Should I buy mutual funds now or wait?
So think long term, and equity mutual funds are an ideal product to create long term wealth if you follow two mantras for investment: the best time to invest is now and the best way to invest is regularly, in other words every month.
There is no better time to start investing. It is very difficult to time the markets and although the markets are due for a correction, it would not be wise to wait further. Also, when it comes to SIPs, there is not much merit in timing the markets. We would suggest you invest in different mutual fund categories.
Mutual fund investment in India is still a smart choice in 2023 for several reasons. Firstly, the Indian economy is expected to grow steadily, providing ample opportunities for investment in various sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, technology, and consumer goods.
If you wait too long to buy, you'll miss out on valuable time to grow your investments. If you're waiting for the perfect moment to invest, you'll end up waiting forever. A better strategy, then, is to invest now and stay focused on the long term.
However, if you have noticed significantly poor performance over the last two or more years, it may be time to cut your losses and move on. To help your decision, compare the fund's performance to a suitable benchmark or to similar funds. Exceptionally poor comparative performance should be a signal to sell the fund.
Large cap, mid cap, and value funds are the best mutual funds to invest in 2024 based on their past one-year returns.
Top large cap mutual funds | Annual Returns 2023 |
---|---|
Bank of India Bluechip Fund | 27.05% |
HDFC Top 100 Fund | 26.61% |
JM Large Cap Fund | 26.16% |
Invesco India Large Cap Fund | 24.45% |
Conventional wisdom holds that when you hit your 70s, you should adjust your investment portfolio so it leans heavily toward low-risk bonds and cash accounts and away from higher-risk stocks and mutual funds. That strategy still has merit, according to many financial advisors.
All investments carry some degree of risk and can lose value if the overall market declines or, in the case of individual stocks, the company folds. Still, mutual funds are generally considered safer than stocks because they are inherently diversified, which helps mitigate the risk and volatility in your portfolio.
It is generally recommended to exit a poorly performing mutual fund if it has consistently underperformed its benchmark over a sustained period of time, typically 1-2 years. Investors should also consider the reasons for the poor performance and evaluate if those issues are likely to persist in the future.
Should I hold off on investing right now?
If you invest for the long term -- and that's the best way to invest -- any time is a great time to buy stocks. As I mentioned, when you're holding stocks for a number of years, a gain or loss of a few percentage points won't make a big difference.
Even if it feels risky, the reality is that the most successful investors end up making money by investing during down markets. What you shouldn't do is stop investing. If you only invest when prices are going up, you'll make less money overall. And you definitely shouldn't panic sell your investments.
One of the strategies for compounding money through mutual funds is to use the 8-4-3 rule, where the compounding effect grows exponentially. In the initial 8 years, the compounding effect shows good results, but its speed increases in the next 4 years and super-exponentially in the following 3 years.
The reasons why mutual funds are going down can primarily be attributed to economic uncertainty in the near term and weakening macroeconomic indicators. However, more than knowing why mutual funds are going down, it is important for you to understand what you need to do when mutual funds are going down.
Impact of Stock Market Movements on the Mutual Funds
When the stock market is crashed, the investors face huge losses due to the falling prices of the shares they have purchased. Mutual fund too invests in the stocks and shares traded in the exchange, and thus the values of the funds are also reduced.
If you were to stay invested for a shorter duration, say 20 years, you'd invest Rs 2,40,000, but your portfolio value would be Rs 9.89 lakh. A decade-long investment of Rs 1,000 per month would equal Rs. 2,30,038, as compared to Rs. 1,20,000 invested over the same period.
(You must convert the rate of return to the monthly figure through dividing by 12). You also have n = 10 years or 120 months. FV = Rs 1,84,170. So, the future value of a SIP investment of Rs 1,000 per month for 10 years at an estimated rate of return of 8% is Rs 1,84,170.
Fund | AUM (In Crs) | 5 Yr Return (%) |
---|---|---|
HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Plan Growth Option | ₹73349 Cr | 20.95 % |
Edelweiss Aggressive Hybrid Direct Plan Growth Option | ₹1170 Cr | 19.17 % |
UTI Aggressive Hybrid Fund-Growth - Direct | ₹5215 Cr | 17.16 % |
Quant Value Fund, the topper on the list, offered 14.06% returns in 2024. Quant Flexi Cap Fund gave 13.39% and Quant Mid Cap Fund delivered 12.49% returns. Investors looking for twin engines of quality and growth.
Smallcap funds rewarded investors with a 37 percent returns on average in 2023, midcap funds with 32 percent, while largecap funds delivered 20 percent returns on average. On that note, here are the five things that had the most impact on your MF investments in 2023.
What is the average return on mutual funds in 2023?
In the year 2023, something similar took place. While large cap funds, on an average, delivered an annual return of 16.15 percent. Mid cap funds delivered a return of 30.77 percent, and small caps gave the maximum average return of 34.29 per cent.
If you're 70, you should keep 30% of your portfolio in stocks. However, with Americans living longer and longer, many financial planners are now recommending that the rule should be closer to 110 or 120 minus your age.
The common rule of asset allocation by age is that you should hold a percentage of stocks that is equal to 100 minus your age.
Key takeaways. The average amount of retirement savings for 70-year-olds is $113,900, according to our 2023 Planning & Progress survey.
Mutual funds come with many advantages, such as advanced portfolio management, dividend reinvestment, risk reduction, convenience, and fair pricing. Disadvantages include high fees, tax inefficiency, poor trade execution, and the potential for management abuses.
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