Equity MFs inflow drops 5 per cent in April

Equity-oriented mutual fund schemes witnessed a net inflow of Rs 38,440 crore in April, marking a 5 per cent decline from the preceding month, according to data released by industry body Amfi on Monday. Moreover, monthly contributions through SIPs (Systematic Investment Plans) declined to Rs 31,115 crore last month from Rs 32,087 crore in March.  Overall, the industry recorded a net infusion of Rs 3.22 lakh crore in April after witnessing an outflow of Rs 2.4 lakh crore in March. This was contributed by a huge inflow of Rs 2.5 lakh crore in debt funds. The inflow has lifted the industry's assets under management to Rs 81.92 lakh crore in April-end from Rs 73.73 lakh crore in March-end. Going by the data, equity inflows dropped to Rs 38,440 crore in April from Rs 40,450 crore in March. However, it was higher than Rs 25,978 crore inflow seen in February. While most categories recorded positive flows, dividend yield and equity-linked savings scheme (ELSS) funds saw marginal outflows due to some profit booking or portfolio rebalancing.

Within the equity segment, flexi cap funds led the category with net inflows of Rs 10,148 crore, followed by small cap funds at Rs 6,886 crore and mid cap funds at Rs 6,551 crore. Besides, large-cap funds registered inflows of Rs 2,525 crore.

Meanwhile, gold exchange-traded funds saw inflows of Rs 3,040 crore during the month, which was higher than the Rs 2,266 crore in March.