In April, contra/value equity mutual funds witnessed a 68% AUM jump to Rs 1,57,946 crore, attracting investors with a higher risk appetite. These funds invest in out-of-favour or undervalued stocks, offering potential returns amid market volatility.
Equity mutual fund categories in April had varying performances. Small cap funds led, while mid cap, contra, and multi cap funds also showed good results. Additionally, value funds and tax saving or ELSS funds performed well in the said period.
Smallcap funds led the way in equity mutual funds, followed by Infrastructure and midcap funds. Noteworthy performers included Quant Small Cap Fund, Quant Mid Cap Fund, and Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund, showcasing impressive returns over five years.
We considered all equity and equity-oriented categories such as large cap, mid cap, small cap, large & mid cap, multi cap, flexi cap, focused fund, ELSS, value & contra fund categories for the study.
Predictably, small cap funds topped the return chart. The small cap category gave an average return of around 24.13% in 2023. The category has around 24 schemes and Mahindra Manulife Small Cap Fund offered the highest return of around 34.65%, followed by Union Small Cap Fund which offered 30.83%.