Mutual funds are back with a bang! Pick up any newspaper and you are bound to come across a mutual fund related write-up or advertisement. Given the surge in equity markets, the performance of mutual funds has started looking up. And fund houses are sparing no effort (explicit or implicit) to spread the gospel of mutual funds. There are articles eulogising the impressive showing delivered by mutual funds in the recent past; also, the fact that the mutual fund industry now holds a record assets under management (AUM) size has been well-documented. Fund managers are busy giving out interviews highlighting how mutual funds will hold investors in good stead over the long-term. Dividends are being declared in a hurry by several funds to prove their prowess. Finally, some new fund offers (NFOs) have already been launched (more on this later in the article) and several others are on the way. All in all, it can be safely stated that mutual funds are back with a bang!
Circa October 2008
Not too long ago (October 2008 to be precise), the scenario was radically different. Equity funds had been hit hard by the sharp decline in equity markets; even 3-Yr performance numbers were in negative territory. Debt offerings like fixed maturity plans (FMPs) and liquid/liquid plus funds had come under the scanner on account of the liquidity crisis; questions were being raised about the quality of investments made by several funds. Simply put, mutual funds had become everyone's favourite 'whipping boys'. While all the criticism may not have been justified, some of it certainly was.
Interestingly, the response of fund houses to the demanding situation was rather curious. Most fund houses went into a 'silent' mode and simply chose not to react. When relationship managers were contacted for information about their funds, the standard response was, "everything is fine; there is nothing to worry about". Requests for one-on-one interviews with fund managers were either instantly turned down on the grounds that the fund manager was busy or stalled with the excuse - "we'll get back to you on this one". While some fund houses/fund managers were willing to go on record about the nature and quality of their fund portfolios, they were strictly in a minority.
Odd isn't it. In a time of crisis, fund houses, instead of communicating with investors to assuage their concerns, chose to go into hiding. And now, when the going is good, fund houses are acting like 10-yr old over-energetic blabbermouths who can't keep mum. That tells you something about fund houses, doesn't it?
As for the NFOs, at any sign of rising markets and a revival in investor interest, they make a comeback. Already, we have had a round of the 'target return' NFOs. Simply put, these are funds wherein there is an inbuilt clause for booking profits when a certain return (as specified by the investor) is clocked. In most cases, the profits are booked and invested in a debt fund from the same fund house. For investors who were ruing the fact that they didn't book profits when markets peaked in January 2008, only to see the value of their investments plummet subsequently, these NFOs struck a chord.
Here's a thought - is it prudent for mutual funds to book profits for investors or is that something investors should be independently dealing with after taking into account factors like their individual financial goals, the investment scenario and the performance of their investment portfolio as a whole. Also, let's not forget that regularly 'booking profits' for every individual investor at a fund level, just might force the fund manager to prematurely sell some quality stocks from his portfolio. This in turn, could be detrimental to the long-term interests of the fund.
But given the receptiveness shown by investors, fund houses were only more than happy to launch a slew of 'target return' funds. Some introduced the facility to book profits in their existing funds. Of course, the fact that even after booking profits, (on account of transfer of profits booked into a debt fund) there is no fall in the AUM of the fund house doesn't hurt the latter's cause. Rest assured, with the markets moving northwards at a brisk pace, it's only a matter of time before a number of NFOs hit the markets.
What investors must do
Given that fund houses have failed to distinguish themselves, it is fair to state that investors would do well not to blindly follow them while making investment decisions. Going forward, fund houses will try to entice investors by making them believe that all is hunky dory and now is the time to get invested lock, stock and barrel. Can't blame them, it's the AUM that translates into income for them. Hence, higher the AUM i.e. more investments made by investors, the better it is for fund houses.
On the other hand, investors need to be a lot more pragmatic. They should not get carried away by all the hype being whipped up by fund houses. Instead, they should use the downturn and despondency that they witnessed and experienced not too long ago, to make a fair evaluation of their risk-taking ability. This can help them determine what portion of the investment portfolio should be allocated to mutual funds. While no one would dispute the ability of well-managed mutual funds to add value to investors' portfolios, there is certainly a need to guard against making investments in a reckless manner.
Circa October 2008
Not too long ago (October 2008 to be precise), the scenario was radically different. Equity funds had been hit hard by the sharp decline in equity markets; even 3-Yr performance numbers were in negative territory. Debt offerings like fixed maturity plans (FMPs) and liquid/liquid plus funds had come under the scanner on account of the liquidity crisis; questions were being raised about the quality of investments made by several funds. Simply put, mutual funds had become everyone's favourite 'whipping boys'. While all the criticism may not have been justified, some of it certainly was.
Interestingly, the response of fund houses to the demanding situation was rather curious. Most fund houses went into a 'silent' mode and simply chose not to react. When relationship managers were contacted for information about their funds, the standard response was, "everything is fine; there is nothing to worry about". Requests for one-on-one interviews with fund managers were either instantly turned down on the grounds that the fund manager was busy or stalled with the excuse - "we'll get back to you on this one". While some fund houses/fund managers were willing to go on record about the nature and quality of their fund portfolios, they were strictly in a minority.
Odd isn't it. In a time of crisis, fund houses, instead of communicating with investors to assuage their concerns, chose to go into hiding. And now, when the going is good, fund houses are acting like 10-yr old over-energetic blabbermouths who can't keep mum. That tells you something about fund houses, doesn't it?
As for the NFOs, at any sign of rising markets and a revival in investor interest, they make a comeback. Already, we have had a round of the 'target return' NFOs. Simply put, these are funds wherein there is an inbuilt clause for booking profits when a certain return (as specified by the investor) is clocked. In most cases, the profits are booked and invested in a debt fund from the same fund house. For investors who were ruing the fact that they didn't book profits when markets peaked in January 2008, only to see the value of their investments plummet subsequently, these NFOs struck a chord.
Here's a thought - is it prudent for mutual funds to book profits for investors or is that something investors should be independently dealing with after taking into account factors like their individual financial goals, the investment scenario and the performance of their investment portfolio as a whole. Also, let's not forget that regularly 'booking profits' for every individual investor at a fund level, just might force the fund manager to prematurely sell some quality stocks from his portfolio. This in turn, could be detrimental to the long-term interests of the fund.
But given the receptiveness shown by investors, fund houses were only more than happy to launch a slew of 'target return' funds. Some introduced the facility to book profits in their existing funds. Of course, the fact that even after booking profits, (on account of transfer of profits booked into a debt fund) there is no fall in the AUM of the fund house doesn't hurt the latter's cause. Rest assured, with the markets moving northwards at a brisk pace, it's only a matter of time before a number of NFOs hit the markets.
What investors must do
Given that fund houses have failed to distinguish themselves, it is fair to state that investors would do well not to blindly follow them while making investment decisions. Going forward, fund houses will try to entice investors by making them believe that all is hunky dory and now is the time to get invested lock, stock and barrel. Can't blame them, it's the AUM that translates into income for them. Hence, higher the AUM i.e. more investments made by investors, the better it is for fund houses.
On the other hand, investors need to be a lot more pragmatic. They should not get carried away by all the hype being whipped up by fund houses. Instead, they should use the downturn and despondency that they witnessed and experienced not too long ago, to make a fair evaluation of their risk-taking ability. This can help them determine what portion of the investment portfolio should be allocated to mutual funds. While no one would dispute the ability of well-managed mutual funds to add value to investors' portfolios, there is certainly a need to guard against making investments in a reckless manner.
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