Business
Changing Dynamics: Smaller fund houses outpace major players in 2021
The mutual fund space has grown over the pandemic and interestingly so far in 2021, several smaller companies have gained momentum and outpaced the growth of established major players.
In tandem with the rise in the equity market, small players made giant strides during the year.
Equity schemes of fund houses like Quant Mutual Fund, ITI Mutual Fund, PPFAS Mutual have been among the best performing schemes so far in the year.
The assets under management of Quant witnessed over five-fold rise during January-July 2021. Its AUM in December 2020 stood at Rs 521 crore and by July-end it reached Rs 2,842 crore, showed data from primemfdatabase.com.
The AUM of ITI Mutual Fund rose over 100 per cent to Rs 1,879 crore and PPFAS Mutual Fund’s AUM also nearly doubled to Rs 14,318 crore.
Some of the schemes of relatively new fund houses have given blockbuster returns with several of them coming from Quant Mutual Fund. As per the market estimates, ICICI Prudential Technology Fund, Quant Tax Plan Fund, PGIM India Midcap Opportunities Fund, Quant Infrastructure Fund and Quant Active Fund are the top five equity funds giving best returns ranging from 80 per cent to over 100 per cent.
Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund, a major player in the segment, has the highest AUM of over Rs 2.58 lakh crore as of July 2021, 13 per cent higher than Rs 22.78 lakh crore, the Prime Database data showed.
According to Pranav Haldea, Managing Director of Prime Database Group, the higher growth rate of AUM of smaller fund houses is due to low base effect along with their identification of specialised offerings.
“One reason is low base effect, and second I think smaller fund houses have done a commendable job in terms of identifying niches where they have specialised,” he told IANS.
He further said that performance of these mutual funds along with the incumbent giants will continue to be robust.
“The sort of AUM growth which you have seen in the mutual fund industry in the five odd years, the AUM now stands at close to 35-36 lakh crores. So the growth of these smaller fund houses will also extract a fair share of that growth,” he said.
Haldea told IANS that the growth will continue because there will be more channellising of retail savings into mutual funds going forward.
More and more retail investors in the last one and half years have come to the capital market as various other kinds of investment markets are not providing the investment returns that they are used to.
“So retail investors are increasingly looking at equity and the markets obviously are supportive and the markets are doing really well,” he said.
N.S. Venkatesh, Chief Executive, Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) said: “Mutual Funds have emerged as the preferred savings-cum-investment avenue over the last few years, and the pandemic has actually triggered this shift towards Mutual Funds in a more pronounced way.”
This shift will continue in 2021 and beyond, accentuated by Sebi-driven initiatives towards transparency and disclosures, he said.
“Over the years, mutual fund industry too, has deepened its penetration, beyond top 15 cities, even as number of MF players has risen with new fund houses coming in to mutual fund industry, enabling steady but sure rise in the number of investors who have been embracing mutual funds as the preferred savings tool,” Venkatesh said.
The number of mutual fund investors in the country has doubled to 2.39 crore as of June 30, 2021 from 1.19 crore at the end of March 2017, thereby indicating that pandemic has actually had no impact on the inflows, he added.
The mutual fund industry AUM rose 4.9 per cent in July 2021 to a record Rs 35.3 lakh crore due to inflows into both equity funds and debt funds
An ICICI Direct Research report said that IT funds have been consistent outperformers in the last two to three years as the growth outlook improved for the sector in the post Covid world resulting in valuation re-rating of most stocks.
The sectors or segments like infrastructure, PSUs that lagged behind in the early part of the rally, have started to gain traction indicating the healthy trend of sector rotation, it said.
“Small cap funds have been consistent outperformers in the last one year after they were beaten down during the Covid pandemic induced market fall. Midcaps also followed small cap funds and have outperformed other categories. However, there seemed to be some profit booking recently as it underperformed in the last one month,” it said.
Business
Jharkhand: Robbery and firing on trader sparks shutdown in Dhanbad market

