MUTUAL FUND

A mutual fund is an investment vehicle made up of a pool of moneys collected from many investors for the purpose of investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments and other assets. Mutual funds are operated by professional money managers, who allocate the fund's investments and attempt to produce capital gains and/orincome for the fund's investors. A mutual fund's portfolio is structured and maintained to match the investment objectives stated in its prospectus.

Let's explain this term in a very simple way. Let's assume that you as an investor have no idea of shares and stocks. You need professional help and expertise. All you have to do is invest in a mutual fund scheme. A mutual fund scheme collects money from investors and buys and sell stocks collectively.
Let's give you an example 
                                    Say, there is a Mutual Fund Scheme called Super Returns Mutual Fund, launched by Super Returns Asset Management Company. What this fund does it comes out with a new offer of a scheme called Super Return Mid Cap Scheme. When it gathers say Rs 100 crores, it invests the money gathered from several investors into the stock markets. If the scheme is an equity scheme it would invest most of its money in shares, while if it was a debt scheme it would invest the same in debt like government securities, bonds etc. Now, the fund will offer you units at Rs 10 initially. You buy one unit at Rs 10. Say, you buy 1000 units at Rs 10 and you pay a sum of Rs 10,000. One year down the line the stocks invested by the Super Return Mid Cap Fund rise and net asset value climbs to Rs 12. You can now sell the units back to the mutual fund at Rs 12 and you would get Rs 12,000 for your 1000 units.

Types of Mutual Funds based on structure

• Open-Ended Funds: These are funds in which units are open for purchase or redemption through the year. All purchases/redemption of these fund units are done at prevailing NAVs. Basically these funds will allow investors to keep invest as long as they want. There are no limits on how much can be invested in the fund. They also tend to be actively managed which means that there is a fund manager who picks the places where investments will be made. These funds also charge a fee which can be higher than passively managed funds because of the active management. THey are an ideal investment for those who want investment along with liquidity because they are not bound to any specific maturity periods. Which means that investors can withdraw their funds at any time they want thus giving them the liquidity they need.
• Close-Ended Funds: These are funds in which units can be purchased only during the initial offer period. Units can be redeemed at a specified maturity date. To provide for liquidity, these schemes are often listed for trade on a stock exchange. Unlike open ended mutual funds, once the units or stocks are bought, they cannot be sold back to the mutual fund, instead they need to be sold through the stock market at the prevailing price of the shares.
• Interval Funds: These are funds that have the features of open-ended and close-ended funds in that they are opened for repurchase of shares at different intervals during the fund tenure. The fund management company offers to repurchase units from existing unitholders during these intervals. If unitholders wish to they can offload shares in favour of the fund.

  Types of Mutual Funds based on asset class:-

  • Equity Funds: These are funds that invest in equity stocks/shares of companies. These are considered high-risk funds but also tend to provide high returns. Equity funds can include specialty funds like infrastructure, fast moving consumer goods and banking to name a few. THey are linked to the markets and tend to
  • Debt Funds: These are funds that invest in debt instruments e.g. company debentures, government bonds and other fixed income assets. They are considered safe investments and provide fixed returns. These funds do not deduct tax at source so if the earning from the investment is more than Rs. 10,000 then the investor is liable to pay the tax on it himself.
  • Money Market Funds: These are funds that invest in liquid instruments e.g. T-Bills, CPs etc. They are considered safe investments for those looking to park surplus funds for immediate but moderate returns. Money markets are also referred to as cash markets and come with risks in terms of interest risk, reinvestment risk and credit risks.
  • Balanced or Hybrid Funds: These are funds that invest in a mix of asset classes. In some cases, the proportion of equity is higher than debt while in others it is the other way round. Risk and returns are balanced out this way. An example of a hybrid fund would be Franklin India Balanced Fund-DP (G) because in this fund, 65% to 80% of the investment is made in equities and the remaining 20% to 35% is invested in the debt market. This is so because the debt markets offer a lower risk than the equity market.