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Time of India
16 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
NFO Update: Axis Mutual Fund launches Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund
Axis Mutual Fund , one of India's leading asset management companies, has announced the launch of the Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund , an open-ended index fund tracking the Nifty500 Quality 50 TRI. The new fund offer (NFO) will open for subscription on August 21 and close on September 4. The fund will be managed by Karthik Kumar and Hitesh Das, and will be benchmarked against the Nifty500 Quality 50 TRI. Best MF to invest Looking for the best mutual funds to invest? Here are our recommendations. View Details » by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Phaya Thai: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Undo Also Read | Jio Financial Services & Reliance Industries among stocks bought and sold by PPFAS Mutual Fund in July The Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund is designed to provide investors with a simple, transparent, and cost-efficient route to invest in 50 of India's high-quality companies, carefully selected from the Nifty 500 universe, according to a release by the fund house. Live Events The underlying Nifty500 Quality 50 Index selects its constituents based on parameters such as high return on equity, low financial leverage, and stable earnings growth. It follows a disciplined, rules-based methodology that eliminates human bias from the stock selection process, the release said. 'Quality is a time-tested investment factor that has demonstrated resilience during uncertain market phases and the ability to capture upside in growth cycles. With the Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund , we are offering investors a disciplined, low-cost, and transparent way to gain exposure to India's strong companies—those well-positioned to deliver consistent performance over the long term,' said B. Gopkumar , MD & CEO, Axis AMC. The fund focuses on high-quality companies selected from the broader Nifty 500 universe using this rules-based approach. It emphasizes businesses with robust fundamentals, specifically those exhibiting high return on equity, low financial leverage, and stable earnings growth over the past five years. It also offers diversified exposure across large, mid, and small caps as well as multiple sectors, thereby mitigating concentration risk, the release added. With a low-cost, transparent, and systematic investment approach, the fund aims to deliver long-term wealth creation with lower volatility compared to broader market indices. The portfolio is rebalanced semi-annually and maintains a maximum stock weight cap to ensure balanced representation. The minimum investment during the NFO is Rs 100, and in multiples of Re 1 thereafter. 'Quality companies often combine strong earnings potential with robust balance sheets and sustainable competitive advantages. Companies in this index are selected based on their return on equity (ROE), financial leverage (Debt/Equity ratio), and earnings (EPS) growth variability. By investing in such businesses across different sectors and market caps, this fund offers investors a portfolio that can weather downturns and participate meaningfully during growth phases. This approach is especially suited for investors looking to build a core equity allocation with stability and long-term returns in focus,' said Ashish Gupta, CIO, Axis AMC. Also Read | 7 equity mutual funds multiply lumpsum investments by over 2x in 3 years The product is suitable for investors seeking long-term wealth creation through an index fund that tracks the returns of the Nifty500 Quality 50 Index. The fund aims to replicate the performance of the stated total return index, subject to tracking error, by investing in its constituents. Why a quality fund now? Historically, the Nifty500 Quality 50 Index has shown the ability to outperform the broader market while offering better downside protection during volatile phases. During major corrections such as the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 market crash, the index recorded smaller drawdowns and recovered more quickly than the Nifty 50. Over the 15 years ending July 2025, the index delivered a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6%, compared to 12.1% for the Nifty 50, while maintaining lower long-term volatility. This combination of resilience and competitive returns makes it a compelling option for investors focused on long-term wealth creation.
New Indian Express
16-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Man loots Rs 50 lakh while refilling ATMs, police launch search in Chennai
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Police is on the lookout for a 35-year-old man employed with a private firm, in charge of refilling cash in ATMs, for allegedly swindling Rs 50 lakh. Police sources said that the suspect Shankar was working with the firm for 12 years and reported for duty at its office in Teynampet. He allegedly pilfered away cash while loading it in the ATMs. Pondy Bazaar police began their probe after registering a case based on a complaint filed by the firm's manager Karthik Kumar (42). This was after an internal audit discovered the cash discrepancies. The audit estimated the total shortfall to be about Rs 50 lakh. Shankar went missing on July 13 about a month after his bosses questioned him and he promised to repay the difference. This forced the firm to file a police complaint. Cops have now begun to track his digital footprint in a bid to question him regarding the allegations. OVER 12 YEARS Shankar was working with the firm for 12 years and reported for duty at its office in Teynampet. He allegedly pilfered away cash while loading it in the ATMs
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Momentum mutual funds are leading mkt recovery, could give huge gains now: Should you rush to invest?
