Blog
What the numbers said — fund returns and costs, foreign and domestic flows, index valuations, gold and silver — plus tax, retirement and personal-finance basics, written from the same data the rest of this site shows, with the date on every figure.
2026 so far: NSE indices that rose and fell most
04 Oct 2026
To 1 October 2026 Nifty India Defence is up 18.0% and Nifty Pharma 15.8%; Nifty IT is down 25.3% and the Nifty 50 14.2%. Leaders, laggards and size.
Market RecapMarket Valuations
Sector funds in Q3 2026: technology and pharma led
04 Oct 2026
Of 251 sectoral and thematic funds, 66 gained in the three months to 1 October 2026. Technology funds led (median +3.69%), banking funds trailed (-6.30%).
SectorsFund Returns
STP or lump sum? Four real tests from 2025 and 2026
04 Oct 2026
₹6 lakh moved into a Nifty 50 index fund over six months from January 2026 beat a lump sum by ₹45,898. Started in April 2025, it trailed by ₹25,597.
Investing StrategyFund Returns
Gold funds: 24% in a year, 17% below their peak
03 Oct 2026
Gold fund of funds returned about 24% a year to 1 October 2026 and sit 16–18% below their 52-week high. Returns, costs and risk across 17 funds.
Gold & SilverFund Returns
How debt, hybrid and arbitrage funds are taxed
03 Oct 2026
Equity-oriented funds, pure debt funds and the 35–65% equity middle each have different tax rules. A plain-English map, with worked rupee examples.
TaxDebt & Hybrid Funds
How selling a mutual fund works: NAV, days and charges
03 Oct 2026
From clicking redeem to money in your bank: which NAV applies, how many working days it takes, and the exit load and tax that reduce what you receive.
Investing StrategyTax
Lump sum or SIP: how to decide when you have a windfall
03 Oct 2026
A bonus or maturity amount lands in your account: invest it at once or spread it out? What the maths says, and when staggering is about behaviour, not return.
Investing Strategy
Mutual fund KYC and nominee: the checklist most skip
03 Oct 2026
KYC is a one-time gate; the nominee is the step that decides who gets your units. What to check, what a nominee is and is not, and the common mistakes.
Personal FinanceInvesting Strategy
Section 80C options compared: lock-in, risk and tax
03 Oct 2026
ELSS, PPF, tax-saver FD, NSC, SSY, NPS, EPF and more under the ₹1.5 lakh limit: lock-in, how returns are taxed, and how to pick without chasing the deduction.
TaxPersonal Finance
Silver funds: up 48% in a year, still 40% off the high
03 Oct 2026
12 silver fund of funds returned 46–50% in the year to 1 October 2026 yet sit 39–42% below their 52-week high. What the volatility looks like.
Gold & SilverFund Returns
3-year SIPs: large-cap funds have barely broken even
03 Oct 2026
A 3-year monthly SIP in the median large-cap fund made 0.34% a year to 1 October 2026; small-cap funds made 10.42%. Five categories, against May.
Fund ReturnsInvesting Strategy
What happens when a SIP instalment fails
03 Oct 2026
A bounced SIP debit usually costs a missed instalment, a bank charge and, after repeated failures, a cancelled SIP. How to avoid it and what to do next.
Investing StrategyPersonal Finance
What NAV is, and which day's NAV you actually get
03 Oct 2026
How a fund's NAV is worked out, why it is declared after the market closes, and how cut-off times decide which day's price your purchase or sale gets.
Investing Strategy
The 50/30/20 rule: budgeting for people who hate budgets
02 Oct 2026
Split take-home pay into needs, wants and savings with three numbers instead of a spreadsheet. How it works on an Indian salary, and where to adjust it.
Personal Finance
Active vs passive investing: which wins in the long run?
02 Oct 2026
To 1 October 2026, most active large-cap funds beat Nifty 50 index funds over 5 years, but the lead shrank over 10. What the data shows, and what it doesn't.
Investing StrategyFund ReturnsAdvance tax on capital gains: do you owe it, and when?
02 Oct 2026
Sold shares or funds at a profit? If the year's tax is ₹10,000 or more, advance tax applies. The four dates, the capital-gains relief and an example.
TaxAggressive hybrid vs large-cap funds: the cushion in numbers
02 Oct 2026
In the year to 1 October 2026 the median aggressive hybrid fund lost 1.26% against 4.71% for large-cap funds, with a shallower fall. The full spread.
Fund ReturnsDebt & Hybrid FundsHow to build an all-weather portfolio from scratch
02 Oct 2026
Equity, debt and gold rarely fall together. Nine years of Indian data on Nifty 50, gold and debt funds, and how to build a portfolio that survives any year.
Investing StrategyGold & SilverDebt & Hybrid FundsAsset allocation by age: a starting point for Indians
02 Oct 2026
How much in equity, debt and gold at 30, 45 and 60? A rule-of-thumb split, why age is a weak guide, and a worked rebalancing example in rupees.
Investing Strategy5 behavioural biases that cost investors money
02 Oct 2026
Recency, loss aversion, herding, overconfidence and anchoring, each measured in Indian fund and Nifty data, with a practical fix for every one of them.
Investing Strategy