9.MutualFunds Flashcards
Write short notes on the role of Mutual Funds in the Financial Market.
investors and imparted much needed liquidity to the system. In this process, they have
challenged the hitherto dominant role of the commercial banks in the financial market and
national economy.
The role of mutual funds in the financial market is to provide access to the stock markets
related investments to people with less money in their pocket. Mutual funds are trusts that
pool together resources from small investors to invest in capital market instruments like
shares, debentures, bonds, treasury bills, commercial paper, etc.
It is quite easy to construct a well diversified portfolio of stocks, if you have 1,00,000 rupees to
invest. However, how can one diversify his portfolio and manage risk if he has just 1,000 rupees
to invest. It is definitely not possible with direct investments. The only resort here is mutual funds
that can provide access to the financial markets even to such small investors. Mutual funds also
help small investors for step-by-step monthly saving/investing of smaller amounts.
Explain how to establish a Mutual Fund.
Establishment of a Mutual Fund: A mutual fund is required to be registered with the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) before it can collect funds from the public. All mutual
funds are governed by the same set of regulations and are subject to monitoring and
inspections by the SEBI. The Mutual Fund has to be established through the medium of a
sponsor. A sponsor means any body corporate who, acting alone or in combination with
another body corporate, establishes a mutual fund after completing the formalities prescribed
in the SEBI’s Mutual Fund Regulations.
The role of sponsor is akin to that of a promoter of a company, who provides the initial capital
and appoints the trustees. The sponsor should be a body corporate in the business of financial
services for a period not less than 5 years, be financially sound and be a fit party to act as
sponsor in the eyes of SEBI. The Mutual Fund has to be established as either a trustee company or a Trust, under the
Indian Trust Act and the instrument of trust shall be in the form of a deed. The deed shall be
executed by the sponsor in favour of the trustees named in the instrument of trust. The trust
deed shall be duly registered under the provisions of the Indian Registration Act, 1908. The
trust deed shall contain clauses specified in the Third Schedule of the Regulations.
An Asset Management Company, who holds an approval from SEBI, is to be appointed to
manage the affairs of the Mutual Fund and it should operate the schemes of such fund. The
Asset Management Company is set up as a limited liability company, with a minimum net
worth of ` 10 crores.
The sponsor should contribute at least 40% to the net worth of the Asset Management
Company. The Trustee should hold the property of the Mutual Fund in trust for the benefit of
the unit holders.
SEBI regulations require that at least two-thirds of the directors of the Trustee Company or
board of trustees must be independent, that is, they should not be associated with the
sponsors. Also, 50 per cent of the directors of AMC must be independent. The appointment of
the AMC can be terminated by majority of the trustees or by 75% of the unit holders of the
concerned scheme.
The AMC may charge the mutual fund with Investment Management and Advisory fees subject
to prescribed ceiling. Additionally, the AMC may get the expenses on operation of the mutual
fund reimbursed from the concerned scheme.
The Mutual fund also appoints a custodian, holding valid certificate of registration issued by
SEBI, to have custody of securities held by the mutual fund under different schemes. In case
of dematerialized securities, this is done by Depository Participant. The custodian must be
independent of the sponsor and the AMC.
What are the advantages of investing in Mutual Funds?
The advantages of investing in a Mutual Fund are:
1. Professional Management: Investors avail the services of experienced and skilled
professionals who are backed by a dedicated investment research team which analyses
the performance and prospects of companies and selects suitable investments to achieve
the objectives of the scheme.
2. Diversification: Mutual Funds invest in a number of companies across a broad cross-
section of industries and sectors. Investors achieve this diversification through a Mutual
Fund with far less money and risk than one can do on his own.
3. Convenient Administration: Investing in a Mutual Fund reduces paper work and helps
investors to avoid many problems such as bad deliveries, delayed payments and
unnecessary follow up with brokers and companies.
4. Return Potential: Over a medium to long term, Mutual Fund has the potential to provide
a higher return as they invest in a diversified basket of selected securities.
5. Low Costs: Mutual Funds are a relatively less expensive way to invest compared to
directly investing in the capital markets because the benefits of scale in brokerage,
custodial and other fees translate into lower costs for investors.
6. Liquidity: In open ended schemes investors can get their money back promptly at net
asset value related prices from the Mutual Fund itself. With close-ended schemes,
investors can sell their units on a stock exchange at the prevailing market price or avail
of the facility of direct repurchase at NAV related prices which some close ended and
interval schemes offer periodically.
7. Transparency: Investors get regular information on the value of their investment in
addition to disclosure on the specific investments made by scheme, the proportion
invested in each class of assets and the fund manager’s investment strategy and outlook.
