Skip to main content

Track performance make the best use of Mutual Fund Investment

 

A SIGNIFICANT part of the mutual fund investment process involves tracking the performance of the various funds. In many cases, apart from the funds where the investment has taken place, it is also necessary to track how some other funds are doing because they might represent future investment choice for the investor.

This will help the investor to keep a close watch on their investment portfolio and will also throw up areas where some changes need to be made. While tracking the fund performance, there is a need to keep the following factors in mind.

Time period: The time period after which the fund performance is tracked has an impact on the effectiveness of the entire process. A daily tracking of the situation might not help because over a period of time this will lead to a situation where the overall position looks confusing because there will be short-term movements in either direction. On the other hand, if a fund is taken into the portfolio and then forgotten, then this will also not be a very good sign. It can lead to a position where significant changes might not come to attention. This is the reason why there has to be a reasonable time gap after which the performance can be tracked. A period of one month or even three months is the generally adopted time when such an activity is undertaken.

Areas to track: The time decided for the purpose of tracking will lead to another question which is the area that has to be tracked.

This point will answer several questions and, hence, deciding on this issue is a very important thing for the individual. One of the things that have to be tracked is the kind of gains or losses that are running up in the investment. This depends upon the time of investment and the manner in which the fund has been performing after the investment. This will not give a complete picture so something more is required. When it comes to mutual funds then it can be the portfolio of the fund or other indicators like ratios that measure risk so that it presents a better picture for the investor.

Availability of details: Another thing that has to be kept in mind is that the tracking has to have synchronisation with the availability of new details emerging from the mutual fund. This is the only way in which the tracking can be made effective as there will be new information that can be processed and hence acted upon where necessary. For example, it makes no sense to keep

looking at the portfolio of the fund on a weekly basis when the fund is actually releasing the changes in portfolio on the monthly basis. If the weekly tracking is done then no change will be visible for a lot of weeks and then nothing needs to be reviewed.


Other details: It is not just the portfolio and the changes in the value of the fund that actually need tracking because there are a lot of the other areas that might be important for the individual.


This happens as other conditions related to the fund like the manner of charging of the exit load or even the period when there is a lock in on the fund can have changed.

When this happens then the consequent decisions of the individual will also change and looking at these areas is essential to keep things in proper balance while making various decisions. Apart from all this it is also vital that all the information gathered is then acted upon.
 

Popular posts from this blog

All about "Derivatives"

What are derivatives? Derivatives are financial instruments, which as the name suggests, derive their value from another asset — called the underlying. What are the typical underlying assets? Any asset, whose price is dynamic, probably has a derivative contract today. The most popular ones being stocks, indices, precious metals, commodities, agro products, currencies, etc. Why were they invented? In an increasingly dynamic world, prices of virtually all assets keep changing, thereby exposing participants to price risks. Hence, derivatives were invented to negate these price fluctuations. For example, a wheat farmer expects to sell his crop at the current price of Rs 10/kg and make profits of Rs 2/kg. But, by the time his crop is ready, the price of wheat may have gone down to Rs 5/kg, making him sell his crop at a loss of Rs 3/kg. In order to avoid this, he may enter into a forward contract, agreeing to sell wheat at Rs 10/ kg, right at the outset. So, even if the price of wheat falls ...

Zero Coupon Bonds or discount bond or deep discount bond

A ZERO-COUPON bond (also called a discount bond or deep discount bond ) is a bond bought at a price lower than its face value with the face value repaid at the time of maturity.   There is no coupon or interim payments, hence the term zero-coupon bond. Investors earn return from the compounded interest all paid at maturity plus the difference between the discounted price of the bond and its par (or redemption) value. In contrast, an investor who has a regular bond receives income from coupon payments, which are usually made semi-annually. The investor also receives the principal or face value of the investment when the bond matures. Zero-coupon bonds may be long or short-term investments.   Long term zero coupon maturity dates typically start at 10 years. The bonds can be held until maturity or sold on secondary bond markets.

SBI bonds FAQ

  Maximum retail subscription and over – subscription There is a lot of excitement around these bonds, so I won't be surprised if they get over-subscribed on the first day itself. So, I thought Sameer asked a very good question about over-subscription. Here is that discussion. Here are some other questions that you may find useful. Can I trade the SBI bonds on NSE after it lists? Yes, these can be traded after listing. Where can I get the application forms, and can I buy the bonds online? You can get the application from notified branches, and then fill it up there and submit it. To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to invest in them online, but if anyone knows otherwise then please leave a message, and let us know. Can NRIs apply for these bonds? NRIs can't apply for these bonds as they fall under one of the ineligible categories. Can you take a loan by keeping the SBI bonds as security? The terms of the issue in the prospectus state that the bank shall no...

ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund

 ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund scheme seeks to generate long-term capital appreciation and current income by investing in a portfolio that is investing in equities and related securities as well as fixed income and money market securities. The approximate allocation to equity would be in the range of 60-80 per cent with a minimum of 51 per cent, and the approximate debt allocation is 40-49 per cent, with a minimum of 20 per cent. An impressive show in the last couple of years has propelled this fund from a three-star to a four-star rating. The fund has traditionally featured a high equity allocation, hovering at well over 70 per cent, which is higher than the allocations of the peers. But in the last one year, the allocation has been moderated from 78-79 per cent levels to 66-67 per cent of the portfolio. ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund appears to practise some degree of tactical allocation based on market valuations. Within equities, well over two-thirds of the allocation is parked i...

Principal Emerging Bluechip

In its near ten year history, this fund has managed to consistently beat its benchmark by huge margins The primary aim of Principal Emerging Bluechip fund is to achieve long term capital appreciation by investing in equity and related instruments of mid and small-cap companies. In its near ten year history, this fund has managed to consistently beat its benchmark by huge margins. This fund defined the mid-cap universe as stocks with the market capitalisation that falls within the range of the Nifty Midcap Index. But, it can pick stocks from outside this index and also into IPOs where the market capitalisation falls into this range. Principal Emerging Bluechip fund's portfolio is well diversified in up to 70 stocks, which has aided in its performance over different market cycles. On analysing its portfolio, the investments are in quality companies that meet its investment criteria with a growth-style approach. Not a very big-sized fund, it has all the necessary traits to invest with...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now