Dear Investors,
April has been a month of recovery for equity markets after two months of Coronavirus-led mayhem and global uncertainty. Markets gained about 14 per cent during the month. The downturn in economic activity sent oil prices to below zero-levels.
The RBI, in April, brought cheer to the debt markets by announcing a cut in reverse repo rate by 25 bps to 3.75 per cent. It announced measures to improve liquidity and provided moratorium to customers on their monthly installments. The RBI governor announced that he will do (whatever it takes) to help the economy tide over the current uncertain environment.
The recent turn of events in the industry which shuttered debt schemes unsettled the mutual fund market. The RBI once again announced a special TLTRO (Targeted Long-Term Repo Operations) specifically for mutual funds to tide over their liquidity problems. While what happened was unfortunate, the event should not be used to paint the entire mutual fund industry with the same brush.
Events such as these are important reminders that our industry grew very fast during the last decade and extreme events such as the one we are going through can impact the most liquid of markets. The Indian corporate debt market is under-developed, both in terms of depth and transparency. The mutual fund industry remains the biggest participant in this market and it is in everybody’s interest that the corporate bond market deepens further. Efforts by regulators in the past have clearly not borne fruit.
At SBI Mutual Fund, we would like to reassure you that your money is being managed with utmost care and safety as the key investing principle. We follow extensive bottom-up research process before investing in any of the papers and monitor the investments on a continuous basis. We believe that debt funds continue to be a good investment opportunity even in today’s environment. The key is to abstain from taking undue risk and consider the credit quality of the portfolio before investing. Debt funds should remain a core part of your investment journey, after accounting for your risk-appetite and investment horizon.
Going forward, the uncertainty may continue for some more time but with each passing day we are better prepared to take care of your savings. With that in mind, we urge you to stay committed to your investments and stay on track to a safe and secure financial future.
Warm Regards,
Ashwani Bhatia
Managing Director & CEO
