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Top 10 Mutual Funds – Best performing mutual funds

Mutual funds are professionally managed fund, which pools investment from several investors to invest in capital assets.

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Top 10 Mutual Funds in India

Picking the top-performing mutual funds can be a difficult task if one doesn’t have the market knowledge. Our in-house experts have taken all the pain of researching and picking the top-performing mutual funds from various fund houses in the country.
Top Equity Fund
3Yr Return

Small Cap Funds

Invest

Mid Cap Funds

Invest

Mid Cap Funds

Invest

MultiCap Funds

Invest

Balanced Funds

Invest

MultiCap Funds

Invest

Balanced Funds

Invest

Balanced Funds

Invest

Balanced Funds

Invest

Balanced Funds

Invest
Top Debt Fund
3Yr Return

Credit Opportunities Fund

Invest

Gilt Fund

Invest

Liquid Fund

Invest

Liquid Fund

Invest

Short-term Fund

Invest

Short-term Fund

Invest

Short-term Fund

Invest

Short-term Fund

Invest

Short-term Fund

Invest

What are the Top Mutual Funds?

Top-performing mutual funds are those that have consistently outperformed their benchmark and peer funds. In simple words, top-performing mutual funds are the ones that are the best in their category. They provide value for money. Top-performing mutual funds typically have a reasonable expense ratio and a history of generating good returns.

The parameters such as alpha, beta, Sharpe ratio and standard deviation of the top-performing funds justify the returns generated and are on the acceptable terrain. Click here to understand these parameters. By investing in top-performing funds, you can realise your goals much sooner than expected.
A Mutual fund
Money pooled from various individuals (investors)
Well-regulated (by SEBI)
Access to large portfolios
Professionally Managed
Higher returns than conventional investing
Allows to invest in small amounts
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How to Select the Top Performing Mutual Funds?

The following are some of the parameters that must be considered while selecting the top-performing funds:


  • i) Check the fund’s track record

    A top-performing fund typically has an excellent track record of providing higher returns over the last three and five years. The performance of these funds would have outperformed their benchmark and peer funds. You have to analyse the fund’s performance over the last few business cycles. In particular, check for the fund’s performance when the markets were down. The performance of a top-performing fund is not affected much by the market movements. However, you need to note that past performance is not indicative of future returns.

  • ii) Check the financial ratios

    It is important to assess the financial ratios such as alpha and beta before deciding if a fund under consideration is a top-performing one in its category. Read more here to understand how to use alpha and beta to decide if a fund is top-performing one or not.

  • iii) Check the expense ratio

    The expense ratio of a fund scheme should justify the returns provided. A frequent shuffling of the assets in the portfolio increases your cost of investment (expense ratio) as the fund manager incurs higher transaction costs. Check for the consistency in the expense ratio and ensure that you are incurring reasonable charges as the expense ratio. If you come across two funds with a similar asset allocation and past performance, then you may choose to invest in the one with the lower expense ratio.

Investment Objective

Investments in any scheme should be made only after carefully assessing life goals. Once an assessment of the needs has been made, you need to map it with the objectives of a mutual fund scheme to find out if investing in it yields you the desired result. Like individuals, mutual funds too come with a particular objective, and it’s on the investors to gauge if their objectives are in sync with the mutual fund scheme they are going to invest.

Fund History

You can base your mutual fund selection activity on the fund history. Mutual funds having a more extended history are considered good. Also, a mutual fund is judged based on how well it had performed over a good range of timeframe, especially when the markets were in a bad phase. This data will not be available for a newly launched fund. Investors should consider at least five years of a fund’s history before making any investment-related decision.

Financial Ratios

Returns and risk always go hand in hand. Returns are the rise in the overall value of the capital invested. Risk is defined as the uncertainty associated with an investment, and this concerns the possibility of not receiving any or negative returns due to numerous reasons. Hence, any investor must assess the risk-return potential, and this has made the risk-return analysis possible by financial ratios.
Sharpe and Alpha ratios provide much-needed information. Sharpe ratio is indicative of the excess return that the fund has delivered on the addition of every unit of risk being taken. Hence, funds with higher Sharpe ratio are considered better than those with a lower Sharpe ratio. Alpha shows the additional returns that the fund manager has generated as compared to the benchmark. Funds with higher Alpha are considered better.

