MUTUAL FUND DIVERSIFICATION & PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT ABSTRACT:Diversification & Financial innovations have become the central driving

force taking any financial system towards economic efficiency. Indian Capital market has shown a spurt growth for diversification becoming a regular feature leading to change in investor's preferences for newly fangled financial innovations. Mutual fund has become an obvious choice for most of the investors because of its performance in terms of providing higher returns at low risk. Although past performance of fund is an important parameter in selecting a particular Asset Management Company (AMC) for investment yet some other parameters that should be considered involves knowledge and diligence of fund managers in deciding asset mix for funds as it results in significant difference in financial performance of fund as compared to other funds. This paper employs as a risk measure that measures the variability of fund in terms of return provided and if fund manager was able to provide return over and above risk free return and Expected return. Results of the study show that funds under study vary to some extent in terms of risk level assumed and returns generated from investment. Diversifying in investment style adopted by various funds managers in designing portfolio with updated market knowledge certainly yield them superior returns in comparison to other funds.

INTRODUCTION: - Mutual fund is a trust that pools the savings of a number of investors
who share a common financial goal. This pool of money is invested in accordance with a stated objective. The joint ownership of the fund is thus Mutual, i.e. the fund belongs to all investors. The money thus collected is then invested in capital market instruments such as shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciations realized are shared by its unit holders in proportion the number of units owned by them. Thus a Mutual Fund is the most suitable investment for the common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at a relatively low cost. A Mutual Fund is an investment tool that allows small investors access to a well-diversified
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Portfolio of equities, bonds and other securities. When an investor subscribes for the units of a mutual fund, he becomes part owner of the assets of the fund in the same proportion as his contribution amount put up with the corpus (the total amount of the fund). Mutual Fund investor is also known as a mutual fund shareholder or a unit holder. Any change in the value of the investments made into capital market instruments (such as shares, debentures etc.) is reflected in the Net Asset Value (NAV) of the scheme. NAV is defined as the market value of the Mutual Fund scheme's assets net of its liabilities. NAV of a scheme is calculated by dividing the market value of scheme's assets by the Total number of units issued to the investors. HISTORY OF THE INDIAN MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY:The mutual fund industry in India started in 1963 with the formation of Unit Trust of India, at the initiative of the Government of India and Reserve Bank. Though the growth was slow, but it accelerated from the year 1987 when non-UTI players entered the Industry. In the past decade, Indian mutual fund industry had seen a dramatic improvement, both Qualities wise as well as quantity wise. Before, the monopoly of the market had seen an Ending phase; the Assets under Management (AUM) was Rs67 billion. The private Sector entry to the fund family raised the AUM to Rs. 470 billion in March 1993 and till April 2004; it reached the height if Rs. 1540 billion. Assets under management by Indian mutual fund houses breached the Rs 6 lakh crore mark in March 2012 on the downside, plunging to Rs 5,87,217 crore. The Mutual Fund Industry is obviously growing at a tremendous space with the mutual fund industry can be broadly put into four phases according to the development of the sector. Each phase is briefly described as under.

Q. Why Should I Invest In Mutual Funds?

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ADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUND

1. Portfolio Diversification. 2. Professional management. 3. Reduction / Diversification of Risk. 4. Liquidity. 5. Flexibility & Convenience. 6. Reduction in Transaction cost. 7. Safety of regulated environment. 8. Choice of schemes. 9. Transparency.

DISADVANTAGE OF MUTUAL FUND

1. No control over Cost in the Hands of an Investor. 2. No tailor-made Portfolios. 3. Managing a Portfolio Funds. 4. Difficulty in selecting a Suitable Fund Scheme.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES 1. Systematic Investment Plan: under this a fixed sum is invested each month on a fixed date of a month. Payment is made through postdated cheques or direct debit Facilities. The investor gets fewer units when the NAV is high and more units when the NAV is low. This is called as the benefit of Rupee Cost Averaging (RCA) 2. Systematic Transfer Plan: under this an investor invest in debt oriented fund and give instructions to transfer a fixed sum, at a fixed interval, to an equity scheme of the same mutual fund. 3. Systematic Withdrawal Plan: if someone wishes to withdraw from a mutual fund then he can withdraw a fixed amount each month.
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TYPES OF MUTUAL FUND

Mutual funds can be classified as follow:

By Constitution or Structure:1. Open-ended funds:-Investors can buy and sell the units from the fund, at any point of

time.
2. Close-ended funds:-These funds raise money from investors only once. Therefore, after

the offer period, fresh investments can not be made into the fund. If the fund is listed on a stocks exchange the units can be traded like stocks (E.g., Morgan Stanley Growth Fund). Recently, most of the New Fund Offers of close-ended funds provided liquidity window on a periodic basis such as monthly or weekly. Redemption of units can be made during specified intervals. Therefore, such funds have relatively low liquidity.
3. Interval Schemes: - These combine the features of open-ended and close- ended

schemes. They may be traded on the stock exchange or may be open for sale or redemption during pre-determined intervals at NAV related prices.\\

