EQUITY SCHEMES STOLE THE SHOW

The contribution of equity oriented schemes in mutual funds asset base has increased to 30 per cent over the last nine months of the current fiscal on the back of a sharp rally in stock markets. "The share of equity-oriented schemes in mutual fund assets has been growing since March 2014, increasing from 22 per cent to 30 per cent in December 2014," shows latest data from Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). However, the proportionate share of debt-oriented schemes has fallen from 52 per cent to 45 per cent during the same period. Together, all 45 mutual fund houses manage assets worth over Rs 11 lakh crore. The increased share in equity schemes is in line with the BSE's benchmark Sensex growing by 23 per cent during the April-December period of the current fiscal. Industry experts said continuous inflows into the equity schemes, driven by the positive performance of stock markets, helped mutual fund managers increase their share from equity oriented schemes. They said the drop in debt fund assets was largely due to the change in taxation structure of such funds. Mutual Funds (MFs) collect funds from various investors for investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments and similar assets. Individual investors increased their investment in mutual funds from Rs 3.99 lakh crore in March last year to Rs 5.25 lakh crore in December 2014. Institutional assets grew from Rs 5.04 lakh crore to Rs 6.09 lakh crore. Assets managed by the mutual fund industry have grown from Rs 9.02 lakh crore in March last year to Rs 11.34 lakh crore in December 2014.