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Moneycontrol >> Messageboard >> Personal Finance >> MF Investment Help
   You are here :     Moneycontrol     MMB   Personal Finance   MF Investment Help

MF Investment Help

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04 Sep 2008 19:13

My choice would be DSPML Equity.

It was never the best performing fund, but I like it purely for its consistency in returns (and yes I do have significant exposure in this fund)
...

In reply to:

Opinion Poll - Fund Select

Posted by : vvrk

This is just a fun opinion poll.

If you were to select just ONE equity fund, which would it be and why? (In other words which is your favourite equity fund)

04 Sep 2008 19:11

Yes you can switch thewhole amount....

In reply to:

Switching charges enquiry

Posted by : Guest

Thank you for your response. Investment period in hdfc equity is over 2 years. Is it advisable to switch the whole amount Rs 12 lakhs? Please let me know.

04 Sep 2008 19:06

This is just a fun opinion poll.

If you were to select just ONE equity fund, which would it be and why? (In other words which is your favourite equity fund)...

04 Sep 2008 15:28

Dear Guest

At first instance, your portfolio looks to be quite good, but it lacks a solid large cap fund. You can stop SIP in DSPML TIGER and start SIP in either DSPML Top 100 or HDFC Top 200 or Sundaram Select Focus or Birla Sunlife Frontline Equity Fund.

Happy investing

Regds

Ashport...

In reply to:

Require feedback on my SIP plan

Posted by : Guest

Hi All,
I am investing on 4 MFs monthly for Rs. 2000 for last one year. Before renewing them I wanted to get feedback from the experts on this board whether I should continue with same MFs or should chnage it to better ones.
Here is the list of 4 MFs:
SBI Magnum Taxgain - Dividend
Reliance Growth fund - Growth
Kotak Opportunities - Growth
DSP TIGER fund - Growth

Please let me know your views on this.

Thanks very much,
Gaurav

04 Sep 2008 15:09

Thank you for your response. Investment period in hdfc equity is over 2 years. Is it advisable to switch the whole amount Rs 12 lakhs? Please let me know. ...

In reply to:

Switching charges enquiry

Posted by : RANJAN

You can fill up the systematic transfer form and submit.
I hope you have stayed for atleast 1 year in HDFC EQUITY.
There is no entry load in HDFC TOP 200. But there can be an exit load in HDFC Equity fund if you have come out within 1 year.

04 Sep 2008 14:42

Hi All,
I am investing on 4 MFs monthly for Rs. 2000 for last one year. Before renewing them I wanted to get feedback from the experts on this board whether I should continue with same MFs or should chnage it to better ones.
Here is the list of 4 MFs:
SBI Magnum Taxgain - Dividend
Reliance Growth fund - Growth
Kotak Opportunities - Growth
DSP TIGER fund - Growth

Please let me know your views on this.

Thanks very much,
Gaurav...

04 Sep 2008 14:06

thanks for the reply...

In reply to:

FIXED MATURITY PLAN

Posted by : techguy1979

Ashalansu was clearing my doubts regarding the differences between FD and FMP. I think his analysis can be useful to you as well ... I am posting it below:

"As u r in 30% Tax slab, FMPs r much better option than bank FDs. Let me explain u how?
basis of calculation - Both Bank FDs & FMPs r offering 10% interest rate for 370 days period. amount invested 1L in each.

Bank FD - after 1 year interest received = 10000 Rs.
Tax on Interest = 30.9% = 3090 Rs.
Net interest earned = 10000-3090 = 6910 = 6.91% effective yield

FMPs - amount invested = 1L
@ 10 Rs. per unit, alloted no. of units = 10000
@ 10% interest earning, NAV of units at maturity = 11 Rs.
Value of units = 10000*11 = 110000
Cost inflation Index value in year of purchase = 551 (i have taken it for past FY 2007-2008)
Cost inflation Index value in year of maturity = 582 (CII for current year)
Hence Indexed purchase cost of Unit = 10*582/551 = 10.56 Rs.
Hence Indexed Long Term Capital Gain (LTCG) = 11-10.56 = 0.44 Rs.
Total LTCG = No. of units * LTCG on one unit = 10000*0.44 = 4400 Rs.
LTCGs Tax @ 20.6% = 906.4 Rs.
Net gain after tax payment = 10000-906.4 = 9093.6 = 9.09% effective yield

I hope it 'll clear ur doubts. regarding FMPs. These r safe instruments as the investments r made in Top rated corporate papers & debt instruments. although relatively not that much safe as bank FDs."