8. Other Benefits: Mutual Funds provide regular withdrawal and systematic investment
plans according to the need of the investors. The investors can also switch from one
scheme to another without any load.
9. Highly Regulated: Mutual Funds all over the world are highly regulated and in India all
Mutual Funds are registered with SEBI and are strictly regulated as per the Mutual Fund
Regulations which provide excellent investor protection.
10. Economies of scale: The way mutual funds are structured gives it a natural advantage.
The “pooled” money from a number of investors ensures that mutual funds enjoy
economies of scale; it is cheaper compared to investing directly in the capital markets
which involves higher charges. This also allows retail investors access to high entry level
markets like real estate, and also there is a greater control over costs.
11. Flexibility: There are a lot of features in a regular mutual fund scheme, which imparts
flexibility to the scheme. An investor can opt for Systematic Investment Plan (SIP),
Systematic Withdrawal Plan etc. to plan his cash flow requirements as per his
convenience. The wide range of schemes being launched in India by different mutual
funds also provides an added flexibility to the investor to plan his portfolio accordingly.
What are the drawbacks of investments in Mutual Funds?
(a) There is no guarantee of return as some Mutual Funds may underperform and Mutual
Fund Investment may depreciate in value which may even effect erosion / Depletion of
principal amount
(b) Diversification may minimize risk but does not guarantee higher return.
(c) Mutual funds performance is judged on the basis of past performance record of various
companies. But this cannot take care of or guarantee future performance.
(d) Mutual Fund cost is involved like entry load, exit load, fees paid to Asset Management
Company etc.
(e) There may be unethical Practices e.g. diversion of Mutual Fund amounts by Mutual
Fund/s to their sister concerns for making gains for them.
(f) MFs, systems do not maintain the kind of transparency, they should maintain
(g) Many MF scheme are, at times, subject to lock in period, therefore, deny the market
drawn benefits
(h) At times, the investments are subject to different kind of hidden costs.
(i) Redressal of grievances, if any, is not easy
(j) When making decisions about your money, fund managers do not consider your personal
tax situations. For example. When a fund manager sells a security, a capital gain tax is
triggered, which affects how profitable the individual is from sale. It might have been
more profitable for the individual to defer the capital gain liability.
(k) Liquidating a mutual fund portfolio may increase risk, increase fees and commissions,
and create capital gains taxes.
Explain briefly about net asset value (NAV) of a Mutual Fund Scheme.
Net Asset Value (NAV) is the total asset value (net of expenses) per unit of the fund calculated
by the Asset Management Company (AMC) at the end of every business day. Net Asset Value
on a particular date reflects the realizable value that the investor will get for each unit that he is holding if the scheme is liquidated on that date. The day of valuation of NAV is called the
valuation day.
The performance of a particular scheme of a mutual fund is denoted by Net Asset Value
(NAV). Net Asset Value may also be defined as the value at which new investors may apply to
a mutual fund for joining a particular scheme.
It is the value of net assets of the fund. The investors’ subscription is treated as the capital in
the balance sheet of the fund, and the investments on their behalf are treated as assets. The
NAV is calculated for every scheme of the MF individually. The value of portfolio is the
aggregate value of different investments.
The Net Asset Value (NAV) = Number of units outstanding
Net Assets of the scheme
Net Assets of the scheme will normally be:
Market value of investments + Receivables + Accrued Income + Other Assets – Accrued
Expenses – Payables – Other Liabilities
Since investments by a Mutual Fund are marked to market, the value of the investments for
computing NAV will be at market value.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has notified certain valuation norms
calculating net asset value of Mutual fund schemes separately for traded and non-traded
schemes. Also, according to Regulation 48 of SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, mutual funds
are required to compute Net Asset Value (NAV) of each scheme and to disclose them on a
regular basis – daily or weekly (based on the type of scheme) and publish them in atleast two
daily newspapers.
NAV play an important part in investors’ decisions to enter or to exit a MF scheme. Analyst
use the NAV to determine the yield on the schemes.
What are the investors’ rights & obligations under the Mutual Fund Regulations? Explain
different methods for evaluating the performance of Mutual Fund.
Investors’ Rights and Obligations under the Mutual Fund Regulations: Important
aspect of the mutual fund regulations and operations is the investors’ protection and
disclosure norms. It serves the very purpose of mutual fund guidelines. Due to these norms it
is very necessary for the investor to remain vigilant. Investor should continuously evaluate the
performance of mutual fund.
Following are the steps taken for improvement and compliance of standards of mutual fund:
1. All mutual funds should disclose full portfolio of their schemes in the annual report within one month of the close of each financial year. Mutual fund should either send it to each
unit holder or publish it by way of an advertisement in one English daily and one in
regional language.
