funds. They invest across debt instruments to arrive at a
pre-determined yield, Pre-determined because the yield is announced beforehand to
investors. So FMPs have defined investment tenure. The benefit of investing in FMP is
that the investor knows in advance the return that he will generate on his investment.
FMPs have investment tenures ranging from less than a year to more than 10 years.
As a mutual fund category, monthly income plans (MIPs) are a relatively recent
phenomenon. MIPs are hybrid funds that invest predominantly in debt instruments with a
small portion of assets invested in equities. The equity component is expected to act as a
'kicker' that will make the MIP outperform a conventional debt fund. The rationale for a
hybrid product like an MIP came to the fore because debt funds weren't adding a lot of
value to the risk-averse investor's portfolio. So we had MIPs being launched that gave the
fund manager a mandate to invest 5-30% of assets in equities. Conventional MIPs invest
about 5- 15% of assets in equities with their aggressive counterparts investing as high as
20-30% in equities. Several fund houses have two distinct MIPs catering to different
investor groups
Page | 48
Balanced Fund:
These funds have their portfolio consisting of a balanced mix of equity and bonds. The
composition of these funds may vary depending upon the outlook of the market.
Balanced funds invest their corpus in both equity and debt instruments in a pre-
determined ratio, say 60:40. An aggressive balanced fund would typically hold a higher
portion of its assets in equities maybe as high as 70% of the total assets. On the other
hand, a 'disciplined' balanced fund would maintain a conservative equity allocation
during most times.
There are funds that invest in a specified sector of economy and they specialize in the
said sector. However, they run the risk of not being able to diversify. Sector based
funds are aggressive growth funds which make investments on the basis of assessed
bright future for a particular sector. The specialty of sector funds rather oddly lies in
the fact that they go against the very grain of mutual fund investing i.e. holding a
diversified portfolio. That is why you will find some Asset Management Companies
that swear against sector funds. Sector funds are launched with the intention of
capitalizing on opportunities in a single sector.
b) Commodity Funds
It combines the best features of open end and closed structure. It tracks a market index
and trades like a stock on the stock market. ETFs are not the index funds.
Page | 49
d) Real Estate Funds
It can invest in real estate, Fund real estate developers, Buy shares of housing finance
companies, Buy securitized assets.
Classification II
1. Growth Schemes –
Aim to provide capital appreciation over the 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. These schemes are not for investors
seeking regular income or needing their money back in the short term.
Ideal for:
Investors in their prime earning years.
Investors seeking growth over the long term.
2. Income Schemes -
Aim 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.
Ideal for:
Retired people and others with a need for capital stability and regular income.
Investors who need some income to supplement their earnings.
3. Balanced Schemes -
Aim to provide both growth and income by periodically distributing a part of the
income and capital gains they earn. They invest in both shares and fixed income
securities in the
proportion indicated in their offer documents. In a rising stock market, the NAV of these
schemes may not normally keep pace or fall equally when the market falls.
Page | 50
Ideal for:
Investors looking for a combination of income and moderate growth.
B. Other Schemes:
Page | 52
SNAPSHOT OF MUTUAL FUND SCHEMES (Table 3.1)
Portfolio Diversification
Professional management
Reduction / Diversification of Risk
Liquidity
Flexibility & Convenience
Reduction in Transaction cost
Safety of regulated environment
Choice of schemes
Transparency
Page | 54
An investor must know that there are certain costs involved while investing in mutual
funds.
These refer to cost incurred to operate a mutual fund. Advisory fee is paid to investment
managers, audit fees to charted accountant, custodial fees, register and transfer agent fees,
trustee fees, agent commission. Operating expenses also known as expenses ratio which
is annual expenses expressed as a percentage of these expenses is required to be reported
in the schemes offer document or prospectus.
Operating expenses
Expenses ratio =
Average net assets
For instant, if funds Rs. 100 crores and expenses Rs. 20 Lakh. Then expenses ratio is 2%
expenses ratio is available in the offer document and fro historical per unit statistics
included in the financial results of the fund which are published by annually, un audited
for the half year ending September 30th and audited for the physically year end 1st March
30th .
Depending upon scheme and net asset, operating expenses are determined by limits
mandated by SEBI mutual funds regulation act. Any excess over specified limits as to
borne by Management Company, the trustees or sponsors.
2. SALES CHARGES:
These are known commonly sale loads; these are charged directly to investor. Sales
loads are used by mutual fund for the payment of agent’s commission, distribution and
marketing expenses. These charges have no effect on the performance of the scheme.
Sales loads are usually expression percentage and or of two types-
1. Front-end load
2. Back-end load
Page | 55
FRONT-END LOAD:
It is a onetime fixed fee paid by an investor when buying a Mutual funds scheme.
It determines public offer price which intern decides how much of your initial investment
actually get invested the standard practice of arriving a public offer price is as follows.
Let us assume, an investor invests Rs. 10,000 in a scheme that charges it 2% front end
load at a NAV per unit Rs. 10 using the formula public offer price = 10/(1-0.02) is Rs.
10,20. So only 980 units are allowed to the investor.
Amount invested
Number of units allotted =
Public offer price
This means units worth 9800 are allotted to him an initial investment Rs.10,000 front end
loads tend to decrease as initial investment amount increase.
