BENGALURU, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Inflows into Indian equity mutual funds more than tripled to 73.03 billion rupees ($888.74 million) in December 2022 from the previous month, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) showed.
The inflows came despite the broader indexes, NSE Nifty 50 and S&P BSE Sensex, seeing a selloff to the tune of nearly 4% in December.
"The recovery in equity mutual fund inflows is a vindication that equities will be the preferred asset class for mutual fund investors," said N.S. Venkatesh, chief executive officer of AMFI.
Inflows had tanked nearly 76% in November to 22.58 billion Indian rupees, hitting a 21-month low.
Small-cap funds accounted for most of the investments at 22.45 billion rupees. Large-cap funds saw outflows falling to 0.26 billion rupees, compared to outflows of 10.39 billion rupees in the previous month.
"Domestic investors latched on to small-cap equity funds as the segment became attractive due to recent correction, from an entry point of view," said Venkatesh.
Contributions to systematic investment plans (SIPs) – where investors make periodic, equal payments into a mutual fund – rose for the fifth consecutive month to a record 135.73 billion Indian rupees ($1.65 billion) in December, data showed.
Liquid funds - funds that mature in 91 days - saw outflows of 138.52 billion rupees, according to AMFI.
"It's natural to see outflows from liquid funds at the end of a year, as corporates use the funds to pay advance tax for the year," Venkatesh said.
The mutual fund industry logged a total net inflow of 44.91 billion rupees, down 66% from 132.64 billion rupees in November, dragged largely by liquid fund outflows, AMFI data showed.
The average assets under management rose nearly 1% to 40.8 trillion rupees from 40.5 trillion rupees in November.
($1 = 82.1725 Indian rupees)
Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman
Source: Reuters