Gold ETF inflows post sharp rise in September; jump over 71% to Rs 4,451 crore

New Delhi: Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) posted massive rise in investor interest in September. Gold ETF net inflows surged 71.4 percent month-on-month to Rs 4,451 crore from Rs 2,597 crore in August, data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) showed on Monday.

Investors routed money into Gold ETFs and equity mutual funds, even as the broader mutual fund industry faced massive withdrawals from fixed-income (debt) schemes. The broader mutual fund industry saw net outflows of Rs 1.33 lakh crore during the month, reversing net inflows of Rs 41,353 crore recorded in August, AMFI data showed.

Debt-oriented mutual funds emerged as the biggest source of outflows. Net withdrawals rose sharply to Rs 1.83 lakh crore in September as compared to Rs 8,127 crore in the previous month.

Net redemptions from debt funds fell to Rs 82.64 lakh crore from Rs 87.08 lakh crore in August.

In sharp contrast, equity mutual funds maintained their growth momentum and continued to attract investor money. Net inflows into equity schemes increased 30.6 per cent to Rs 38,307 crore in September, up from Rs 29,328 crore in August.

Among equity categories, Small-cap funds remained the most preferred category. Small-cap funds witnessed inflows of Rs 9,039 crore against Rs 7,973 crore in the previous month. Mid-cap funds too gathered healthy investor participation with monthly inflows surging Rs 7,835 crore compared with Rs 6,989 crore in August.

Flexi-cap funds also grew strongly. It recorded net inflows of Rs 6,702 crore, up from Rs 5,059 crore in the preceding month. Sectoral and thematic funds witnessed inflows increase to Rs 3,640 crore from Rs 1,713 crore.

Among other equity categories, Large-cap funds returned to positive zone after a month of outflows. It witnessed net investments of Rs 859 crore in September, compared with net outflows of Rs 1,147 crore in August.

Meanwhile, multi-asset allocation funds attracted Rs 3,667 crore, largely unchanged from Rs 3,671 crore in the previous month.

Investor participation through systematic investment plans (SIPs) remained robust, with monthly SIP contributions touching a record high of Rs 32,490 crore in September, marginally higher than Rs 32,297 crore recorded in August.

With IANS Inputs