Market Uncertainty? Here’s How Retail Investors Can Win Big With SIPs

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New Delhi: July may have been dull for the stock markets, but mutual fund investors were having a great month. Investors put a record Rs 42,702 crore into growth and equity-oriented mutual fund schemes in July — the highest ever in a single month.

This happened even though a strong US dollar and foreign investors pulling out money were putting pressure on the markets.

The total mutual fund assets under management (AUM) rose 1.3 percnet to Rs 75.36 lakh crore. The average AUM reached ₹77 lakh crore. The number of mutual fund folios (accounts) hit an all-time high of 24.57 crore.

Retail investors (small individual investors) were the main drivers of this growth. Folios in equity, hybrid, and solution-oriented schemes rose to 19.41 crore from 19.07 crore in June.

SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) numbers were outstanding:

Rs 28,464 crore came in through SIPs in July.

A record 68.69 lakh new SIP accounts were opened.

Total active SIP accounts reached 9.11 crore.

SIP assets crossed Rs 15.19 lakh crore.

Equity scheme inflows jumped 81 percent compared to June — from Rs 23,587 crore to Rs 42,702 crore. Many investors took advantage of recent market dips to buy more units, showing confidence in the long-term Indian market outlook.

Some experts caution that prices in smallcap stocks are quite high and advise focusing on quality stocks, with midcap IT companies offering value-buying opportunities.

In terms of categories, investors showed a higher appetite for risk:

Thematic funds got Rs 9,246 crore.

Smallcap funds attracted Rs 6,484 crore.

Flexi-cap funds received Rs 7,654 crore.

In the last three years, thematic and smallcap funds have together received 42 percent of total inflows, showing rising risk appetite among investors.