This ones huge and one of the best. Reliance Growth is the largest fund in its category. Yet, this big size hasnt stopped fund manager Sunil Singhania from earning it the top performers position as well. The funds five-year annualised returns are its categorys highest. Since 2001, it has beaten the category average every single year. The fund manager has managed to achieve all this by chasing growthoriented companies. He likes to stay invested for longer periods and doesnt adhere to quick exits. Some of his all-time favourites have been Jindal Steel & Power, Reliance Industries Ltd, Divis Laboratory and State Bank of India. On sectors, his top picks are financial Services, metals and energy. This preference for metals, along with aggressive cash calls, exposure to derivatives and a high amount of diversification, is what helped the fund stay afloat in 2008. Big ships can sink fast, but Reliance Growth didnt. Its able captain managed to restrict its fall to 54 per cent (category average, minus 60 per cent). No sector, apart from metals, accounted for more than 10 per cent of the portfolio in 2008.Between April and December 2009, large-caps accounted an average of 43 per cent (category average, 22 per cent). Despite the cautious approach, the fund did earn 12 per cent more than the category in 2009. The funds big asset base has been managed well by Singhania. Allocation to a single stock has rarely crossed five per cent. All said and done, the fund has enough credentials to be the core holding of any portfolio.