Page | 56
Let us assume an investor redeems units valued at Rs. 10,000 in a scheme that charges a
2% back, end load at a NAV per units of Rs. 10 using the formula Redemption price
10/(1+0.02)= Rs. 9.8 s, what the investor gets in hand is 9800(9.8*1000).
Contingent differed sales charges of a structured back end load. It is paid when
the units are reading during the initial years of ownership. It is for a predetermined
period only and reduced over the time you invested for a fund, the longer remains in a
fund the lower the CDSC.
The SEBI stipulate the a CDSC may be charge only for first four years after
purchase of units and also stipulate the maximum CDSC that can we charge every year.
This is the SEBI mutual funds regulations 1996 do not allow either the front end load or
back end load to any combination is higher than 7%.
4. TRANSACTION COST:
Some funds may also impose a switch over fee which is charge on transfer of
investment from one scheme to another within a same mutual funds family and also to
switch from one plan to another within same scheme. The real estate mutual funds sector
is now being considered as the engine of economic growth.
The AMC reports to the trustees who safeguard the interests of investors in the
mutual fund and also ensure compliance of the operations of the und with SEBI
guidelines. They not only monitor performance of the AMC but also oversee operations
of the custodian and transfer agent. The AMC receives a fee for its services. Currently,
SEBI permits a maximum fee of 1.25%p.a. of the asset value of the fund size less than
Rs.1bn. As the asset size of the fund increases, this falls progressively to 0.75%p.a. of the
incremental asset value. In addition, SEBI also permits AMCs to charge expense related
to the management of the fund up to certain limits. These are of two kinds of as follows:
Page | 57
Up front expenses related to fund marketing and initial account opening – up to
maximum of 6%of the investment amount (termed as “load”).
Recurring expenses, which together with the management fees should not exceed certain
limits. The maximum is 2.5% per year for equity funds and 2.25% per year for debt
funds. As the asset size increases, the maximum limit falls progressively to 1.75% of the
incremental assets
First 1bn. Next 3 bn. Next 3 bn. Over 7 bn.
Both the management fee and the expenses are charged directly to the mutual fund
scheme.
2. Pension funds
ELSS schemes are basically diversified equity schemes, which have a three-year
lock-in. Investments here—subject to a maximum of Rs 10,000—receive a tax rebate of 0
to 20 per cent depending on the income slab. As these are equity instruments they have
the maximum risk-return potential among all asset classes. What this means is that return
has a propensity to vary with great intensity. Although an average tax-saving mutual fund
delivered 16.36 per cent in 2002, the range of returns was extreme. Thus, in that year, the
best tax-saving fund delivered 42.61 per cent and the worst was down 3.16 per cent. The
best way to overcome the vagaries of stock markets is to diversify. Diversification can be
across funds and, more importantly, across time periods. By investing regularly every
year in these funds one can set up a long-term systematic investment plan.
Page | 58
Pension funds
The other route for saving taxes is pension funds, even though there are currently
only two such funds in operation, Franklin Templeton's Templeton India Pension Fund
and UTI's Retirement Benefit Plan. Introduced for the first time in 1997, pension funds
are hybrid schemes, which have a debt orientation, and carry the same tax benefit as
ELSS.
From the tax point of view, bonus units are conceptually similar to dividend
stripping, but somewhat more complex. Bonus units that a fund issue is deemed to have
been acquired at zero cost. Thus, whenever they are sold, the entire sale price is treated as
capital gains. However, at the time of issue of bonus, the NAV of the fund drops in a
proportion that is identical to the ratio at which bonus funds are issued. This fall in the
NAV is a capital loss as far as the original units are concerned and it is here that tax
benefits can be realized. The original units can be sold off with a capital loss, which can
be used to set off other capital gains. The bonus units carry a high tax liability though
since you will pay taxes on the entire sale price.
Here's an example. Suppose you hold 10,000 units of a fund whose NAV is Rs
15. You made the purchase less than a year ago at an NAV of Rs 12. If today you decide
to sell these units, you will fetch Rs 1.5 Lakh, out of which Rs 30,000 will be short-term
capital gain. On this, you are likely to pay a tax of Rs 9,000—30 per cent of gains.
Page | 59
3.5 TAX RULES FOR MUTUAL FUND INVESTORS (Table 3.2)
Note: The short term/long term capital gain tax will be deducted at the time of redemption of units in case of NRI
investors only. **STT @ 0.25% will be deducted on equity funds at the time of redemption and switch to the other
schemes. ^^ assuming highest tax slab rate
Page | 60
3.6 VARIOUS INVESTMENT OPTIONS IN MUTUAL FUNDS OFFER
To cater to different investment needs; Mutual Funds offer various investment options.
Some of the important investment options include:
1. Growth Option:
Dividend is not paid-out under a Growth Option and the investor realizes only the capital
appreciation on the investment (by an increase in NAV).
5. Insurance Option:
Certain Mutual Funds offer schemes that provide insurance cover to investors as an
added benefit.
Page | 61
3.7 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH MUTUAL FUNDS
The most important relationship to understand is the risk-return trade-off. Higher the risk
greater the returns/loss and lower the risk lesser the returns/loss.
