Benchmarking the performance of mutual funds
When you invest in mutual funds, you are reminded time and again that “mutual fund returns are subject to market risks”. Naturally, you may feel that if your scheme is subject to market risks, it should be delivering market linked returns, since risk and return are two sides of the same coin. But how can you gauge whether a scheme is in fact delivering returns that are in line with the market or not? Here’s where benchmarking comes in.
What is benchmarking? The performance of a mutual fund scheme can be gauged in comparison to a benchmark index or indices. For such purposes, a benchmark index is one which contains broadly similar instruments to those that a scheme sets out to invest in. So, for instance, an equity fund may be benchmarked against the BSE 100 if its objective is to invest in a portfolio of stocks that are similar to those comprised in the index, in terms of diversity, market capitalization, etc. Similarly, a sector specific fund may choose to compare its performance to an appropriate sector specific index. (more…)
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