After struggling during the market downturn, the momentum strategy—chasing recent winners—is back on top. Funds tracking momentum indices are capitalising on the current market recovery. But should investors jump on the bandwagon, or is it too soon to ride this rally? From peaks to crashes In recent years, investors betting on momentum have seen the whole gamut of outcomes. The 'buy high, sell higher' mantra initially caught investors' fancy amid the near-uninterrupted market uptick post the March 2020 outbreak of Covid-19. Momentum stole the limelight in 2021 with a 75.8% return, outperforming all other investing styles and trouncing the Nifty 500 index (16.5%). After slipping up briefly in 2022 (-9.3%), momentum roared back into form in 2023 (46%) and 2024 (25.6%), emerging among the charttoppers and leaving the Nifty 500 index (25.2% and 15%) trailing in its wake. But towards the end of 2024, investors discovered that momentum is no free lunch. With the market cracking under the weight of steep valuations, tepid earnings growth and trade wars, momentum investors were in for a shock. The Nifty200 Momentum 30 index slipped 31% from 26 September 2024 to 7 April 2025. Comparatively, Nifty 500 lost 18%. Karthik Kumar, Fund Manager at Axis Mutual Fund , remarks, 'Momentum has exhibited volatility it hadn't seen for quite some time. Whenever a sudden shift in the market occurs, momentum typically takes time to reflect the newer realities, and exhibits a lag in such periods.' Many momentum portfolios were skewed towards value stocks just as the market turned, leading to sharp underperformance. Momentum strategies have gained sharply amid market recovery After underperforming over six months, momentum is regaining ground. But the tide has turned again. With the stock market rebounding smartly, the momentum trade is soaring high. Since 7 April 2025, the Nifty200 Momentum 30 index has gained 11% even as the Nifty 500 index gained 7.8%. Arihant Bardia, CIO, Valtrust, observes, 'Momentum investors have now seen a complete cycle. Many who got in previously on sharp outperformance have now also seen it lag the market.' Live Events Coming out of the storm So what does momentum have in store for investors now? Some experts reckon the time is ripe for momentum to kick into higher gear. Bardia asserts, 'Momentum typically starts outperforming when the market recovers from a sharp drawdown and breaches previous highs.' He reckons the drawdown is behind us and the market is on recovery path. The frontline BSE Sensex index is now only 4% off its previous peak of 85,978 even as the BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap indices are still 12% and 15.8% shy of their respective highs—but gaining ground quickly. Historical evidence supports momentum strategies at such junctures. However, betting on continued upswing in momentum on this evidence alone may backfire also, warn experts. 'Momentum will do well if market trends evolve gradually. But sharp changes in trends will lead to higher churn in winning stocks, which could temper returns,' cautions Kumar. To be sure, the market fog has seemingly dissipated in recent weeks. The ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the cooldown in US-China trade animosity and the imminent Ukraine-Russia peace talks provide a solid platform for further market upside. However, other surprises may yet derail the fragile recovery. Tackling the beast Experts maintain that investors should avoid timing their pursuit of momentum. The idea behind momentum investing is not to try and catch the top or the bottom of the market or a stock, but to simply ride an established trend. Investors must simply let momentum do what it does best. Any good momentum strategy adapts to the evolving market realities, latching on to the winners and letting go of the losers. 'The transition happens with a lag, but momentum is adept at changing its form in a way that reflects the market's current preferences,' insists Kumar. While momentum can cut deep amid a market correction, it is proven to deliver superior outcomes over longer periods of time. Bardia observes, 'Momentum tends to exhibit higher volatility but the risk-adjusted return over longer periods tends to be much higher. The outcomes typically compensate for the higher risk taken.' He suggests investing in a staggered manner and staying committed to the chosen momentum strategy for threefive years to make the most of its capabilities. Kumar points out that risk in momentum strategies is equivalent to any small cap offering, and so should be pursued through the lens of asset allocation. Such factor-based funds should form part of the satellite portfolio, not the core. Further, active momentum strategies may prove better at containing downside risk. Typically, momentum is a fast moving signal that requires deft portfolio manoeuvring. Index-driven momentum funds are slow to react as these embrace longer look-back periods (for price trends) and slower portfolio rebalancing. Actively run momentum strategies, on the other hand, capture both near-term and long-term price trends and rebalance more frequently. This enables quicker transitions, reduces the signal decay and cushions the downside better.