Hence it is up to you, the investor to decide how much risk you are willing to take. In
order to do this you must first be aware of the different types of risks involved with your
investment decision.
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.
CREDIT RISK
INFLATION RISK
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 when inflation grows faster than the return on your investment. A well-
diversified portfolio with some investment in equities might help mitigate this risk.
Page | 62
INTEREST RATE RISK
In a free market economy interest rates are difficult if not impossible to predict.
Changes in interest rates affect the prices of bonds as well as equities. If interest rates rise
the prices of bonds fall and vice versa. Equity might be negatively affected as well in a
rising interest rate environment. A well-diversified portfolio might help mitigate this risk.
POLITICAL RISK
Changes in government policy and political decision can change the investment
environment. They can create a favorable environment for investment or vice versa.
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.
You have been reading about diversification above, but what is it? Diversification the
nuclear weapon in your arsenal for your fight against Risk. It simply means that you must
spread your investment across different securities (stocks, bonds, money market
instruments, real estate, fixed deposits etc.) and different sectors (auto, textile,
information technology etc.). This kind of a diversification may add to the stability of
your returns, for example during one period of time equities might underperform but
bonds and money market instruments might do well enough to offset the effect of a
slump in the equity markets. Similarly the information technology sector might be faring
poorly but the auto and textile sectors might do well and may protect you principal
investment as well as help you meet your return objectives.
Page | 63
RISK V/S RETURN
1. Systematic Investment Plan (SIP): under this a fixed sum is invested each
month on a fixed date of a month. Payments are made through post dated cheques
or direct/auto debit facilities. The investor gets fewer units when the NAV is high
and more units when the NAV is low. This is called as the benefit of Rupee Cost
Averaging (RCA)
2. Systematic Transfer Plan (STP): under this an investor invests in debt oriented
fund and gives instructions to transfer a fixed sum, at a fixed interval, to an equity
Page | 64
3.9 VOLATILITY MEASURES FOR EQUITY RELATED FUNDS
With the increasing number of mutual fund schemes, it becomes very difficult for an
investor to choose the type of funds for investment. By using some of the portfolio
analysis tools, he can become more equipped to make a well informed choice. There are
many financial tools to analyze mutual funds. Each has their unique strengths and
limitations as well. Therefore, one needs to use a combination of these tools to make a
thorough analysis of the funds.
One can make a judgment on the quality of a fund from various ratios such as standard
deviation, Sharpe ratio, beta, Treynor measure, R-squared, alpha, portfolio turnover
ratio, total expense ratio etc.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
A measure of how frequently assets within a fund are bought and sold by the managers.
Portfolio turnover is calculated by taking either the total amount of new securities
purchased or the amount of securities sold - whichever is less - over a particular period,
divided by the total net asset value (NAV) of the fund. The measurement is usually
reported for a 12-month time period.
The portfolio turnover measurement should be considered by an investor before deciding
to purchase a given mutual fund or similar financial instrument. After all, a firm with a
high turnover rate will incur more transaction costs than a fund with a lower rate. Unless
the superior asset selection renders benefits that offset the added transaction costs they
cause, a less active trading posture may generate higher fund returns.
SHARPE RATIO
A ratio developed by Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe to measure risk-adjusted
performance. The Sharpe ratio is calculated by subtracting the risk-free rate - such as that
of the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond - from the rate of return for a portfolio and dividing
the result by the standard deviation of the portfolio returns. The Sharpe ratio formula is:
Page | 65
The Sharpe ratio tells us whether a portfolio's returns are due to smart investment
decisions or a result of excess risk. This measurement is very useful because although
one portfolio or fund can reap higher returns
returns than its peers, it is only a good investment if
those higher returns do not come with too much additional risk. The greater a portfolio's
Sharpe ratio, the better its risk-adjusted
risk adjusted performance has been. A negative Sharpe ratio
indicates that a risk-less
less asset would perform better than the security being analyzed.
TREYNOR RATIO
A ratio developed by Jack Treynor that measures returns earned in excess of that which
could have been earned on a riskless investment per each unit of market risk.
The Treynor ratio is calculated as:
= (Average Return of the Portfolio - Average Return of the Risk-Free
Free Rate) / Beta of the
Portfolio
In other words, the Treynor ratio is a risk-adjusted
risk adjusted measure of return based on systematic
risk. It is similar to the Sharpe ratio,
ratio, with the difference being that the Treynor ratio uses
beta as the measurement of volatility.
JENSEN'S MEASURE
A risk-adjusted
adjusted performance measure that represents the average return on a portfolio
over and above that predicted by the capital asset pricing
pricing model (CAPM), given the
portfolio's beta and the average market return. This is the portfolio's alpha. In fact, the
concept is sometimes referred to as "Jensen's alpha."
Page | 66
If the definition above makes your head spin, don't worry: you aren't alone! This is a very
technical term that has its roots in financial theory.
The basic idea is that to analyze the performance of an investment manager you must
look not only at the overall return of a portfolio, but also at the risk of that portfolio. For
example, if there are two mutual funds that both have a 12% return, a rational investor
will want the fund that is less risky. Jensen's measure is one of the ways to help
determine if a portfolio is earning the proper return for its level of risk. If the value is
positive, then the portfolio is earning excess returns. In other words, a positive value for
Jensen's alpha means a fund manager has "beat the market" with his or her stock picking
skills.