2. The Asset Management Company must prepare a compliance manual and design
internal audit systems including audit systems before the launch of any schemes. The
trustees are also required to constitute an audit committee of the trustees which will
review the internal audit systems and the recommendation of the internal and statutory
audit reports and ensure their rectification.
3. The AMC shall constitute an in-house valuation committee consisting of senior
executives including personnel from accounts, fund management and compliance
departments. The committee would on a regular basis review the system practice of
valuation of securities.
4. The trustees shall review all transactions of the mutual fund with the associates on a
regular basis.
Investors’ Rights
1. Unit holder has proportionate right in the beneficial ownership of the schemes assets as
well as any dividend or income declared under the scheme.
2. For initial offers unit holders have right to expect allotment of units within 30 days from
the closure of mutual offer period.
3. Receive dividend warrant within 42 days.
4. AMC can be terminated by 75% of the unit holders.
5. Right to inspect major documents i.e. material contracts, Memorandum of Association
and Articles of Association (M.A. & A.A) of the AMC, Offer document etc.
6. 75% of the unit holders have the right to approve any changes in the close ended
scheme.
7. Every unit holder have right to receive copy of the annual statement.
8. Right to wind up a scheme if 75% of investors pass a resolution to that effect.
9. Investors have a right to be informed about changes in the fundamental attributes of a
scheme. Fundamental attributes include type of scheme, investment objectives and
policies and terms of issue.
10. Lastly, investors can approach the investor relations officer for grievance redressal. In
case the investor does not get appropriate solution, he can approach the investor
grievance cell of SEBI. The investor can also sue the trustees.
Legal Limitations to Investors’ Rights
1. Unit holders cannot sue the trust but they can initiate proceedings against the trustees, if
they feel that they are being cheated.
2. Except in certain circumstances AMC cannot assure a specified level of return to the
investors. AMC cannot be sued to make good any shortfall in such schemes.
Investors’ Obligations
1. An investor should carefully study the risk factors and other information provided in the
offer document. Failure to study will not entitle him for any rights thereafter.
2. It is the responsibility of the investor to monitor his schemes by studying the reports and
other financial statements of the funds.
Methods for Evaluating the Performance
1. Sharpe Ratio
The excess return earned over the risk free return on portfolio to the portfolio’s total risk
measured by the standard deviation. This formula uses the volatility of portfolio return.
The Sharpe ratio is often used to rank the risk-adjusted performance of various portfolios
over the same time. The higher a Sharpe ratio, the better a portfolio’s returns have been
relative to the amount of investment risk the investor has taken.
Standard Deviation of Portfolio
Return of - portfolio Return of risk free investment = S
2. Treynor Ratio
This ratio is similar to the Sharpe Ratio except it uses Beta of portfolio instead of
standard deviation. Treynor ratio evaluates the performance of a portfolio based on the
systematic risk of a fund. Treynor ratio is based on the premise that unsystematic or
specific risk can be diversified and hence, only incorporates the systematic risk (beta) to
gauge the portfolio’s performance.
Beta of Portfolio
Return of - portfolio Return of risk free investment = T
3. Jensen’s Alpha
The comparison of actual return of the fund with the benchmark portfolio of the same
risk. Normally, for the comparison of portfolios of mutual funds this ratio is applied and
compared with market return. It shows the comparative risk and reward from the said
portfolio. Alpha is the excess of actual return compared with expected return.
What are the signals that indicate that is time for an investor to exit a mutual fund scheme?
(1) When the mutual fund consistently under performs the broad based index, it is high time
that it should get out of the scheme.
(2) When the mutual fund consistently under performs its peer group instead of it being at
the top. In such a case, it would have to pay to get out of the scheme and then invest in
the winning schemes.
(3) When the mutual fund changes its objectives e.g. instead of providing a regular income
to the investor, the composition of the portfolio has changed to a growth fund mode which
is not in tune with the investor’s risk preferences.
(4) When the investor changes his objective of investing in a mutual fund which no longer is
beneficial to him.
(5) When the fund manager, handling the mutual fund schemes, has been replaced by a new
entrant whose image is not known.
Briefly explain what is an exchange traded fund.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) were introduced in US in 1993 and came to India around
2002. ETF is a hybrid product that combines the features of an index mutual fund and stock
and hence, is also called index shares. These funds are listed on the stock exchanges and
their prices are linked to the underlying index. The authorized participants act as market
makers for ETFs.
ETF can be bought and sold like any other stock on stock exchange. In other words, they can
be bought or sold any time during the market hours at prices that are expected to be closer to
the NAV at the end of the day. NAV of an ETF is the value of the underlying component of the
benchmark index held by the ETF plus all accrued dividends less accrued management fees.
