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A mutual fund is a trust. It pools money from like-minded shareholders and invests in diversified portfolio of securities, through various schemes that address different needs of investors. The pool of money thus collected is then invested by the Asset Management Company (AMC) in different types of securities. These could include shares, debentures, convertibles, bonds, money market instruments or other securities, based on the investment objective of a particular scheme. Such objective is clearly laid down in the offer document for that scheme. The fund adds value to the investment in two ways: income earned and any capital appreciation realised through sale. This is shared by unit holders in proportion to the number of units they own.
An AMC is involved in the daily administration and also acts as investment advisor for the fund. An asset management company is promoted by a sponsor which usually is a reputed corporate entity with sound record of profits. An AMC typically has three departments:
Mutual fund schemes can be classified as follows:
By Structure
An Open-end Fund is one that is available for subscription all through the year. These do not have a fixed maturity. Investors can conveniently buy and sell units at Net Asset Value (“NAV”) related prices.
A Close-ended Fund has a stipulated maturity period which generally ranges from 3 to 15 years. The fund is open for subscription only during a specified period. Investors can invest in the scheme at the time of the initial public issue and thereafter they can buy or sell the units of the scheme on the Stock Exchanges where they are listed.
By Investment Objective
Other Schemes
Open ended funds can issue and redeem units any time during the life of the scheme. Close ended funds cannot issue new units except through a bonus or rights issue. Hence, unit capital of open ended funds can fluctuate daily. Further, new investors to an open ended fund can join the scheme by directly applying to the mutual fund at applicable Net Asset Value-related prices. In the case of close ended schemes, new investors can buy units only from the secondary market.
It is a document which an open-end fund, or newly issued closed-end fund, is required to provide to investors. Funds say that investors should read it carefully before investing or sending money. A prospectus contains descriptions of:
The net asset value (NAV) is the market value of the fund’s underlying securities. It is calculated at the end of the trading day. Any open-end fund buy or sell order received on that day is traded based on the net asset value calculated at the end of the day. The NAV per units is such Net Asset Value divided by the number of outstanding units.
NAV | = | Market Value of Assets – Liabilities |
Units Outstanding |
A mutual fund may receive dividend or interest income from the securities it owns; it is required to pay out this income to its investors. Most open-end funds offer an option to purchase additional shares with the dividends. Dividends are often made monthly or quarterly, though many funds make distributions only yearly.
No stock market related investments can be termed safe with certainty; they are inherently risky. However, different funds have different risk profile, which is stated in its objective. Funds which categorize themselves as low risk, invest generally in debt which is less risky than equity. Anyway, as mutual funds have access to services of expert fund managers, they are always safer than direct investment in the stock markets.
Equity Funds are open to market risk i.e. there is a possibility that the price of the stocks in which the Fund has invested may decrease. Of course, the prices may also go up, making it possible for the Fund to earn profits.
Debts Funds are open to two main risks – Credit Risk and Interest Rate Risk. Credit Risk refers to the possibility that the company that has issued the bond or debenture in which the Fund has invested may default on interest or on principal payments. Debt Fund managers take care of this by investing in bonds which have good credit rating.
Interest Rate Risk refers to the possibility that the price of the bond in which the Fund has invested may go down because of an increase in the interest rates in the economy. In general, it is useful to remember that this is a “see-saw” relationship – bond prices (and therefore, NAV) goes up when interest rates drop and drops when interest rates rise.
Some mutual funds have floated “assured” return schemes that guarantee a certain annual return. At present, there are very few funds who assure returns as they have realized that it is not possible to assure returns in a volatile market.
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