ALPHA (α)
A measure of performance on a risk-adjusted
risk basis. Alpha takes the volatility (price risk)
of a mutual fund and compares its risk-adjusted
adjusted performance to a benchmark index. The
excess return of the fund relative to the return of the benchmark index is a fund's alpha.
A positive alpha of 1.0 means the
th fund has outperformed its benchmark index by 1%.
Correspondingly, a similar negative alpha would indicate an underperformance of 1%.
BETA (β)
A measure of the volatility, or systematic risk, of a security or a portfolio in comparison
to the market as a whole. Beta is used in the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), a model
that calculates the expected return of an asset based on its beta and expected market
returns.
Page | 67
Beta is calculated using regression analysis, and you can think of beta as the tendency of
a security's returns to respond to swings in the market. A beta of 1 indicates that the
security's price will move with the market. A beta of less than 1 means that the security
will be less volatile than the market. A beta of greater than 1 indicates that the security's
price will be more volatile than the market. For example, if a stock's beta is 1.2, it's
theoretically 20% more volatile than the market.
R-SQUARED
R squared is the square of ‘R’ (i.e.; Coefficient of Correlation). It describes the level of
association between the fun’s market volatility and market risk. The value of R- squared
ranges from0 to1. A high R- squared (more than 0.80) indicates that beta can be used as a
reliable measure to analyze the performance of a fund. Beta should be ignored when the
r-squared is low as it indicates that the fund performance is affected by factors other than
the markets.
R-squared values range from 0 to 100. An R-squared of 100 means that all movements of
a security are completely explained by movements in the index. A high R-squared
(between 85 and 100) indicates the fund's performance patterns have been in line with the
index. A fund with a low R-squared (70 or less) doesn't act much like the index.
Table 3.3
For Example
Case 1 Case 2
R2 0.65 0.88
B 1.2 0.9
Page | 68
In the above tableR2 is less than 0.80 in case 1 implies that it would be wrong to mention
that the fund is aggressive on account of high beta. In case 2, the R- squared is more than
0.85 and beta value is 0.9. It means that this fund is less aggressive than the market.
A higher R-squared value will indicate a more useful beta figure. For example, if a fund
has an R-squared value of close to 100 but has a beta below 1, it is most likely offering
higher risk-adjusted returns. A low R-squared means you should ignore the beta.
STANDARD DEVIATION
In simple terms standard deviation is one of the commonly used statistical parameter to
measure risk, which determines the volatility of a fund. Deviation is defined as any
variation from a mean value (upward & downward). Since the markets are volatile, the
returns fluctuate every day. High standard deviation of a fund implies high volatility and
a low standard deviation implies low volatility.
A measure of the total costs associated with managing and operating an investment fund
such as a mutual fund. These costs consist primarily of management fees and
additional expenses such as trading fees, legal fees, auditor fees and other operational
expenses. The total cost of the fund is divided by the fund's total assets to arrive at a
percentage amount, which represents the TER:
Page | 69
3.10 MEASURES FOR DEBT FUNDS
Page | 70
3.11 DEBT OPTIONS
COMMERCIAL PAPER
An unsecured, short-term debt instrument issued by a corporation, typically
for the financing of accounts receivable, inventories and meeting short-term liabilities.
Maturities on commercial paper rarely range any longer than 270 days. The
debt is usually issued at a discount, reflecting prevailing market interest rates.
Commercial paper is not usually backed by any form of collateral, so only firms
with high-quality debt ratings will easily find buyers without having to offer a substantial
discount (higher cost) for the debt issue.
DEBENTURE
Page | 71
CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES
A type of loan issued by a company that can be converted into stock by the holder and,
under certain circumstances, the issuer of the bond. By adding the convertibility option
the issuer pays a lower interest rate on the loan compared to if there was no option to
convert. These instruments are used by companies to obtain the capital they need to grow
or maintain the business.
Convertible debentures are different from convertible bonds because debentures
are unsecured; in the event of bankruptcy the debentures would be paid after other fixed
income holders. The convertible feature is factored into the calculation of the diluted per-
share metrics as if the debentures had been converted. Therefore, a higher share count
reduces metrics such as earnings per share, which is referred to as dilution.
ZERO-COUPON BOND
A debt security that doesn't pay interest (a coupon) but is traded at a deep discount,
rendering profit at maturity when the bond is redeemed for its full face value.
Also known as an "accrual bond".
Some zero-coupon bonds are issued as such, while others are bonds that have
been stripped of their coupons by a financial institution and then repackaged as zero-
coupon bonds. Because they offer the entire payment at maturity, zero-coupon bonds tend
to fluctuate in price much more than coupon bonds.
Page | 72
PASS THROUGH CERTIFICATE
Pass-Through
Through Certificates (PTCs) are instruments that evidence the ownership of two or
more Equipment Trust Certificates.
Certificates In other words, Equipment
pment Trust Certificates may be
bundled into a pass-through
through structure as a means of diversifying the asset pool and/or
increasing the size of the offering. The principal and interest payments on the Equipment
Trust Certificates are "passed through" to certificate holders.
