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Feb 14, 2024 7 min read

How Do We Analyze Good Mutual Funds?

Introduction

Beginning the journey of investing in Mutual Funds can carefully build wealth and achieve long-term financial goals. On the other hand, navigating the vast world of Mutual Funds requires more than a casual glance.  It involves a thorough understanding of the financial market. As well as a smart approach to cherry-picking the most appropriate investment options.

In the following discussion, we are going to learn various fundamental elements of analyzing fund schemes, providing investors with all the knowledge they need to make good and informed financial decisions.

Understanding Mutual Funds

To start the analysis to choose the right fund it is very essential to understand the meaning of the Mutual Fund. Mutual Funds are referred to as a safety box that gathers money and earns the investor good profits.

In simple words, a fund is an investor safety deposit much like in earlier times when people used to store their savings in a barrel of rice, in today’s times that barrel has come with a new name which is the Mutual Fund. But it comes with a difference as it also generates profits on the deposited amount and helps the investors to create generational wealth and make their long-term goals achievable.

Moving forward let us take a closer look at the broad types of these fund schemes. It is explained in the following categories:

EQUITY MUTUAL FUNDS

Equity Mutual Funds are a collection of those companies that trade publically. It goes with a quote that says the more the merrier as these kinds of funds increase the growth potential of investors' portfolios. Equity funds can be sliced and diced in several ways depending on the goals of the fund:

FUND BASED ON COMPANY SIZES

  1. Large-cap fund: companies with a market value of $10 billion or greater.
  2. Mid-cap fund: companies worth $2 billion to $10 billion.
  3. Small-cap: companies worth $300 million to $2 billion.

HYBRID MUTUAL FUNDS

Hybrid Mutual Funds, a combination of assets is formed to generate great returns on the investment. Generally, it consists of two great assets one is the debt, and the other is equity.

DEBT MUTUAL FUNDS

Debt Mutual Funds, the investors invest in those instruments which generate fixed income for them. They offer capital appreciation and are also known as income bonds.

COMMODITIES

These types of investments are related to funds based on a particular product such as raw material, agriculture etc. It provides a diversified portfolio to the investors and increases their returns along with covering varied sectors of a company.

INDEX FUND

It is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) which is designed for a particular market index. For example, an Index Fund that follows Nifty 50 spreads the investment across the same 50 stocks that Nifty 50 tracks.

How to Filter Funds?

Filtering funds is an important step in selecting the best mutual fund for investment. It involves evaluating multiple aspects to determine the fund's capacity to achieve an investor's financial goals.

Mainly the filtration of funds is based on Asset Under Management (AUM), the investing experience of the fund manager, and the performance of the fund.

HOW TO ANALYZE PERFORMANCE OF A FUND?

To observe the performance of a fund, it is analyzed by running two kinds of tests.

  • Risk Test (risk management efficiency)

The purpose is to identify potential risks, assess their potential impact, and then implement procedures to either prevent or mitigate those risks if they arise.

  • Imagine you're on a journey, and the Risk Test is like determining how well your vehicle is prepared to manage unexpected road bumps. A car with strong risk management efficiency would include dependable brakes, airbags, and other safety systems to reduce the impact of any unforeseen incidents.
  • Return Test (fund managers' capabilities)

To conduct the Return Test, fund managers examine the past performance of the investments they have chosen. If these investments have consistently surpassed benchmarks and provided positive returns, it suggests that the fund manager is doing an excellent job.

Among these, one important factor that adds value and plays an important role is the capability of the fund manager to outperform the market. They are the masterminds working efficiently to grow the fund to its full potential.

Likewise, the analysis of the return test is evaluated on the efficiency of managing the risk. The better the management the better the results.

HOW PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS IS DONE?

The portfolio analysis is carried out by following three quick steps which are as follows:

Strategical investment strategy

The strategy implemented by a mutual fund house has a major impact on the performance of a fund. The basic concepts of investing are:

  • Growth-oriented investing
  • Value-oriented investing

Let’s break down these two concepts into simple terms to make a clear understanding of the topic.

Firstly, growth-oriented investing is a technique in which investors focus on companies or assets that have the potential for significant capital gains. The major purpose of this technique is to invest in firms or assets that are likely to grow considerably in terms of earnings, revenue, or market share over time.

Furthermore, value-oriented investing is an investment technique that aims to find companies or assets that appear to be affordable in comparison to their true worth. Investors who take this technique look for opportunities when the market has undervalued a company, perhaps leading to beneficial returns when the market improves.

Portfolio allocation

This process involves the market capitalization of your investment portfolio. It means how much of the market is covered under your portfolio.

Portfolio allocation is dividing your investments among different assets, such as stocks, bonds, or cash. When we talk about portfolio allocation based on market capitalization, we mean the proportion of your assets in companies of different sizes.

For example, if a considerable amount of your portfolio is invested in large, well-established companies, your portfolio is said to have a large-cap allocation. Alternatively, if you invest more in smaller, rising businesses, your portfolio has a small-cap allocation.

Market capitalization in portfolio allocation ensures that your investments are spread across a wide range of companies, which can assist reduce risk and perhaps boost profits.

Sector-wise allocation

This step circles the individual performance of a particular stock.

Sector-wise allocation is the practice of distributing investment among various industry sectors, such as technology, healthcare, finance, and energy. When investors distribute their investments sector-wise, they spread their money across multiple industries, lowering risk. This is because even if one area performs poorly, investments in other sectors may still provide profits, so balancing overall portfolio performance.

For example, if an investor believes that technology stocks will outperform in the future, they may allocate a portion of their investing portfolio to these stocks. Similarly, if they foresee growth in the healthcare industry, they may allocate an additional amount to those stocks.

Sector-specific allocation enables investors to diversify their investments and perhaps profit from the expansion of multiple industries. It enables them to control risk and optimize their investments.

Tips For the Investors

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind while selecting a Mutual Fund.

  • Identify your financial needs and make sure that the investment matches with the purpose of investing. It fulfils your desired financial objectives.
  • Proper analysis is needed to find the long-term as well as short-term performance of a fund.

Conclusion

In conclusion, successful management of mutual fund investments requires a thorough understanding of their challenges. By looking into the fundamentals of fund research, investors gain the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. Key aspects including Asset Under Management, fund manager expertise, and performance lay the groundwork for sound investment choices. Performance analysis, including risk and return tests, highlights the essential role of experienced fund managers. Strategic portfolio analysis improves the selection process by matching assets with financial goals. As more investors adopt Mutual Funds, particularly through Systematic Investment Plan, it emphasizes the need to take a systematic and informed approach to financial success.

Many regular investors have now started investing in fund schemes through Systematic Investment Plan (SIPs).

Read More - What is the difference between large cap funds and blue chip funds?

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