Dhanbad, Nov 10: Traders on Monday launched a massive protest after a businessman was robbed and shot at inside the government-run Market Committee complex in the Barwadda police station area in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, late Sunday evening.
The incident has caused concerns over rising crime in Jharkhand’s coal capital, prompting traders to shut all 417 shops in the market complex for the day.
The attack took place around 8.30 p.m. on Sunday when three bike-borne assailants intercepted trader Shyam Bhimsariya while he was closing his shop.
The miscreants fired at him, snatched a bag containing Rs 4 lakh, and sped off. Bhimsariya narrowly escaped the bullet, which reportedly grazed past him. The incident created panic among shopkeepers and customers, many of whom rushed to safety.
On Monday morning, hundreds of traders assembled at the main gate of the Market Committee complex, raising slogans against the administration and demanding immediate arrests. They alleged that the market, which witnesses a heavy footfall, has long been operating without proper security measures.
The Market Committee complex is one of the busiest business hubs in Dhanbad, recording a daily turnover of Rs 7-8 crore.
“We will not tolerate this kind of atmosphere where traders fear for their lives every evening,” a member of the traders’ association said, adding that if the culprits are not arrested within 48 hours, the protest may spread to other markets across the district.
BJP MP Dhullu Mahto, addressing traders, said criminals are “roaming fearlessly” in Dhanbad. “The morale of criminals has gone up due to weak policing. The police must act immediately to restore confidence among traders,” he said.
Jharia Congress MLA Ragini Singh accused the state government of complete failure on the law and order front. “When crime is discussed in the Assembly, the government remains silent. People are living in fear while criminals are dictating terms,” she remarked.
Outgoing Mayor Chandrashekhar Agarwal demanded urgent security measures in the market area, suggesting that CCTV cameras be installed. He said a permanent police post must be established to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Dhanbad District Chamber of Commerce president Chetan Goenka strongly condemned the attack and criticised authorities for ignoring repeated requests for better security.
“It is shocking that a market with a daily business of Rs 7-8 crore has neither CCTV surveillance nor police patrolling. Traders cannot operate under fear. The administration must take permanent measures,” Goenka said.
Business
Sensex, Nifty open in green amid positive global cues

Mumbai, Nov 10: Indian benchmark indices opened the week in the green zone on Monday, amid positive global cues and investor optimism of FII coming back to India due to loss in artificial intelligence (AI) stocks.
As of 9.25 am, Sensex was up 115 points, or 0.14 per cent at 83,331 and Nifty inched up 35 points, or 0.14 per cent to 25,521.
The broadcap indices outperformed benchmarks in terms of gains, with the Nifty Midcap 100 up or 0.37 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 adding 0.27 per cent.
Asian Paints, L&T and Hindalco were among the major gainers in the Nifty Pack, while losers included Trent, Apollo Hospitals, Max Healthcare, Maruti Suzuki and Dr Reddy’s Labs.
Nifty IT, Metal and Pharma were among the biggest sectoral gainers, adding 0.56 to 0.79 per cent. All the sectoral indices were trading in the green except Nifty Media.
Analysts said that FIIs, particularly the hedge funds, who have been consistently selling in India and taking money out for playing the AI trade, are now likely to pause and slowly reverse the AI trade in favour of non-AI trade in countries like India.
“The strong earnings growth in the US has been a fundamental support that pushed up AI stock valuations to elevated valuations. Countries regarded as AI winners such China, South Korea and Taiwan also have benefited from this AI rally,” said market watchers.
Analysts noted that there are signs of this AI trade losing steam as evidenced by the 3 per cent decline in Nasdaq last week. If this healthy trend persists without high volatility, it will make the US market robust, preempting a bubble formation and its eventual burst, they added.
Further, Wall Street stocks gained as reports suggested the longest shutdown of the US Federal Government might end.
The US markets ended in the green zone in the last trading session, as Nasdaq dipped 0.22 per cent, the S&P 500 added 0.13 per cent, and the Dow inched up 0.16 per cent.
Most of the Asian markets were trading in the green during the morning session. While China’s Shanghai index lost 0.03 per cent, and Shenzhen dipped 0.59 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei added 1.04 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added 0.57 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.04 per cent.
On Friday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 4,889 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,787 crore.
Business
Navi Mumbai: CIDCO’s 9.6-Km Kharghar Coastal Road Work To Begin In 2026, Promises Faster NMIA Connectivity By 2029

Navi Mumbai: Construction of the much-anticipated Kharghar Coastal Road — a key link that will enhance connectivity to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) — is expected to commence in early 2026, following the receipt of mandatory forest clearances.
Planned by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the 9.678-kilometre-long and 30-metre-wide arterial road will connect the airport to major nodes such as Belapur and Nerul, significantly improving regional mobility and supporting economic growth across Navi Mumbai.
The project will also provide direct high-speed access to the International Corporate Park (ICP) being developed on the lines of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), the Golf Course, and the FIFA-standard Centre of Excellence (COE) at Kharghar.
A grade-separated interchange over the Sion-Panvel Expressway is part of the plan to ensure smooth traffic flow and reduce congestion between the airport and nearby business and recreational hubs.
Of the total road length, 6.96 kilometres will be newly developed, while the remaining portion will integrate with the existing network. The corridor will also cater to the anticipated transport demand from upcoming projects such as the Water Transport Terminal and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) housing schemes in the area.
CIDCO has awarded the construction contract to the J Kumar–J M Mhatre Joint Venture. Officials said the project will not only boost airport connectivity but also strengthen Kharghar’s position as a major residential and commercial hub, linking it seamlessly to Taloja and Navde.
“Known for its well-planned infrastructure, green cover, and educational institutions, Kharghar is poised to witness a new phase of growth once the coastal road becomes operational. Kharghar coastal road is estimated to be ready by 2029 if everything goes as per plan,” an official from CIDCO said.
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