TREASURY BILL
Page | 73
3.11 REGULATION OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIA
The Indian mutual fund industry witnessed robust growth and stricter regulation from
SEBI since 1996. The mobilization of funds and the number of players operating in the
industry reached new heights as investors started showing more interest in mutual funds.
Safeguarding the interest of investors is one of the duties of SEBI. Consequently SEBI
(Mutual Fund) Regulations, 1996 and certain other guidelines have been issued by SEBI
that sets uniform standards for all mutual funds in India.
The mutual fund industry has a trade association called Association of Mutual Funds in
India (AMFI) modeled on the lines of a Self Regulating Organization (SRO) with a view
to 'promoting and protecting the interest of mutual funds and their unit-holders,
increasing public awareness of mutual funds, and serving the investor’s interest by
defining and maintaining high ethical and professional standards in the mutual funds
industry'. AMFI plays an important role in disciplining members and assist the regulatory
authority in protecting investors' interest.
AMFI works through a number of committees, some of which are standing committees to
address areas where there is a need for constant vigil and improvements and other which
are ad-hoc committees constituted to address specific issues. These committees consist
of industry professionals from among the member mutual funds. AMFI has now decided
to become a self-regulatory organization since it has worked very effectively as an
industry body.
At last but not the least association of mutual fund of India also disseminate information
on Mutual Fund Industry and undertakes studies and research either directly or in
association with other bodies.
Page | 74
3.12 PROMOTION OF SIP SCHEME (Systematic Investment Plan)
That means that, every month, you commit to investing, say, Rs 1,000 in your fund. At
the end of a year, you would have invested Rs 12,000 in your fund.
Let's say the NAV on the day you invest in the first month is Rs 20; you will get 50 units.
The next month, the NAV is Rs 25. You will get 40 units.
The following month, the NAV is Rs 18. You will get 55.56 units.
So, after three months, you would have 145.56 units. On an average, you would have
paid around Rs 21 per unit. This is because, when the NAV is high, you get fewer units
per Rs 1,000. When the NAV falls, you get more units per Rs 1,000.
Page | 75
Table3.4
Page | 76
6.2 SIP CASE STUDY
Market hit a high of 5450 in Mar 2000.
Market crashed to lows of 2600.
It took almost 4.5 years for the market to scale back the level of 5400 in Sep
2004.
These investors had started their SIP of Rs. 2000 in Mar 2000 peak. With the decline in
the market they panicked & stopped their SIP in a span of 13 months.
No. of
installments 13
Value in
Scheme Name Investment Mar 01 Returns
ICICI Technology
Fund 26,000 14,944 -67.3%
These investors actually made a loss on their SIPs by stopping it in the downturn.
Page | 77
INVESTOR 2 – SMART INVESTORS (Table 3.6)
These investors had started their SIP of Rs. 2000 in Mar 2000 peak. They continued their
SIP and kept on investing in the SIPs.
No. of installments 55
Value in
Scheme Name Investment Sep 04 Returns
ICICI Technology
Fund 1,10,000 1,74,300 20.5%
These investors have made phenomenal returns even though market has delivered no
return (From 5400 level in Mar 2000 to 5400 level in Sep 2004)
Page | 78
INVESTOR 3 – NEW INVESTORS (Table 3.7)
These investors started their SIP of Rs. 2000 in Mar 2001, 1 year after the fall in the
market
No. of installments 43
Value in Sep
Scheme Name Investment 04 Returns
ICICI Technology
Fund 86,000 1,50,844 33.2%
Investors who have started SIP in lean period have made fantastic returns
Page | 79
6.3 DO WE REALLY NEED TO BE AFRAID WHILE INVESTING IN SIP? (Table 3.8)
Investments of Rs.10000/-
Rs.10000/ becomes Rs.276947/- even after several falls in the NAV
during the period of 13 Years.
And finally, with the current correction, its NAV has fallen by 50% 3 times over the
period of past 14 years.
Even after the current fall, the fund is still delivering a CAGR of 29% widely beating the
index which has given 8.3% returns.
The Absolute returns
urns from the fund even after the current fall are staggering 3529.72%.
Equity investments through Mutual Funds deliver 15-20%
15 20% of returns over Long term.
Bull and bear market cycles are nature of Equity markets and are going to continue in
future also.
Page | 80
Page | 81
CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS
AND
INTERPRETATION
Page | 82
PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS (Table 4.1)
Gender Male 75
Female 25
Age <30 Years 25
30-40 Years 28
40-50 Years 15
50-60 Years 20
>60 Years 12
Occupation Service 60
Business 10
Student 15
Professional 5
Retired 10
Income Level <2 Lakhs 20
2-5 Lakhs 60
5-8 Lakhs 13
8-12 Lakhs 5
>12 Lakhs 2
Savings Yearly 5% 36
5%-10% 24
10%-15% 26
15%-20% 11
>20% 3
Education <=8 Standards 5
<=12 Standards 15
Graduate 55
Post Graduate 20
Doctorate & Others 5
Marital Status Married 65
Single 35
Page | 83
What is your primary objective for your investment? (Table 4.2)
Tax Benefit 15
Aggressive Growth 15
Conservative Growth 10
Primary Objective for
Growth and Income 35 Investment
Regular Income 15
Preservation of Principal 10
0 10 20 30 40
15% investors are more interested in tax benefit in their primary objective for investment
15% investors look for aggressive growth in their primary objective for investment
10% investors look for conservative growth in their primary objective for investment
35% investors look for growth & income both in their primary
primary objective for investment
15% investors look for regular income in their primary objective for investment
10% investors look for preservation of principal in their primary objective for investment
So the majority of respondents look for growth & income
me as a primary objective for
investment.