Expense Ratio

Expense ratio is a very crucial factor that must be analysed when choosing a mutual fund plan. Expense ratio is the fee charged by the fund houses to manage your investment. It is expressed in terms of a percentage of fund’s returns. It is deducted from the returns that an investor would get. Needless to say, a higher expense ratio reduces the take-home returns of investors. The fund houses cannot charge more than the limit set by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Performance of Fund manager

The fund manager plays a significant role in the success of a fund. Fund managers handle the investors’ money; it is the fund manager’s expertise that allows them to make profits. If a fund manager is able to recognise the opportunities to make profitable investments, then the fund would see good returns. Hence, the fund manager must have a good track record.

Types of MF ( Mutual funds ) to invest

Invest in the best type of fund that is in line with your financial goals

Top SIP Mutual Funds

Systematic investment plans (SIPs) allow investors to invest small amounts periodically. Investors are given the liberty to decide the frequency and quantum of their investment being made through SIP.

Click here to know more about top 10 SIP mutual funds to invest.

Top Equity Mutual Funds

Equity mutual funds invest predominantly in equity instruments such as stocks. These funds have the potential to offer the highest returns among all mutual funds.

Click here to know more.

Top Small-Cap Mutual Funds

Small-cap mutual funds are a class of equity funds that invest mostly in equity shares of those companies that are classified under small market capitalisation.

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Top Large-Cap Mutual Funds

Large-cap mutual funds are a class of equity mutual funds that invest predominantly in equity shares of large-cap companies. These companies are not affected much by market fluctuations.

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Top Multi-Cap Mutual Funds

Multi-cap mutual funds invest in equity shares of companies across all market capitalisations. Investing in multi-cap funds is the best way to diversify your portfolio.

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Top Tax Saving Mutual Funds

Equity-linked savings scheme (ELSS) or tax-saving funds are equity-oriented funds and are covered under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Investors can avail tax deductions of up to Rs 1,50,000 a year by investing in these funds.

Click here to know more.

Top Mid-Cap Mutual Funds

Mid-cap funds are equity funds that invest in equity shares of companies whose market capitalisation is in the range of Rs 500 crore to Rs 10,000 crore.

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Top Liquid Funds

Liquid funds are a class of debt funds that invest in high-rated debt instruments such as treasury bills. These are a better option than regular savings bank accounts to park idle money.

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Top Debt Mutual Funds

Debt mutual funds invest in instruments such as corporate bonds, government bonds, treasury bills, and so on, that offer regular dividend payouts.

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Top Short-Term Mutual Funds

Short-term mutual funds are an ideal option for risk-averse investors. The maturity period of these funds is between 15 days and 91 days.

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Top Income Funds

Income funds predominantly invest in securities that are capable of providing high dividends. They generally invest in bonds, debentures and prefered shares.

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Top Balanced Mutual funds

Balanced or hybrid funds invest across both debt and equity instruments. Investing in these funds is the best way to diversify one’s portfolio.

Click here to know more.

SIP Calculator

A SIP calculator is a simulation, which allows individuals to estimate the return on their mutual fund investments made through SIP. Investing through SIPs in mutual funds has become one of the most popular investment options for millennials these days.

Mutual Fund Calculator

The Mutual Fund Calculator will give you the investment value at maturity by calculating fund returns according to your investment horizon. You can adjust the variables of the calculator like SIP/lump sum, amount of investment, frequency of SIP, expected rate of return and duration of SIP.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

As a taxpayer, you are entitled to deduct up to Rs 1,50,000 a year under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Why should I invest in top mutual funds?
Top mutual funds are known to offer excellent returns in the long run at nominal costs. Hence, it is advisable to invest in top mutual funds.
How to invest in top mutual funds?
You can invest in top mutual funds with ClearTax. Our in-house experts have handpicked mutual funds in which you can invest in a hassle-free and paperless manner.
Do I need to have the market knowledge to invest in top mutual funds?
No, you don’t need market knowledge to invest in top mutual funds with ClearTax.