Liquid funds are a type of mutual fund that primarily invests in short-term money market instruments with a maturity period of up to 91 days. These funds are considered low-risk investments as they invest in highly liquid instruments, like treasury bills, certificates of deposit, commercial papers, and other short-term instruments.
These instruments are less volatile as compared to other mutual funds. These funds aim to provide ease of liquidity and capital preservation in a short duration, making it ideal for investors with surplus funds who need to park their money for a short-term period.
Liquid funds give higher returns than traditional deposits. Liquid funds also offer the advantage of exit load application only up to 6 days, which means that investors can sell their investment units at any time after 6 days of investment, unlike other mutual funds that attract an exit load if the units are sold before the initial investment period.
These funds are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to ensure that they invest in highly liquid and high-quality securities.
Additionally, these funds are required to maintain a limit on the exposure to each issuing entity and adhere to a strict set of investment guidelines.
How do Liquid Mutual Funds work?
Liquid Mutual Funds are debt mutual funds that primarily invest in short-term money market instruments with maturities of up to 91 days. They aim to provide investors with a safe and liquid investment option. When you invest in a Liquid Mutual Fund, your money is pooled with that of other investors, and a fund manager manages the corpus. These investments offer relatively stable returns and high liquidity, making them suitable for parking surplus funds, emergency funds, or short-term financial goals. Investors can redeem their units at any time
Should you invest in Liquid Mutual Funds?
Whether you should invest in Liquid Mutual Funds depends on your financial goals and risk tolerance. If you have surplus funds that you don't need immediately and want to earn slightly higher returns than a regular savings account or fixed deposit, Liquid Mutual Funds can be a suitable choice. They offer better returns than traditional savings accounts, and their high liquidity allows you to access your money quickly when needed.
Factors to consider before investing in Liquid Mutual Funds in India
- Investment Horizon: Liquid funds are designed for short-term investments. Ensure that your investment horizon aligns with this objective.
- Risk Tolerance: Liquid funds are low-risk, but they are not entirely risk-free. Understand the minimal credit risk associated with the underlying securities.
- Expense Ratio: Check the expense ratio of the fund, as lower expenses can lead to higher returns for investors.
- Investment goals: Many investors use liquid funds to build emergency funds, offering good returns with low risks and high liquidity. Designed for a 91 day horizon, align your investment plan accordingly.
How to find the best liquid funds to invest in?
The primary analytical criteria for evaluating a liquid fund include its returns, expense ratio, fund size, and level of portfolio diversification.
- When evaluating returns, it is essential to consider the performance over short-term investment horizons such as one or three months since liquid funds primarily invest in short-term debt securities with a maturity of up to 91 days. Liquid funds with superior returns, which consistently outperform their benchmark and peer funds, are better suited for investment.
- In comparison to other fund types, returns earned by liquid funds rarely vary, thus comparing their expense ratios is critical. The expense ratio is the annual management fee charged by a fund and lowers the net returns for investors. Thus, to maximise value, investors should choose liquid funds with lower expense ratios.
- Considering the risk of sudden large redemptions by institutional investors, liquid funds with larger assets under management (AUM) are better suited for investment. This safeguards the fund against sudden outflows that could significantly impact its ability to invest and generate returns.
- Investors should also assess the level of portfolio diversification, which is particularly important for minimising portfolio damage in case of an issuer's default. Checking that a fund's portfolio includes investment in several securities across different issuers ensures a safe investment with stable returns.