Page | 84
Do you know about the Mutual Funds? (Table 4.3)
Knowledge about MF
33
Yes
No
67
Page | 85
Do you know that mutual fund is related to share market? (Table 4.4)
50
45
40 30
35
30 20
25 Relationship between MF
20 & Stock Exchange
15
10
5
0
Yes No Dont Know
50% investors have knowledge about the relationship of MFs & Stock Exchange
30% investors don’t have knowledge about the relationship of MFs & Stock Exchange
20% investors ticked no idea.
So the majorityy of respondents know about the relationship of MFs & Stock Exchange
Page | 86
Have you ever invested in mutual fund? (Table 4.5)
30
Yes
no
70
Page | 87
If no: What is (are) the reason? (Table 4.6)
Page | 88
If yes, which company/companies? (Table 4.7)
Which MF company
Others 12
Tata mutual fund 10
Kotak Mahindra 8
SBI M.F. 8
UTI mutual fund 6
LIC mutual fund 5
Sundaram Finance Which MF company
2
ICICI M.F. 3
Birla sun life 6
Reliance M.F 30
Franklin Templeton 10
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Page | 89
10% investors invested in Franklin Templeton
30% investors invested in Reliance Mutual Fund
6% investors invested in Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund
3% investors invested in ICICI Mutual Fund
2% investors invested in Sundaram Finance Mutual Fund
5% investors invested in LIC Mutual Fund
6% investors invested in UTI Mutual Fund
8% investors invested in SBI Mutual Fund
8% investors invested in Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund
10% investors invested in TATA Mutual Fund
12% investors invested in Other Mutual Funds
Page | 90
If Reliance Mutual
al Fund; what are the reasons? (Table 4.8)
45
20
15 10 10
Page | 91
Why do you prefer investment in mutual fund to other investment avenue? (Table 4.9)
12 20
25
25
18
Page | 92
Which are the primary sources of your knowledge about Mutual Funds as an investment
option? Corresponding to your choices how would you rate their influence on your final
Mutual Fund purchase decision? (Table 4.10)
Table-1 is clearly showing that friends & relatives have greater impact on the decision of
investment after that financial advisors & CA make the difference in investment decision.
Hence it is concluded that the majority of the respondents prefer suggestions from
friends/relatives while selecting any investment in mutual funds.
Page | 93
How do you prioritize the reason for investment? (Table 4.11)
Table-2 clearly portrays ranking for the reasons for investment by respondents. Majority of
respondents prioritize their investment according to the returns of investment avenues then
after the second reason behind the investment is future outlook about the needs & wants of
individual.
Page | 94
Rank the various investments that you would invest your sum in? (Table 4.12)
Table-3 is clearly showing ranking for the various investment avenues. Majority of
respondents prefer fixed deposits as the most preferred investment avenue because of the less
risk & more security in nationalized banks and the second most preferred avenue is post office
schemes.
Page | 95
What factors affect your decision for investment in Mutual Fund? (Table 4.13)
Table-4 shows that ranking for the factors affect the decision for investment in mutual
fund. Majority of respondents see fund performance as the first & foremost factor while
investing in mutual fund.
Page | 96
What kind of investment schemes you prefer in Mutual Fund? (Table 4.14)
MF Schemes Preference
60 51
50
40
30 17
20 10 12 10
10
0
MF Schemes Preference
Page | 97
(Table 4.15): what is your Primary objective? *Age Cross-tab
S.No. What is your primary <30 30- 40- 50- >60years Total
objective for your years 40years 50years 60years
investment?/ Age
1. Preservation of Principal 10.0% 10.0%
2 Regular Income 15.0% 15.0%
3. Growth and Income 28.0% 7.0% 35.0%
4. Conservative Growth 8.0% 2.0% 10.0%
5. Aggressive Growth 15.0% 15.0%
6. Tax Benefit 3.0% 12.0% 15.0%
Total 25.0% 28.0% 15.0% 20.0% 12.0% 100.0%
Interpretation-
35% respondents prefer Growth & Income option and that group belong to the age group
of 30-40 years.
25% respondents belong to the age group of less than 30 years and those respondents
prefer two kind of objective in their investment i.e. preservation of principle and regular income.
(Table 4.16): What is your primary objective for your investment? * Occupation Cross-tab
S.No. What is your primary Service Business Student Professional Retired Total
objective for your
investment ?/
Occupation
1. Preservation of 10.0% 10.0%
Principal
2. Regular Income 15.0% 15.0%
3. Growth and Income 35.0% 35.0%
4. Conservative Growth 10.0% 10.0%
5. Aggressive Growth 15.0% 15.0%
6. Tax Benefit 5.0% 10.0% 15.0%
Total 60.0% 10.0% 15.0% 5.0% 10.0% 100.0%
Page | 98
Interpretation-
35% respondents prefer growth & income as their primary objective of investment and
that falls under service sector based respondents.