04 Sep 2008 13:05

You can fill up the systematic transfer form and submit.
I hope you have stayed for atleast 1 year in HDFC EQUITY.
There is no entry load in HDFC TOP 200. But there can be an exit load in HDFC Equity fund if you have come out within 1 year. ...

In reply to:

Switching charges enquiry

Posted by : Guest

Please advise if there are any charges for switching from one equity fund to another within the same AMC. I want to switch hdfc equity having current value of Rs 1200000/- to hdfc top 200 which too has ivestment of Rs 700000/- with monthly Rs 3000/- sip. Please note I do have other AMC funds in my portfolio.

04 Sep 2008 13:01

Hello,

I have already invested in equity via tax saving fungs and returns are ok for last year.
My funds are:

Sundaram Tax, Rs 3000
Fidility tax Rs, 1000 and
Dws tax Rs, 1000

though all have done better, i am considering of shifting my sip money of fidility tax to other 2 funds and stopping fidility.

Is it a good move, Please help?...

04 Sep 2008 12:57

how to get

Posted by : RANJAN
View full thread (4 messages)

Tracked by: 0 Boarder

While choosing funds go for the consistent performers - not necessarily the best performing fund. Look at the value research rated funds. (5* or 4*). Invest 60- 70% of your money in large cap funds. Balance can go into midcap/thematic funds. Avoid sector funds as far as possible- if you still want to invest - invest not more than 10% - opt for dividend payout and book profits regularly . Invest always via SIP. 6- 8 funds are more than enough. Do not look at the NAV while investing. It does not matter - whether NAV is 10 or 100. Look at the performance in the last 3 years / last 5 years....

In reply to:

how to get

Posted by : dsvas

Thank you for the information given by you, another information regarding which is the best mutual fund.i saw different sites and and different books stated that no one cannot say that same scheme is the best one.how can i judge that it is the best fund.i think that i can take my own dession in selection of scheme(not the adivce of the agentt). what are the parameters taken in consideration, i konw little about 1)fund managers prformance(how can i know)2)fund size 3)nav there are some parameters which i don't know if you know please convey to me.

04 Sep 2008 12:55

Choosing a mutual fund seems to have become a very complex affair lately.

There are no dearth of funds in the market and they all clamor for attention.

The most crucial factor in determining which one is better than the rest is to look at returns. Returns are the easiest to measure and compare across funds.

At the most trivial level, the return that a fund gives over a given period is just the percentage difference between the starting Net Asset Value (price of unit of a fund) and the ending Net Asset Value.

Returns by themselves don't serve much purpose. The purpose of calculating returns is to make a comparison. Either between different funds or time periods. And, you must be careful not to make a mistake here. Or else, you could end up investing in the wrong funds.

Absolute returns -

Absolute returns measure how much a fund has gained over a certain period. So you look at the NAV on one day and look at it, say, six months or one year or two years later. The percentage difference will tell you the return over this time frame.

But when using this parameter to compare one fund with another, make sure that you compare the right fund. To use the age-old analogy, don't compare apples with oranges.

So if you are looking at the returns of a diversified equity fund (one that invests in different companies of various sectors), compare it with other diversified equity funds. Don't compare it with a sector fund which invests only in companies of a particular sector.

Don't even compare it with a balanced fund (one that invests in equity and fixed return instruments).

Benchmark returns -

This will give you a standard by which to make the comparison. It basically indicates what the fund has earned as against what it should have earned.

A fund's benchmark is an index that is chosen by a fund company to serve as a standard for its returns. The market watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, has made it mandatory for funds to declare a benchmark index.

In effect, the fund is saying that the benchmark's returns are its target and a fund should be deemed to have done well if it manages to beat the benchmark.

Let's say the fund is a diversified equity fund that has benchmarked itself against the Sensex.

So the returns of this fund will be compared vis-a-viz the Sensex.

Now if the markets are doing fabulously well and the Sensex keeps climbing upwards steadily, then anything less than fabulous returns from the fund would actually be a disappointment.

