What this page gives you
A live, sortable comparison of every equity mutual fund in India — across all SEBI categories. Each row shows the latest NAV, 1Y/2Y/3Y CAGR, AUM, expense ratio and category. The data refreshes from the same feed that powers the home-page Mutual Funds widget.
What is an equity mutual fund?
An equity mutual fund invests at least 65% of its corpus in stocks. The remainder may sit in cash, debt or arbitrage. SEBI categorises equity funds by market cap, theme and tax treatment — each category has a distinct risk-return profile.
Equity funds are the highest-return mutual fund category over long horizons (>5 years), driven by India's structural growth — GDP compounding, formalisation, financialisation of household savings, and earnings of listed companies. They are also the highest-volatility category — 30–40% drawdowns are normal in bear cycles.
Equity fund sub-categories — at a glance
| Category | Mandate | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Large Cap | Min 80% in top 100 stocks by market cap | Stable core holding, lower volatility |
| Large & Mid Cap | 35% large + 35% mid | Balanced growth tilt |
| Mid Cap | Min 65% in 101st–250th rank stocks | Higher growth, higher volatility |
| Small Cap | Min 65% in 251st+ rank stocks | Highest return potential, deepest drawdowns |
| Flexi Cap | Min 65% equity, no cap constraint | Manager-driven cap allocation |
| Multi Cap | 25% min each in large/mid/small | Forced diversification across caps |
| Focused | Max 30 stocks | High-conviction concentrated bet |
| Value / Contra | Value or contrarian style | Cyclical / out-of-favour bets |
| Dividend Yield | High dividend-yield stocks | Income tilt within equity |
| ELSS (Tax Saver) | 80% equity, 3-year lock-in | Sec 80C tax benefit + equity returns |
| Sectoral / Thematic | Single sector or theme | High-conviction thematic bet only |
How to choose an equity fund category
A pragmatic decision framework for retail investors:
- Horizon < 3 years → don't invest in equity at all. Use debt or hybrid funds.
- Core SIP for 5–10+ years → start with a flexi-cap or multi-cap. Add a large-cap if you want lower volatility, or mid/small for growth tilt.
- Tax saving for Section 80C → ELSS — but stop deploying fresh into ELSS after the new tax regime kicks in for you (Sec 80C is unavailable in the new regime).
- Concentrated bet on a sector → use sectoral / thematic funds only as a satellite holding (≤10% of portfolio).
- Lump sum entry → split deployment across 4–6 months via STP, especially if entering near all-time highs.
How to read this comparison table
- 3Y CAGR is the most useful single metric — it captures both bull and partial bear conditions.
- 1Y return is noise unless you have a specific 1-year market view.
- Expense ratio matters enormously over 10+ years — a 0.5% lower expense ratio compounds to ~5% extra wealth over 10 years.
- AUM too low (< ₹500 cr) signals concentration risk; too high in a small-cap fund signals capacity issues.
- Category average comparison is more honest than absolute return — a 12% large-cap fund beats a 14% small-cap fund on a risk-adjusted basis.
SIP vs lump sum — what really matters
Equity mutual fund taxation
- Short-term (held < 12 months): STCG taxed at 20% (post Jul 2024 budget — verify current rate).
- Long-term (held > 12 months): LTCG taxed at 12.5% on gains above ₹1.25 lakh per year (post Jul 2024 budget).
- STT is paid at source on equity mutual funds.
- Switches between equity schemes / dividend-payout to growth are treated as redemptions and trigger capital gains tax.
Common mistakes equity fund investors make
- Stopping SIPs in a market correction — exactly when SIP is buying more units cheaper.
- Switching funds every quarter chasing the 1-year top performer — the past is rarely prologue.
- Holding 15–20 funds — beyond 4–5 funds you are paying for diversification you already have.
- Investing in regular plans when direct plans cost 0.5–1% less per year (compounds to 10–15% over a decade).
- Ignoring rebalancing — small-cap winners often grow to 30%+ of portfolio without you noticing.