Index Funds in India: Performance & Returns Comparison

What are index funds?

An index fund is a type of passively managed mutual fund that aims to mirror the performance of a particular market index, such as the NIFTY 50, NIFTY Next 50, or Sensex. The index funds hold the same stocks present in a chosen index, maintaining identical proportions.

Understanding the concepts of active management and passive management in the context of mutual funds is essential to grasping how index funds function.

In actively managed mutual funds, investors entrust their capital to a fund manager who utilizes their expertise to construct a portfolio of securities. The fund manager and their team make strategic decisions, such as determining which stocks to buy or sell and at what prices. This approach, known as active investing, involves frequent transactions, hence the term "active management."

On the other hand, passive investing involves the fund manager constructing a portfolio of stocks that mirrors the composition of a specific index. Unlike active management, fund managers in passive investing do not have the flexibility to select individual stocks. Instead, they replicate the holdings of the chosen index. Index funds, which replicate indices like the NIFTY 50, NIFTY Midcap 150, and others, exemplify this strategy and are categorized as passively managed mutual funds.

What are the features of index funds?

1. Benchmark

Index funds typically track a benchmark index. In fact, the constituents of an index fund are the stocks/bonds/securities in the underlying benchmark index.

2. Management Style 

The index funds follow a passive management style, i.e., they merely replicate the index fund.

3. Fees

The fees are typically lower than those of the active managed mutual funds.

4. Low tracking error

Index funds are good at maintaining low tracking error (i.e., the difference between the fund's performance and the target index).

Who should invest in index funds?

1. Simplify Investment Monitoring 

With actively managed funds, investors often find themselves constantly monitoring performance, concerned about deviations from market growth rate. In contrast, index funds offer a welcome relief from this continuous tracking requirement. By replicating specific market indices, index funds provide a straightforward investment option where investors can contribute capital and then relax, knowing their returns will closely mirror those of the chosen index. This simplicity in monitoring, allows investors to focus their attention elsewhere, free from the stress of continuous performance tracking.

2. Market-Aligned Returns

For investors content with market-level returns, index funds offer an attractive proposition. These funds replicate the performance of market indices, providing returns that closely align with overall market trends. Market indices, being representative of broader market performance, offer a reliable benchmark for assessing investment returns. By investing in index funds, investors essentially position themselves to receive returns consistent with those of the broader market. This approach is particularly appealing to those who prioritize stability and consistency in their investment outcomes.

3. Bias-Free Investing

Human bias can significantly impact investment decisions made by fund managers in actively managed funds. Despite their expertise, fund managers may succumb to personal beliefs, preferences, or cognitive biases, leading to suboptimal investment outcomes. Index funds, however, offer a remedy to this issue by removing human influence from the investment process. Fund managers of index funds simply replicate the holdings of the chosen index, adhering strictly to predefined index rules. This approach eliminates subjective decision-making and ensures a bias-free investment strategy. For investors seeking impartiality and objectivity in their investment decisions, index funds provide a compelling solution, offering a level playing field devoid of human influence.

4. Confidence in Future Growth Potential

Investors can find assurance in the future growth prospects of the sector or economy tracked by the index. Different indices, such as the blue-chip index offering insights into the broader economic health while sectoral indices providing sector-specific information. The performance of the index typically mirrors the overall well-being of the sector or economy, serving as a dependable indicator of potential future growth.

5. Easy for Stock market Newbies

For those entering the stock markets with limited experience, index fund investments offer a welcoming starting point. These funds replicate primary indices, which often demonstrate steady long-term growth trends. This provides new investors with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with market dynamics over time without the hassle of managing individual stocks.

What are the advantages of index funds?

Lower costs

Choosing index funds over actively managed funds can be a prudent financial decision due to their lower fee structures. By minimizing fees, investors retain a more significant portion of their investment returns and thus align with the objective of wealth accumulation and financial planning.

Diversification

Index fund investments serve as a valuable tool for achieving portfolio diversification objectives. Index funds offer exposure to diverse assets within a single investment vehicle. This diversification strategy helps mitigate risk and enhances overall portfolio stability.

Transparency

Since index funds replicate a particular index, their holdings can be matched with the underlying index, and thus, there is less scope for manipulation. This lends transparency to index funds.

How do I invest in index funds?

The process of investing in index funds is similar to investing in any mutual fund. A mutual fund distributor, banker or broker can help you in identifying suitable index funds. Subsequently, you can explore sectors or economies that align with your investment interests. Various types of index funds are available, including those tracking blue chip indices for an overall market assessment or focusing on specific sectors such as technology, infrastructure, healthcare and more. Following your Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, you can initiate the purchase of an index fund through a systematic investment plan (SIP) or lumpsum investments.