If the Sensex rises by 10% over two months and the fund's NAV rises by 12%, it is said to have outperformed its benchmark. If the NAV rose by just 8%, it is said to have underperformed the benchmark.

But if the Sensex drops by 10% over a period of two months and during that time, the fund's NAV drops by only 6%, then the fund is said to have outperformed the benchmark.

A fund's returns compared to its benchmark are called its benchmark returns.

At the current high point in the stock market, almost every equity fund has done extremely well but many of them have negative benchmark returns, indicating that their performance is just a side-effect of the markets' rise rather than some brilliant work by the fund manager.

Time period -

The most important thing while measuring or comparing returns is to choose an appropriate time period.

The time period over which returns should be compared and evaluated has to be the same over which that fund type is meant to be invested in.

If you are comparing equity funds then you must use three to five year returns. But this is not the case of every other fund.

For instance, cash funds are known as ultra short-term bond funds or liquid funds that invest in fixed return instruments of very short maturities. Their main aim is to preserve the principal and earn a modest return. So the money you invest will eventually be returned to you with a little something added.

Investors invest in these funds for a very short time frame of around a few months. So it is alright to compare these funds on the basis of their six month returns.

Market conditions -

It is also important to see whether a fund's return history is long enough for it to have seen all kinds of market conditions.

For example, at this point of time, there are equity funds that were launched one to two years ago and have done very well. However, such funds have never seen a sustained declining market (bear market). So it is a little misleading to look at their rate of return since launch and compare that to other funds that have had to face bad markets.

If a fund has proved its mettle in a bear market and has not dipped as much as its benchmark, then the fund manager deserves a pat on the back.

Final checklist -

Here are some quick pointers when comparing funds.

- Compare funds that are similar. For instance, compare Alliance Equity with Franklin India Prima. Both are diversified equity funds. Similarly, compare UTI Auto with J M Auto, both being auto sector funds. Or Birla Midcap with Magnum Midcap, both being funds that invest in mid-cap companies.

Don't compare the performance of Alliance Equity with UTI Auto or even Alliance Equity with Birla Midcap.

- When returns are compared, make sure that the time period is identical. Or else, you may be looking at the one-year returns for one fund and the three-year returns for another.

For instance, if you were told that the return of HDFC [Get Quote] Equity was 59.72% and that of Franklin India Prima was 61.74%, it would be misleading.
Because the return stated of HDFC Equity is a one year return while that of Franklin India Prima is the three-year return.

- Compare a fund with it's own stated benchmark, not another. For instance, Fidelity Equity, Escorts Growth and BoB Growth are all diversified equity funds with different benchmarks.

Fidelity Equity - BSE 200
Escorts Growth - S&P CNX Nifty
BoB Growth � Sensex


While there are other factors that have to be considered when investing in a mutual fund, returns is the most important. So make sure you do your homework right on this count. ...

04 Sep 2008 12:54
View full thread (62 messages)

Tracked by: 3 Boarders

Dear Kentmss

Thanks for updating....

Regds

Ashport...

In reply to:

Please Advice

Posted by : kentmss

Ashport, DSPML now allows 1000 sip

04 Sep 2008 12:50

Investors always judge a fund by the return it gives, never by the risk it took.

In any historical analysis of a mutual fund, the return is remembered but the risk is quickly forgotten.

So a fund manager may have used very high-risk strategies (that are bound to fail disastrously in the long run), hoping that his wins will be remembered (as they often are), but the risk he took will soon be forgotten.

What is risk?

Risk can be defined as the potential for harm.

But when anyone analysing mutual funds uses this term, what is actually being talked about is volatility.

Volatility is nothing but the fluctuation of the Net Asset Value (price of a unit of a fund). The higher the volatility, the greater the fluctuations of the NAV.

Generally, past volatility is taken as an indicator of future risk and for the task of evaluating a mutual fund, this is an adequate (even if not ideal) approximation.

How risk is measured

There are two ways in which you can determine how risky a fund is.

- Standard Deviation

Standard Deviation is a measure of how much the actual performance of a fund over a period of time deviates from the average performance.

Since Standard Deviation is a measure of risk, a low Standard Deviation is good.

- Sharpe Ratio

The Sharpe Ratio of a fund measures whether the returns that a fund delivered were commensurate with the kind of volatility it exhibited.