By Investment Objective:-

1. Equity funds: These funds invest in equities and equity related instruments. With
fluctuating share prices, such funds show volatile performance, even losses. However, short term fluctuations in the market, generally smoothens out in the long term, thereby offering higher returns at relatively lower volatility. At the same time, such funds can yield great capital appreciation as, historically, equities have outperformed all asset classes in the long term. Hence, investment in equity funds should be considered for a period of at least 3-5 years. It can be further classified as:

i) Index funds- In this case a key stock market index, like BSE Sensex or Nifty is
tracked. Their portfolio mirrors the benchmark index both in terms of composition and individual stock weightages.

ii) Equity diversified funds- 100% of the capital is invested in equities spreading
Across different sectors and stocks.

iii|) Dividend yield funds- It is similar to the equity diversified funds except that
they invest in companies offering high dividend yields.

iv) Thematic funds- Invest 100% of the assets in sectors which are related through Some theme. e.g. -An infrastructure fund invests in power, construction, cements sectors etc. v) Sector funds- Invest 100% of the capital in a specific sector. e.g. - A banking
sector fund will invest in banking stocks.

vi) ELSS- Equity Linked Saving Scheme provides tax benefit to the investors. Balanced fund:-Their investment portfolio includes both debt and equity. As a result,
on the risk-return ladder, they fall between equity and debt funds. Balanced funds are the
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ideal mutual funds vehicle for investors who prefer spreading their risk across various instruments. Following are balanced funds classes:-

i) Debt-oriented funds -Investment below 65% in equities. ii) Equity-oriented funds -Invest at least 65% in equities, remaining in debt. 2. Debt fund:- They invest only in debt instruments, and are a good option for investors
averse to idea of taking risk associated with equities. Therefore, they invest exclusively in fixedincome instruments like bonds, debentures, Government of India securities; and money market instruments such as certificates of deposit (CD), commercial paper (CP) and call money. Put your money into any of these debt funds depending on your investment horizon and needs.

i) Liquid funds- These funds invest 100% in money market instruments, a large
Portion being invested in call money market.

ii) Gilt funds ST- They invest 100% of their portfolio in government securities of and Tbills.

iii) Floating rate funds - Invest in short-term debt papers. Floaters invest in debt
instruments which have variable coupon rate.

iv)Arbitrage fund- They generate income through arbitrage opportunities due to mispricing
between cash market and derivatives market. Funds are allocated to equities, derivatives and money markets. Higher proportion (around 75%) is put in money markets, in the absence of arbitrage opportunities.

v) Gilt funds LT- They invest 100% of their portfolio in long-term government
securities.

vi) Income funds LT- Typically, such funds invest a major portion of the portfolio in longterm debt papers.
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vii) MIPs- Monthly Income Plans have an exposure of 70%-90% to debt and an exposure of
10%-30% to equities.

viii) FMPs- fixed monthly plans invest in debt papers whose maturity is in line with that of the
fund.

ANALYSIS
Q. How to choose the right Mutual Fund?
Choosing the right mutual fund scheme out of thousands of schemes available can be daunting. But it is much easier than it looks. Let us tell you how through the following steps:

Step 1: Identify your investment objective

Different people have different needs. Therefore your choice of mutual fund scheme will vary based on your investment objective, age, lifestyle, risk profile, investment horizon, and family commitments among many other factors. You should ask yourself:

1. Why do I want to invest?

I need regular income. I need sufficient funds for my daughters wedding. I want to buy a house. I need to raise fund for my childrens education. I need extra cash .

2. How much risk can I absorb?

Based on your risk taking capacity you can be categorized as:

Very conservative: Liquid and money market funds are best for you Conservative: Money market and debt funds are best for you
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Moderate: Balanced funds or a mixture of equity and debt funds is the right solution Aggressive: Predominantly equity funds will suit you Very aggressive: Equity diversified, international equity and sectoral funds are best for you

3. What is my investment horizon?

I want to invest my idle funds for two months: Money market funds is the right solution. I need cash to pay off my load in one year: Debt funds will be more suitable for you. I want to invest for my childs education in eight years: Equity Funds will be the right solution.

Once you have done a self-analysis you need to select a scheme category that matches your investment objectives:

For Capital Appreciation go for equity sectoral funds, equity diversified funds or
balanced funds.

For Regular Income and Stability you should opt for income funds/MIPs. For Short-Term Parking of Funds go for liquid funds, floating rate funds, shortterm funds.

For Growth and Tax Savings go for Equity-Linked Savings Schemes.

