· Unit Trust of India is the first Mutual Fund set up under a separate act, UTI Act in 1963, and started its operations in 1964 with the issue of units under the scheme US-64
· In the year 1987 Public Sector banks like State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Indian Bank, Bank of India, and Bank of Baroda have set up mutual funds.
· Apart from these above mentioned banks Life Insurance Corporation [LIC] and General Insurance Corporation [GIC] too have set up mutual funds
· With the entry of Private Sector Funds a new era has started in Mutual Fund Industry [ex:- Reliance Mutual Fund, Deutsche Mutual Fund, ICICI Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund etc]
Which are the other institutions that have floated Mutual Funds in India?
Currently public sector banks like SBI, Canara Bank, ICICI, HDFC, institutions like IDBI, LIC Foreign Institutions like Alliance, Morgan Stanley, Templeton and Private financial companies like Kothari Pioneer, DSP Merrill Lynch, Sundaram, Kotak Mahindra etc. have floated their own mutual funds
How many Mutual Funds are there in India currently?
Presently there are 38 Mutual Funds in India and close to 400 mutual fund schemes.
What is the Regulatory Body for Mutual Funds?
Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the regulatory body for all the mutual funds mentioned above. All the mutual funds must get registered with SEBI. The only exception is the UTI, since it is a corporation formed under a separate Act of Parliament.
Risk Management - How do mutual funds diversify their risks?
Financial theory states that an investor can reduce his total risk by holding a portfolio of assets instead of only one asset. This is because by holding all your money in just one asset, the entire fortunes of your portfolio depend on this one asset. By creating a portfolio of a variety of assets, this risk is substantially reduced.
Can mutual funds be viewed as risk-free investments?
No. Mutual fund investments are not totally risk free. In fact, investing in mutual funds contains the same risk as investing in the markets, the only difference being that due to professional management of funds the controllable risks are substantially reduced
What are the risks involved in investing in mutual funds?
A very important risk involved in mutual fund investments is the market risk. When the market is in doldrums, most of the equity funds will also experience a downturn. However, the company specific risks are largely eliminated due to professional fund management.
How much return can I expect by investing in mutual funds?
Investors need to be clear that mutual funds are essentially medium to long term investments. Hence, short-term abnormal profits will not be sustainable in the long run. But in the medium to long run the mutual funds tend to outperform most other avenues of investments at the same time avoiding the risk of direct investment accompanied with professional fund management
What is the difference between mutual funds and portfolio management schemes?
While the concept remains the same of collecting money from investors, pooling them and investing the funds, the target investors are different. In the case of portfolio management the target investors are high networth investors while in case of mutual funds the target investors are the retail investors
What are the broad guidelines issued for a Mutual Fund?
SEBI is the regulatory authority of all Mutual Funds. SEBI has the following broad guidelines pertaining to mutual funds
· Mutual Fund should be formed as a Trust under Indian Trust Act and should be operated by Asset Management Companies (AMCs).
· Mutual Fund needs to set up a Board of Trustees and Trustee Companies. They should also have their Board of Directors.
· The net worth of the AMCs should be at least Rs.5 crores.
· AMCs and Trustees of a Mutual Fund should be two separate and distinct legal entities.
· The AMC or any of its companies cannot act as managers for any other fund.
· AMCs have to get the approval of SEBI for its Articles and Memorandum of Association.
· All Mutual Funds' schemes should be registered with SEBI.
· Mutual Funds should distribute minimum of 90% of their profits among the investors.