This ratio looks at both, returns and risk, and delivers a single measure that is proportional to the risk adjusted returns.

Since Sharpe Ratio is a measure of risk-adjusted returns, a high Sharpe Ratio is good.

How to check the fund's risk

So how would you figure out how risky a mutual fund is?

Value Research, a mutual fund research outfit, carries out a rating every month which is also carried on rediff.com. If you would like to take a look at the latest ratings, click on the relevant month: March, April, May.

In this rating, each fund is given a star. The funds with a 5-star rating are the best. Those with a 1-star rating are the worst.

This star rating is based on risk-adjusted return. In a very simple way, it gives investors an understanding of whether a fund is taking an acceptable amount of risk in generating the kind of returns it is doing.

A fund's return for each month is taken since the day it is launched (only funds with a minimum performance of history of three years are considered).

This return that a fund gives is compared to other 'riskless' investments, like government investments, which have no risk per se. This means funds do not rate very high if they give phenomenal returns, but have taken tremendous risks to do so.

1. Don't just look at the NAV, also look at the risk

Alliance Buy India and Alliance Equity both have 3 stars. That does mean their NAV is identical. In fact, the NAV of Alliance Equity is 91.66 while that of Buy India is 16.05.

However, Alliance Buy India took an average risk and delivered an average return, while Alliance Equity took an above average risk to get the above average returns. Hence their stars are identical, depiste one having a higher NAV.

2. Higher rating does not mean better returns

A fund with more stars does not indicate a higher return when compared with the rest. All it means is that you will get a good return without putting your money at too much risk.

Birla Equity Plan has a 4-star rating while Alliance Tax Relief '96 has a 2-star rating. However, the fund with the 2-star rating has a higher NAV (131.96) than the one with the 4-star rating (39.37).

3. Higher rating does not mean more risk

Birla Advantage has an NAV of 67.09 while Franklin India Prima has an NAV of 122.92.

This does not necessarily mean that Franklin India Prima is offering a higher risk since the return is higher.

In fact, according to our ratings, Franklin India Prima is a 5-star fund while (risk is below average) while Birla Advantage is a 2-star fund (risk is above average).

On a final note

When you decide to invest in a mutual fund, you must look at risk and return.

Always ask yourself one question: What are the chances of my losing money?

Do not get misled by high returns. You could also end up losing a substantial part of your savings.

Note:: The NAVs are fictitious for the sake of example....

04 Sep 2008 11:35
View full thread (62 messages)

Tracked by: 3 Boarders

Ashport, DSPML now allows 1000 sip...

In reply to:

Please Advice

Posted by : ashport

Dear Kentmss

Sorry for the intervention....but DSPML TIGER and DSPML Top 100 both dont allow Rs 1000 SIP. Minimum SIP amount is Rs 2000.

Thanks

Ashport

04 Sep 2008 11:15

Dear Ashal,
Thanks for the reply.Some hope.Details are as follows.Would like to know best path forward.
Policy: ICICI LIFETIME. Started on 24th Aug-2004,premium 20000 per month. Sum assured to begin with was 1 lakh. 100% in maximiser fund.

Within a year, of the policy the insuranse coverage was increased to 11 Lakh.

In Nov 2007, I shifted the whole amount to PROTECTOR fund, (Approx. 13.20 Lakhs). However monthly premiums were continued to go into maximiser fund.

As on date,
Maximiser fund: Units= 3431.26 @ NAV of 51.11 &
Protector fund: Units= 83015.91@ NAV of 16.46.

I'm NRI, premiums paid thr NRE A/C.

Request tax and insurance experts to suggest best path forward. I want to withdraw the amount and have written to stop further premiums.

Best regards,
Prahlad....

In reply to:

Tax on withdrawals from ULIP

Posted by : ashalanshu

Dear pralhad, First of all if it is possible, contact ur ins. company & ask to increase the Sum assured. by that much amount that ur prem. comes below the limit of 20% rule.

If it is not possible, don't worry, ur case is boarderline case. as ur prem. were 21% only calculate ur fund value on a split of 20+1%. The fund value u get as major part 'll be tax free & only the fund value u get from ur 1% excess prem. 'll be get added to ur taxable income from other sources in the year of receipt.

detailed calculation can be made if u post detailed data.

Thanks

Ashal

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