While mutual funds have simplified the investment game for retail investors, with more than 29 types of mutual fund categories, deciding which mutual fund to invest in is no piece of cake.
Equity mutual fund investors face a special dilemma understanding the difference between large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds and deciding which mutual fund category will best suit their investment objective.
So, today we will understand what are large-cap mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds, how to select the best mutual fund category for your investment needs and also reveal how you can get access to the best large-cap mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds in India for 2021.
So, let’s begin!
What does ‘cap’ mean?
The cap in large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap refers to “Market Capitalisation”. Market capitalisation is the total market value of a company’s outstanding shares. Market capitalisation indicates the size of the company.What are the types of market capitalisation?
To ensure uniformity, SEBI (stock market regulator) has classified companies based on market capitalisation as:- Large-cap companies: 1-100 companies
- Mid-cap companies: 101-250th companies
- Small-cap companies: 251st company onwards
What is the definition of Large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds in India as per SEBI?
1. Large Cap Mutual Funds
Large cap funds are those funds which invest a larger proportion of their corpus in companies with huge market capitalization. These companies are trustworthy, reputable and strong and are often used to describe a large-cap companies. These are the well-established players with a proven track record. Such companies typically have strong corporate practices, and have created consistent profits and wealth for their investors slowly and steadily over the long term. The Mutual funds that invest a majority of their investible corpus in these companies are labeled as large-cap funds. SEBI defines large-cap mutual funds as: “equity-oriented open-ended mutual funds with a minimum 80% of the corpus in equity (stocks) of large-cap (1st 100) companies. Large-cap mutual funds provide stable returns as they are invested in stocks of bluechip companies like Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank Ltd. etc.2. Mid-cap mutual funds
Mid-caps are those companies that lie between large-caps and small-caps in terms of size of the company. The Mid-caps stocks are more volatile than large-caps counterparts and hence may have quick price movements. Mutual funds that mainly invest in mid-cap companies are labeled mid-cap funds. Mid cap mutual funds are equity-oriented open-ended mutual funds with a minimum 65% of the corpus in stocks of mid-cap (101st -250th) companies. Mid-cap companies carry high risk but provide higher returns than large-cap companies. Examples of mid-cap companies include ACC Limited, Page Industries, Voltas Ltd, Pfizer Ltd etc.3. Small Cap Funds
Small-cap companies typically have the highest growth potential and are very volatile. This is because these companies are constantly looking for growth opportunities and seek to expand aggressively. Many investors who are keen to invest in the small-caps may not have the time to research and might be willing to take high risk appetite to invest in small caps. Small-cap mutual funds are equity-oriented open-ended mutual funds with a minimum 65% of the corpus in stocks of small-cap (251st onwards) companies. Small-cap companies are extremely risky. Sheela Foam Ltd, Avanti Feeds Ltd, Finolex Industries Ltd etc are some of the small-cap companies in India.What is the difference between large-cap mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds?
Here are the key differences between large-cap mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds:| Parameters | Large-cap Mutual Funds | Mid-cap Mutual Funds | Small-cap Mutual Funds |
| Meaning | Large caps are trustworthy, reputable and strong companies with well-established players with a proven track record. | Mid-caps are those companies that lie between large-caps and small-caps in terms of size of the company. The Mid-caps stocks are more volatile than large-caps counterparts and hence may have quick price movements. | Small-cap companies typically have the highest growth potential and are very volatile. This is because these companies are constantly looking for growth opportunities and seek to expand aggressively. |
| Market Capitalisation | 1st 100 companies | 101 - 250th companies | 251st company onwards |
| Risk Profile | Low | Medium-High | Very High |
| Investor Profile | Conservative | Moderately Aggressive | Highly Aggressive |
Which is better - Large-cap Mid-cap or Small-cap mutual funds?
Choosing between large-cap mid-cap and small-cap mutual funds totally depends on your:- Risk Profile &
- Time Horizon
| Risk Profile | Time Horizon | Type of Mutual Fund |
| Conservative | Short-term | Large-cap mutual fund |
| Moderately Aggressive | Short-term | A mix of large-cap and mid-cap mutual funds |
| Moderately Aggressive | Long-term | Mid-cap mutual funds |
| Aggressive | Short-term | Mid-cap mutual funds |
| Aggressive | Long-term | Small-cap mutual funds |
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