Service sector based respondents prefer only preservation of principle, regular income
and growth & income as their primary objective for their investment.
(Table 4.17): What is your primary objective for your investment? * Income level Cross-
tab
Interpretation-
60% of the investment comes from the 2-5 lakhs per annum income level group of respondents.
These respondents prefer regular income, growth & income, conservative growth and also
aggressive growth as their primary objective for investment.
Page | 99
(Table 4.18): What is your primary objective for your investment? * Marital Status
Cross-tab
S.No. What is your primary objective for your Single Married Total
investment ?/ Marital Status
Interpretation-
65% respondents are married and they prefer growth & income, conservative growth, aggressive
growth and tax benefits also as their primary objective for investment.
(Table 4.19): Do you know about the Mutual Funds? * Age Cross-tab
S.No. Do you know about the <30 30- 40- 50- >60years Total
Mutual Funds?/ Age years 40years 50years 60years
Interpretation-
67% of respondents are not aware about the mutual funds, functioning of it and the benefits of it.
Most of them fall under the 30-40 years and in this age group out of 28% respondents 20% are
not aware about mutual fund’s benefits.
Page | 100
(Table 4.20): Do you know about the Mutual Funds? * Occupation Cross-tab
S.No. Do you know about the Service Business Student Professional Retired Total
Mutual Funds?/
Occupation
1. Yes 33.0% 33.0%
2 No 27.0% 10.0% 15.0% 5.0% 10.0% 67.0%
Total 60.0% 10.0% 15.0% 5.0% 10.0% 100.0%
Interpretation-
Out of 60% service sector based respondents 27% respondents are not aware about the mutual
funds, functioning of it and the benefits of it.
(Table 4.21): Do you know about the Mutual Funds? * Income level Cross-tab
S.No. Do you know about the <2 Lacs 2-5Lacs 5-8Lacs 8-12 >12Lacs Total
Mutual Funds? / Income Lacs
level
1. Yes 20.0% 13.0% 33.0%
2. No 47.0% 13.0% 5.0% 2.0% 67.0%
Total 20.0% 60.0% 13.0% 5.0% 2.0% 100.0%
Interpretation-
Out of 60% 2-5 lakhs per annum income level respondents 47% respondents are not aware about
the mutual funds, functioning of it and the benefits of it.
Page | 101
(Table 4.22): Have you ever invested in mutual fund? * Age Cross-tab
S.No. Have you ever invested <30 30- 40- 50- >60years Total
in mutual fund?/ Age years 40years 50years 60years
Interpretation-
Young generation is quick in response and investing in mutual fund in very early age as they get
a job but the main age group of 30-40 years, out of 28% respondents 23% respondents never
invested their money in mutual fund.
(Table 4.23): Have you ever invested in mutual fund? * Occupation Cross-tab
S.No. Have you ever Service Business Student Professional Retired Total
invested in mutual
fund?/ Occupation
Interpretation-
Service sector based respondents; out of 60% respondents 30% respondents never invested their
money in mutual fund.
Page | 102
(Table 4.24): Have you ever invested in mutual fund? * Income level Cross-tab
S.No. Have you ever invested <2 Lacs 2-5Lacs 5-8Lacs 8- >12Lacs Total
in mutual fund?/ Income 12Lacs
level
Interpretation-
In the 2-5 Lakhs per annum income level group; Out of 60% respondents 50% respondents never
invested their money in mutual fund.
S.No. If no: What is/are the <30 30- 40- 50- >60years Total
reason?/ Age years 40years 50years 60years
Interpretation-
The main age group 30-40 years say that lack of knowledge about mutual fund and its benefits is
the main reason of not to invest in mutual fund. Lack of the knowledge is the most important
reason of not to invest in mutual fund.
Page | 103
(Table 4.26): If no: What is/are the reason? * Occupation Cross-tab
S.No. If no: What is/are the Service Business Student Professional Retired Total
reason?/ Occupation
1. Never Thought about 5.0% 5.0%
it
2. Lack of Knowledge 45.0% 45.0%
3. Risky 10.0% 10.0% 15.0% 35.0%
4. Do not have enough 5.0% 10.0% 15.0%
savings
Total 60.0% 10.0% 15.0% 5.0% 10.0% 100.0%
Interpretation-
The main group of service sector based respondents also believe that lack of knowledge about
mutual fund and its benefits is the main reason of not to invest in mutual fund. Lack of the
knowledge is the most important reason of not to invest in mutual fund.
(Table 4.27): If no: What is/are the reason? * Income level Cross-tab
Interpretation-
The main group of 2-5 lakhs per annum income level respondents also believe that lack of
knowledge about mutual fund and its benefits & risk involved in mutual funds are the main
reason of not to invest in mutual fund. Lack of the knowledge and Risk associated with mutual
fund are the most important reason of not to invest in mutual fund.
Page | 104
(Table 4.28): If invested in Reliance Mutual Fund; what are the reasons?
* Occupation Cross-tab
Interpretation-
The main service based respondents believe brand name is the most important factor/reason to
invest in RMF but the second most important reason to invest in RMF is varieties of product
provided by RMF.
