SIP inflows hit 31-month low in November

New Delhi: Investment in mutual funds through systematic investment plans dropped to a 31-month low of Rs 7,302 crore in November amid challenging economic environment.

However, investment through the Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) route had risen in October after six months of continuous decline. The 44-player mutual fund industry witnessed an inflow to the tune of Rs 7,302 crore through SIPs in November as compared to Rs 7,800 crore in the preceding month, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) showed.

This was the lowest-level since April 2018, when the investment through the route was Rs 6,690 crore. Since the last three days of November were non-business days, a significant amount of SIP flows might not be reflected in the official numbers. It is also significant to note that there has been a healthy addition of 3.39 lakh SIP accounts in November. Fund collection through SIP was Rs 7,788 crore in September, Rs 7,791 crore in August and Rs 7,831 crore in July. It dropped below the Rs 8,000 crore-mark in June to Rs 7,917 crore. It was at Rs 8,123 crore in May, Rs 8,376 crore in April and Rs 8,641 crore in March.

Marketmen said investment through SIPs have fallen because investors want to maintain some kind of liquidity at their end as the current situation is uncertain when it comes to their jobs and businesses. They, further, said SIP inflows still remain lacklustre as many retail investors paused such investments during the lockdown. High market levels have also meant that those who stopped hesitate to start now, expecting a correction. Besides, equity mutual funds, which mainly depends on SIP for flows, saw an outflow of Rs 12,917 crore in November, making it the fifth straight month of withdrawal as investors booked profit amid higher market valuations.

Currently, mutual funds have over 3.41 crore SIP accounts through which investors regularly invest in Indian mutual fund schemes. SIP is an investment plan offered by mutual funds, wherein one can invest a fixed amount in a mutual fund scheme periodically at fixed intervals, once a month, instead of making a lump sum investment. It is similar to a recurring deposit where an investor deposits a fixed amount every month.