Mutual Fund assets base crosses Rs 12 lakh crore mark in Feb

Buoyed by robust capital inflows and strong participation of retail investors, the asset base of mutual fund industry has crossed Rs 12 lakh crore mark in February.
The country's 45 fund houses together have an average assets under management (AUM) of Rs 12,02,196 crore at February-end, up from Rs 11,81,356 crore in January, according to the data by Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).
In December, assets base of the industry stood at Rs 10.5 lakh crore.
Industry experts said the monthly rise in AUM is largely on account of strong capital inflows and a sharp rally in stock markets.

Besides, retail participation in equity schemes increased significantly in the post-election rally begun in May.
"There is optimism among investors and they are bullish on the economy and markets, which helped retail investors to increase participation," an expert said.

Overall, the fund houses together witnessed an inflow of over Rs 18,000 crore last month. Of this inflow, liquid or money market category witnessed an inflow of Rs 8,784 crore, while equity segment saw an inflow of Rs 5,217 crore.
The share of equity oriented schemes in mutual fund assets has been growing since March 2014, increasing from 22 per cent to 30 per cent in December 2014.

The proportionate share of debt-oriented schemes has fallen from 52 per cent to 45 per cent during the same period.
Mutual fund is an investment vehicle that is made up of a pool of funds collected from many investors for the purpose of investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments and similar assets.