Page | 105
Interpretation-
The main 2-5 lakhs per annum income level respondents believe past performance of the fund is
the most important factor/reason to invest in RMF but the second most important reason to invest
in RMF is varieties of product provided by RMF.
(Table 4.30): Why do you prefer investment in mutual fund to other investment avenue? *
Occupation Cross-tab
S.No. Why do you prefer Service Business Student Professional Retired Total
investment in mutual
fund to other
investment avenue? /
Occupation
1. Lack of expertise in 20.0% 20%
stock market
2. Better return over a 25.0% 25%
long period of time
3. Liquidity 15.0% 3.0% 18%
4. Tax efficiency 7.0% 15.0% 3.0% 25%
5. Transparency 2.0% 10.0% 12%
Total 60.0% 10.0% 15.0% 5.0% 10.0% 100%
Interpretation-
The main reason to invest in mutual fund are lack of expertise in stock market, better returns
over a long period of time and liquidity believed by the service sector based respondents.
Page | 106
(Table 4.31): What kind of investment schemes you prefer in Mutual Fund? * Occupation
Cross-tab
Interpretation-
Service sector based respondents prefer growth schemes. Businessmen prefer ELSS schemes.
Page | 107
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY
OF
FINDINGS,
SUGGESTIONS
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Page | 108
GENERAL FINDINGS
Financial advisors know less about benefits of MF and its business. They are not much
able to tell the investors about the potential earning in MF business.
Investors of younger age invest generally in equity funds whereas older age investors
invest in debt funds.
Investing through MF is best way for capital appreciation within protection in
comparison to investing directly in equity market and other investment avenues.
Some schemes of each AMC perform well which have a good Fund Manager and well
designed Portfolio.
SPECIFIC FINDINGS
Majority of respondents look for growth & income as a primary objective for investment.
Majority of respondents don’t know about MFs.
Majority of respondents know about the relationship of MFs & Stock Exchange.
Majority of respondents never invested in MFs.
Majority of respondents have very less knowledge about MFs.
Majority of respondents have invested in Reliance Mutual Fund.
Majority of respondents believe that Past Performance is the main & the most important
reason to invest in Reliance MF.
Majority of respondents prefer MF because of Better returns over a long period of time &
its Tax efficiency.
Majority of the respondents prefer suggestions from friends/relatives while selecting any
investment in mutual funds.
Majority of respondents prioritize their investment according to the returns of investment
avenues.
Majority of respondents prefer fixed deposits as the most preferred investment avenue
because of the less risk & more security in nationalized banks.
Page | 109
Majority of respondents see fund performance as the first & foremost factor while
investing in mutual fund.
Majority of respondents prefer growth schemes.
Customer education of the salaried class individuals is far below standard. Thus Asset
Management Company’s need to create awareness so that the salaried class people
become the prospective customer of the future.
Early and mid earners bring most of the business for the Asset Management Company’s.
Asset Management Company’s thus needed to educate and develop schemes for the
person’s who are at the late earning or retirement stage to gain the market share.
Return’s record must be focused by the sales executives while explaining the schemes to
the customer. Pointing out the brand name of the company repeatedly may not too
fruitful.
The target market of salaried class individual has a lot of scope to gain business, as they
are more fascinated to Mutual Funds than the self employed.
Schemes with high equity level need to be targeted towards self employed and
professionals as they require high returns and are ready to bear risk.
Salary class individuals are risk averse and thus they must be assured of the advantage of
“risk – diversification” in Mutual Funds.
There should be given more time & concentration on the Tier-3 distributors.
The resolution of the queries should be fast enough to satisfy the distributors
Time to time presentation/training classes about the products should be there.
There should be more number of Relationship Managers (RM) in different regions
because one RM can handle a maximum of 100 distributors efficiently and also to cover
untapped market.
Regular activities like canopy should be done so as to get more interaction with the
distributors.
Page | 110
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
Page | 111
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Page | 112
PRIME REFFERENCE
OTHER WEBSITES
www.ici.org
www.google.co.in
www.amfiindia.com
www.books.global-investor.com
www.moneycontrol.com
www.nseindia.com
www.jmfinancial.com
www.valueresearchonline.com
www.bseindia.com
www.rbi.org.in
www.economictimes.indiatimes.com
www.yahoofinance.com
www.mutualfundsindia.com
www.investopedia.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.thehindu.com
www.indiastudychannel.com
www.oppapers.com
www.sebi.gov.in
www.managemetparadise.com
www.scribd.com
www.ssrn.com
www.citehr.com
Page | 113
Questionnaire
1. Name :
Yes No
If no:
13.What is/are the reason?
Sundaram Finance LIC mutual fund UTI mutual fund SBI M.F.
16. Why do you prefer investment in mutual fund to other investment avenue?
Lack of expertise in stock market Better return over a long period of time
17. Which are the primary sources of your knowledge about Mutual Funds as an investment option?
Corresponding to your choices how would you rate their influence on your final Mutual Fund purchase
decision? Please rank them on a scale of 1-5 with 1 representing minimal influence and 5 representing
Strong influence.
19. Rank the various investments that you would invest your sum in
20. What factors affect your decision for investment in Mutual Fund?