Application Amount for Fresh Subscription : This is the minimum investment amount for a new investor in a mutual fund scheme.
Minimum Additional Amount : This is the minimum investment amount for an existing investor in a mutual fund scheme.
Fund Manager : An employee of the asset management company such as a mutual fund or life insurer, who manages investments of the scheme. He is usually part of a larger team of fund managers and research analysts.
Entry Load : A mutual fund may have a sales charge or load at the time of entry and/or exit to compensate the distributor/agent. Entry load is charged at the time an investor purchases the units of a mutual fund. The entry load is added to the prevailing NAV at the time of investment. For instance, if the NAV is Rs. 100 and the entry load is 1%, the investor will enter the fund at Rs 101.
Note: SEBI, vide circular dated June 30, 2009 has abolished entry load and mandated that the upfront commission to distributors will be paid by the investor directly to the distributor, based on his assessment of various factors including the service rendered by the distributors.
Exit Load : Exit load is charged at the time an investor redeems the units of a mutual fund. The entry load is added to the prevailing NAV at the time of redemption. For instance, if the NAV is Rs 100 and the exit load is 1%, the investor will redeem the fund at Rs 99.
SIP : SIP or systematic investment plan works on the principle of making periodic investments of a fixed sum. It works similar to a recurring bank deposit. For instance, an investor may opt for an SIP that invests Rs 500 every 15th of the month in an equity fund for a period of three years.
NAV : The NAV or the net asset value is the total asset value per unit of the mutual fund after deducting all related and permissible expenses. The NAV is calculated at the end of every business day. It is the value at which the investor enters or exits the mutual fund.
Benchmark : A group of securities, usually a market index, whose performance is used as a standard or benchmark to measure investment performance of mutual funds, among other investments. Some typical benchmarks include the Nifty, Sensex, BSE200, BSE500, 10-Year Gsec.
Total Return Index : Total return index calculation considers the actual rate of return of an investment or a pool of investments over a given evaluation period. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends and distributions realized over a given period of time.
Alpha : Alpha is the excess return on an investment, relative to the return on a benchmark index.
CAGR : CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) is the annual rate of return on an investment over a specified period of time, assuming the profits were reinvested over the investment’s lifespan.
Yield to Maturity : The Yield to Maturity or the YTM is the rate of return anticipated on a bond if held until maturity. YTM is expressed as an annual rate. The YTM factors in the bond’s current market price, par value, coupon interest rate and time to maturity.
Modified Duration : Modified duration is the price sensitivity and the percentage change in price for a unit change in yield.
Standard Deviation : Standard deviation is a statistical measure of the range of an investment’s performance. When a mutual fund has a high standard deviation, it means its range of performance is wide, implying greater volatility.
Sharpe Ratio : The Sharpe Ratio, named after its founder, the Nobel Laureate William Sharpe, is a measure of risk-adjusted returns. It is calculated using standard deviation and excess return to determine reward per unit of risk.
Beta : Beta is a measure of an investment’s volatility vis-✓-vis the market. Beta of less than 1 means that the security will be less volatile than the market. A beta of greater than 1 implies that the security’s price will be more volatile than the market.
AUM : AUM or assets under management refers to the recent / updated cumulative market value of investments managed by a mutual fund or any investment firm.
Holdings : The holdings or the portfolio is a mutual fund’s latest or updated reported statement of investments/securities. These are usually displayed in terms of percentage to net assets or the rupee value or both. The objective is to give investors an idea of where their money is being invested by the fund manager.
Nature of Scheme : The investment objective and underlying investments determine the nature of the mutual fund scheme. For instance, a mutual fund that aims at generating capital appreciation by investing in stock markets is an equity fund or growth fund. Likewise, a mutual fund that aims at capital preservation by investing in debt markets is a debt fund or income fund. Each of these categories may have sub-categories.
Rating Profile : Mutual funds invest in securities after evaluating their creditworthiness as disclosed by the ratings. A depiction of the mutual fund in various investments based on their ratings becomes the rating profile of the fund. Typically, this is a feature of debt funds.
