Investing in mutual funds has become a popular choice for many Indians looking for ways to grow their wealth. One of the key factors that investors consider when choosing a mutual fund is its returns. This article will explain what mutual fund returns are, the different types of returns, how to calculate them, and the factors that can affect them.
Understanding mutual fund returns involves knowing that they are the gains or losses made from an investment over a specific period. These returns are often reported as percentages and serve as an important measure of the fund’s performance. Mutual fund returns can be complex and confusing, but they are crucial in assessing the success of your investment.
Understanding returns from mutual funds
When assessing the performance of a mutual fund scheme, solely focusing on its returns can be misleading. While a scheme might have delivered a 10% annualised return over recent years, it is essential to consider the broader market context. If market indices have experienced similar growth during that period, it may not indicate exceptional performance. The true test of a scheme's worth comes during market downturns when its NAV falls more than its benchmark. This underperformance signals a need for review and potential adjustments to one's investment strategy.
Comparing a scheme's returns against its benchmark provides valuable insights. Consistent underperformance relative to the benchmark over time may warrant removing the scheme from one's portfolio. Identifying both underperformers and outperformers over a longer timeframe is crucial. Additionally, evaluating category average returns offers further perspective. Even if a scheme outperforms its benchmark, comparing it to its peers within the category can reveal whether it is truly a top performer or if there are better options available. Such assessments help investors make informed decisions about reallocating their investments to optimize returns and align with their financial goals.
Types of mutual fund returns
- Absolute returns: This is how much your investment grows in percentage, no matter how long you have invested. For instance, if you put Rs. 2,00,000 into a mutual fund and it grows to Rs. 2.5 lakhs in 4 years, your absolute return is 25%.
- Annualised returns: This is the return you get each year. It takes into account the effect of compounding interest.
- Total returns: This is the overall gain from a mutual fund, including any interest, dividend, distributions, and increase in value over time.
- Point to Point returns: This is the annual return recorded between two specific points in time. You just need the start date and the end date of a mutual fund scheme to calculate this.
- Compounded Annual Growth Rate: This is the annual return over a specific period that ends today. The formula to calculate trailing return is similar to point-to-point returns but uses today’s NAV and NAV at the start of the trailing period.
- Annual return: This is simply the return earned from a scheme between January 1st and December 31st of a particular year.
- Trailing return: It denotes the annualized return over a specific trailing period, concluding today. For instance, if a mutual fund scheme's NAV today stands at Rs.100, and it was Rs.60 three years ago, the formula for calculating the trailing return in Microsoft Excel would be (Today's NAV / NAV at the beginning of the trailing period) ^ (1/Trailing Period) - 1. Hence, the three-year trailing return would amount to 18.6%. Similarly, if the scheme's NAV five years ago was Rs.50, the five-year trailing return would be 14.9%.
- Rolling returns: It represent a mutual fund scheme's annualized returns over a defined period, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. These returns are compared with the scheme's benchmark or fund category until the conclusion of the designated duration. Benchmarks could include Nifty, CNX - Midcap, CNX - 500, BSE - 200, BSE - Midcap, while fund categories might encompass midcap funds, large cap funds, balanced funds, diversified equity funds, among others.
- Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR): It serves as a method for computing returns from mutual fund investments held for more than a year. This approach mitigates short-term fluctuations and volatility in the Net Asset Value (NAV) of the funds. The CAGR calculation assumes a steady pace of investment growth. To manually calculate the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), the equation is as follows:
CAGR = [(Current Net Asset Value / Beginning Net Asset Value) ^ (1/number of years)] - 1
