Mutual funds: Be careful of benchmark changes

It isn't necessary to shift unless you have a duplicate fund in your portfolio

Last November, when SBI Magnum Global Fund changed its scheme’s benchmark from the S&P NSE Mid-cap Index to the S&P BSE Mid-Small-Cap Index, Value Research, a Delhi-based mutual fund rating agency, revised the scheme’s  rating  from four to three. On the other hand, Sundaram Select Debt Short Term Asset Plan’s change in benchmark — from Crisil Liquid Fund Index to Crisil Short-Term Bond Index — led to an improvement in its rating from two to one. Clearly, when fund houses change their benchmark or even categories, rating agencies take it seriously. So should you. It may not be necessary to