Step 2: Do your performance !!! Fund Performance

Investors often feel that a simple way to invest in a mutual fund is to keep investing in the best performing funds. But they often forget that todays best performing scheme may not give you a consistent performance. It may be by sheer luck that the scheme is currently rated well in
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performance. Therefore it is important that you choose the Mutual Fund Company, scheme and fund manager with a solid track record of investing in both buoyant and sluggish markets. When evaluating a scheme consider its long-term track record rather than short-term performance. It is important because long-term track record moderates the effects which unusually good or bad short-term performance can have on a fund's track record. Besides, longer-term track record compensates for the effects of a fund manager's particular investment style. The objective is to differentiate investment skill of the fund manager from luck and to identify those funds with the greatest potential of future success. But remember not to compare apples to oranges: When measuring past performance, always compare similar funds. This means asset class, fund objective and financial market. A fund that invests in services sector for instance, should not be compared to a diversified equity fund.

Fund Manager
Look for a manager who has a track record of outperforming the competition. Levels of excellence vary. Some portfolio managers are better than others. Another factor considered important is consistent portfolio management style. This quality is the discipline by the fund's managers to establish specific investment criteria and stick with them rather than trying out whatever is in vogue. A checklist for choosing a fund manager:

The fund's performance track record. Independent ratings of the fund. The fund managers strategy. Discipline.

Awards and industry recognition that have been bestowed on the fund.

Other factors to consider

When choosing the right mutual fund scheme also consider the schemes:

Stock allocation: A good diversified fund should have less than 40% of net assets
spread evenly across the top 10 stocks in its portfolio and no exceptional concentration in any of these. This helps the fund navigate safely during volatile periods. Stock picks must be consistent with no frequent churning of stocks by the fund manager over the past few months.

sectoral allocation: Your chosen fund must be well diversified across sectors apart
from stocks. Sectorial concentration can be harmful unless the fund has a top-down investment approach. You must combine similar sectors, such as auto and ancillaries, when considering sectorial allocation. Different funds may categorize same companies across different sectors due to lack of standardization. Look for this anomaly when analyzing sectors.

Asset allocation: Dont overlook asset allocation. This tells you about the spread of
assets across stocks, current assets, and cash. Cash reserves of an equity fund can tell a lot. A high cash level may indicate a fund managers discomfort in staying fully invested in the market.

Turnover ratio: This shows you the stock churning in a funds portfolio. Its
measured by considering the number of stocks bought and sold over a certain assessment period. A higher or lower Portfolio Turnover Ratio doesnt matter as long as its aligned with the funds investment philosophy. A high turnover ratio can be good for equity funds, though high trading costs can lower your returns.

Expense ratio and loads: A high expense ratio indicates that your fund is expensive
compared to its peers. Currently the expense ratio has a regulatory ceiling of 2.50% for equity and debt funds.

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Q. Is a fund with low NAV better? Investors often get confused with NAV and try to judge it like a share price. They often make the NAV of a fund as a deciding criterion for investment. It is a common myth that a low NAV is cheap and a good buy, but that is not the case. You cannot view a mutual fund unit like a share. A companys share price may get overvalued if its price shoots up, but that is not the case with a mutual fund. It is irrelevant how high or low the NAV of a fund is. Lets take an example, say you want to invest Rs 10,000. Irrespective of which fund you invest in, this amount stays constant. Now let's say that your choice is restricted between two funds with identical portfolios. Since they both have identical portfolios, their value will increase in the same proportion. You may buy the units of one fund at a higher price than the other. But, the percentage increase would be the same. Hence, your investment of Rs 10,000 will increase by the same percentage, irrespective of the fund you invest in. So the number of units you get as well as a high or low NAV are irrelevant. Thus, it is the stocks in a portfolio that determine the returns from a fund, the value of the NAV being immaterial. The only instance where a higher NAV will get you fewer units that may affect you is where a dividend has to be received. Dividend is given per unit. So the fewer the units you get, the lesser the dividend. But even here, total returns will remain the same. So from whichever angle you see it, the NAV makes no difference to returns. Mutual fund schemes have to be judged on their performance, risk and other such factors.

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CONCLUSION These are different types of mutual fund that you can choose to diversify your mutual fund portfolio. You have to plan your mutual fund investment depending on your fund, time period for which you are willing to invest and of course your risk tolerance. You can surely choose to invest in more fund of different nature to diversify your investment and to strike profitability and stability of your investment. A mutual fund allows for diversification between many different stocks and also allows for diversification between various sectors, styles, etc. This diversification allows investors to reduce the risk of one particular stock or sector, but also allows for more potential reward by offering a broader exposure to various stocks and sectors. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFRENCES 1. From the following websites: http://www.sharegyan.com/ http://www.ninemilliondollars.com/mutual-funds/ www.mutualfundsindia.com www.google.com www.valueresearchonline.com www.amfiindia.com www.investmentz.com
www.arihantcapital.com http://www.ici.org/ 2. FROM BOOKS AND AIRTICLES: Mutual fund industry in india (amit singh sisodiya).
Security analysis & Portfolio management by Prasanna Chandra. 12

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