There is no paper work involved for investing in an ETF. These can be bought like any other
stock by just placing an order with a broker.
Some other important features of ETF are as follows:
1. It gives an investor the benefit of investing in a commodity without physically purchasing
the commodity like gold, silver, sugar etc.
2. It is launched by an asset management company or other entity.
3. The investor does not need to physically store the commodity or bear the costs of upkeep
which is part of the administrative costs of the fund.
4. An ETF combines the valuation feature of a mutual fund or unit investment trust, which
can be bought or sold at the end of each trading day for its net asset value, with the
tradability feature of a closed-end fund, which trades throughout the trading day at prices
that may be more or less than its net asset value.
Distinguish between Open-ended and Close-ended Schemes.
subscription and repurchase on a continuous basis. Investor can conveniently buy and sell
unit. The price is calculated and declared on daily basis. The calculated price is termed as
NAV. The buying price and selling price is calculated with certain adjustment to NAV. The key
future of the scheme is liquidity.
Close Ended Scheme has a stipulated maturity period normally 5 to 10 years. The Scheme is
open for subscription only during the specified period at the time of launce of the scheme.
Investor can invest at the time of initial issue and thereafter they can buy or sell from stock
exchange where the scheme is listed. To provide an exit rout some close-ended schemes give
an option of selling bank (repurchase) on the basis of NAV. The NAV is generally declared on
weekly basis.
Write short notes on Money market mutual fund.
An important part of financial market is Money market. It is a market for short-term money. It
plays a crucial role in maintaining the equilibrium between the short-term demand and supply
of money. Such schemes invest in safe highly liquid instruments included in commercial
papers certificates of deposits and government securities.
Accordingly, the Money Market Mutual Fund (MMMF) schemes generally provide high returns
and highest safety to the ordinary investors. MMMF schemes are active players of the money
market. They channelize the idle short funds, particularly of corporate world, to those who
require such funds. This process helps those who have idle funds to earn some income
without taking any risk and with surety that whenever they will need their funds, they will get
(generally in maximum three hours of time) the same. Short-term/emergency requirements of various firms are met by such Mutual Funds. Participation of such Mutual Funds provide a
boost to money market and help in controlling the volatility.
Question 11
(i) Who can be appointed as Asset Management Company (AMC)?
(ii) Write the conditions to be fulfilled by an AMC.
(iii) What are the obligations of AMC?
(i) Asset Management Company (AMC): A company formed and registered under
Companies Act 1956 and which has obtained the approval of SEBI to function as an
asset management company may be appointed by the sponsor of the mutual fund as
AMC for creation and maintenance of investment portfolios under different schemes. The
AMC is involved in the daily administration of the fund and typically has three
departments: a) Fund Management; b) Sales and Marketing and c) Operations and
Accounting.
(ii) Conditions to be fulfilled by an AMC
(1) The Memorandum and Articles of Association of the AMC is required to be
approved by the SEBI.
(2) Any director of the asset management company shall not hold the place of a
director in another asset management company unless such person is independent
director referred to in clause (d) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 21 of the
Regulations and the approval of the Board of asset management company of which
such person is a director, has been obtained. Atleast 50% of the directors of the
AMC should be independent (i.e. not associated with the sponsor).
(3) The asset management company shall forthwith inform SEBI of any material change
in the information or particulars previously furnished which have a bearing on the
approval granted by SEBI.
(a) No appointment of a director of an asset management company shall be made
without the prior approval of the trustees.
(b) The asset management company undertakes to comply with SEBI (Mutual
Funds) Regulations, 1996.
(c) No change in controlling interest of the asset management company shall be
made unless prior approval of the trustees and SEBI is obtained.
(i) A written communication about the proposed change is sent to each unit
holder and an advertisement is given in one English Daily newspaper having
nation wide circulation and in a newspaper published in the language of the
region where the head office of the mutual fund is situated.
(ii) The unit holders are given an option to exit at the prevailing Net Asset
Value without any exit load.
(iii) The asset management company shall furnish such information and
documents to the trustees as and when required by the trustees.
(4) The minimum net worth of an AMC should be ` 10 crores, of which not less than
40% is to be contributed by the sponsor.
(iii) Obligations of the AMC
(1) The AMC shall manage the affairs of the mutual funds and operate the schemes of
such fund.
(2) The AMC shall take all reasonable steps and exercise due diligence to ensure that
the investment of the mutual funds pertaining to any scheme is not contrary to the
provisions of SEBI Regulations and the trust deed of the mutual fund.
