New Delhi, Inflow in equity mutual funds declined to an 11-month low at ₹25,082 crore in March primarily due to sharp redemption in sectoral and thematic funds amid continued market volatility spurred by tariff concerns.
This was the third consecutive month of a decline in inflow in equity funds and also marks 14 per cent drop in inflow from February. The latest fund infusion by investors was the 49th consecutive month of net inflows into the segment.
Moreover, inflows into systematic investment plans came at Rs 25,925 crore in March a four-month low. Before this, SIP inflow was Rs 25,999 crore in February, ₹26,400 crore in January and ₹26,459 crore in December.
In the fiscal year 2024-25, the average monthly SIP contribution reached ₹24,113 crore, marking a significant increase from the ₹16,602 crore observed in the preceding fiscal year.
According to data released by Association of Mutual Funds in India on Friday, equity-oriented MFs saw an inflow of ₹25,082 crore in March, way lower than ₹29,303 crore in February.
The flow in March was at the lowest level since April 2025, when equity mutual funds attracted ₹18,917 crore.
ITI Mutual Fund CEO Jatinder Pal Singh attributed the decline in inflows to higher redemption in sectoral and thematic funds.
“This slowdown was largely driven by a sharp reduction in investments into sectoral and thematic funds, which had previously seen strong traction,” Nehal Meshram, Senior Analyst Manager Research, Morningstar Investment Research India, said.
Within the equity fund categories, flexi cap funds recorded the highest inflows in March, attracting ₹5,165 crore. However, sectoral/thematic funds, which saw a robust inflow of ₹5,711 crore in February, experienced a sharp drop, drawing in just ₹735 crore in March.
This significant decline indicates a shift in investor sentiment, with interest moving away from niche sectoral bets towards more diversified and flexible investment strategies.
In March, mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds continued to attract significant investor interest, with inflows of ₹3,439 crore and ₹4,092 crore, respectively.
These figures marked a slight increase from February’s inflows of ₹3,406 crore for mid-caps and ₹3,722 crore for small-caps. In contrast, large-cap funds witnessed a decline in inflows, receiving ₹2,479 crore in March compared to ₹2,866 crore in February.
Madhu Nair, CEO at Union AMC, explained the decline in equity inflow to investor behaviour. Investors don’t like uncertainty with all the news flows around and hence there is a tendency to sit on sidelines.
“But what they are forgetting is that good prices and good news don’t come together most of the time. Its either good prices or good news… So when news flows are bad, prices may be good and investors should exactly do the reverse and buy into equity mutual funds as per their time horizon, asset allocation and financial situation,” Nair said.
In FY25, equity-oriented funds witnessed cumulative inflows of ₹4.17 lakh crore, significantly higher than the ₹1.84 lakh crore recorded in FY24.
On the other hand, debt funds registered an outflow of ₹2.02 lakh crore in March as compared to ₹6,525 crore in February.
“This significant withdrawal is consistent with a seasonal pattern commonly seen at the end of each financial quarter, particularly in March, as corporates and institutional investors redeem investments to meet year-end requirements such as advance tax payments, financial reporting adjustments, and other fiscal obligations,” Morningstar’s Meshram said.
In March, all 16 debt fund categories recorded net outflows, highlighting broad-based redemption pressure across the segment. Liquid funds bore the brunt, witnessing the highest outflow at ₹1.33 lakh crore accounting for 65.64 per cent of the total outflow for the month.
This was followed by overnight funds, which saw redemptions of ₹30,015 crore, and money market funds, which experienced net outflows of ₹21,301 crore. Moreover, outflows remained relatively muted in the duration-oriented categories, such as medium to long duration, and gilt funds.
Additionally, gold exchange traded funds saw an outflow of ₹77 crore last month after witnessing a fund infusion of ₹1,980 crore by investors in February.
Overall, mutual funds experienced an outflow of ₹1.64 lakh crore during the month under review as compared to an inflow of ₹40,000 crore in February.
Despite the outflow, assets under management of the industry slightly increased to ₹65.7 lakh crore in March-end from ₹64.53 lakh crore in the preceding month.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
When we think of raising a reader, we often picture a child snuggled in bed, bathed in the soft glow…
Oil prices settled more than 3% higher on Thursday, supported by hopes for a trade deal between the United States…
Penny stock under ₹5: Sellwin Traders shares will be in focus on Monday, April 21, as the consumer products company…
BOGOTA: Residents in Colombia's biggest city Bogota won a much-desired reprieve from year-long water rationing Friday, with authorities announcing tough…