New Delhi, February 10 Equity mutual funds attracted net inflows of ₹24,028 crore in January, marking a 14% decline from the previous month, according to data released by the industry body, Amfi, on Tuesday.
This was the second consecutive month of moderation in equity inflows, as investor sentiment remained cautious amid subdued market conditions and ongoing geopolitical concerns.
Despite the slowdown in equity investments, the mutual fund industry's overall asset base continued to expand. Total assets under management (AUM) rose to ₹81.01 lakh crore in January from ₹80.23 lakh crore in December.
Overall, the industry recorded net inflows of ₹1.56 lakh crore during the month, recovering from net outflows of ₹66,591 crore in December, supported by inflows across multiple fund categories.
Equity inflows softened sequentially from ₹28,054 crore in December and ₹29,911 crore in November, although they remained higher than the ₹24,690 crore recorded in October, the data showed.
Within equity schemes, flexi-cap funds led inflows with net additions of ₹7,672 crore, followed by mid-cap funds at ₹3,185 crore and large and mid-cap funds at ₹3,182 crore.
Large-cap funds attracted net inflows of ₹2,005 crore, while small-cap funds saw inflows of ₹2,942 crore. In contrast, equity-linked savings schemes (ELSS) witnessed net outflows of ₹593.69 crore, reflecting some profit booking and tax-related adjustments by investors.
Meanwhile, gold exchange-traded funds saw a sharp surge in demand, with inflows more than doubling month-on-month to ₹24,040 crore in January from ₹11,647 crore in December.
Debt mutual funds also staged a turnaround, recording net inflows of ₹74,827 crore in January after witnessing significant outflows of ₹1.32 lakh crore in the previous month.