Franklin Asian Equity Fund vs HDFC Defence Fund
Franklin Asian Equity Fund (Direct) and HDFC Defence Fund (Direct) head to head: growth of ₹100, returns across every window, risk, cost, and portfolio overlap — every figure computed from AMFI NAV history, nothing supplied by a fund house. Both are Sectoral/ Thematic schemes — see the best sectoral & thematic mutual funds for the full ranking.
Head to head
NAVs as of 01 Oct 2026
Growth of ₹100 (rebased over the selected window)
Common period 02 Jun 2023 – 01 Oct 2026, limited by HDFC Defence Fund. Every series is rebased to ₹100 at the start of this window. Benchmark lines are the category index WealthTicker measures against, which is not always the benchmark the scheme itself declares — the fund page’s Scheme Info names that one.
View as table
| Date | Franklin Asian Equity Fund | HDFC Defence Fund | Nifty 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Jun 2023 | ₹100.00 | ₹100.00 | ₹100.00 |
| 11 Sep 2023 | ₹98.57 | ₹125.36 | ₹111.65 |
| 22 Dec 2023 | ₹96.53 | ₹149.30 | ₹120.51 |
| 01 Apr 2024 | ₹103.66 | ₹169.41 | ₹129.61 |
| 12 Jul 2024 | ₹113.99 | ₹249.11 | ₹146.07 |
| 21 Oct 2024 | ₹118.55 | ₹219.71 | ₹147.13 |
| 31 Jan 2025 | ₹113.55 | ₹201.89 | ₹136.49 |
| 12 May 2025 | ₹117.14 | ₹218.38 | ₹142.38 |
| 21 Aug 2025 | ₹127.97 | ₹238.12 | ₹146.33 |
| 01 Dec 2025 | ₹140.18 | ₹246.45 | ₹151.30 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | ₹152.53 | ₹253.00 | ₹138.49 |
| 22 Jun 2026 | ₹189.07 | ₹308.82 | ₹147.12 |
| 01 Oct 2026 | ₹181.61 | ₹301.97 | ₹138.34 |
Portfolio overlap (same stocks held through more than one fund)
Some overlap is structural: SEBI defines large cap as the top 100 stocks by market capitalisation, so two large-cap funds are fishing the same pond by regulation. The bands below are measured per sleeve pairing rather than against one blanket threshold. How this is measured →
- 54 stocks only in Franklin Asian Equity Fund
- 2 stocks in both — 3.0% of each portfolio by weight
- 22 stocks only in HDFC Defence Fund
The more the circles overlap, the more the funds hold the same stocks.
Franklin Asian Equity Fund and HDFC Defence Fund share 3% of their equity book by weight.
Shared holdings — Franklin Asian Equity Fund vs HDFC Defence Fund
| Stock | Franklin Asian Equity Fund | HDFC Defence Fund | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bharat Electronics Ltd | 1.83% | 15.46% | 1.83% |
| Tata Motors Ltd | 1.64% | 1.17% | 1.17% |
2 shared of 56 / 24 positions. Weights are shown as a share of each fund's equity book.
| Metric | Franklin Templeton · Direct NAV ₹49.33 Very High risk ★★★☆☆ | HDFC · Direct NAV ₹30.22 Very High risk ★★★★☆ | Category median Sectoral/ Thematic · 257 funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| +33.39%Best in row | +22.63% | +1.51% | |
| +23.96% | +36.08%Best in row | +12.95% | |
| +9.46% | — | +11.95% | |
| +10.45% | — | +14.63% | |
| +10.09% | +39.33%Best in row | +12.56% | |
| +19.44% | +27.70%Best in row | — | |
| +8.11% | +39.29%Best in row | +17.13% | |
| +7.84% | — | +16.16% | |
| +7.85% | — | +15.96% | |
| Risk | |||
| 16.75%Best in row | 25.91% | 15.61% | |
| 1.04 | 1.14Best in row | 0.26 | |
| 1.49 | 1.57Best in row | 0.37 | |
| -40.20% | -34.54%Best in row | -23.03% | |
| +15.78% | +23.98%Best in row | +4.07% | |
| 0.59 | 1.58 | 0.96 | |
| 80.6% | 193.6%Best in row | 106.5% | |
| -17.2%Best in row | 100.2% | 90.0% | |
| 1.25% | 0.89%Best in row | 1.16% | |
| ₹720.84Cr | ₹9,371Cr | ₹1,069Cr | |
| ₹500 | ₹100 | — | |
| ₹5.00K | ₹100 | — | |
| 55% | 10% | 51% | |
| Sandeep Manam | Rahul Baijal · 1.5y | — | |
| 01 Jan 2013 | 02 Jun 2023 | — | |
| 56 | 24 | — | |
| 39.6% | 79.7% | — | |
| 6.5% | 1.9% | — | |
3 rows carry the same value for every fund — show
- Benchmark
- Nifty 500
- Exit load
- 1.00%
- Lock-in
- None
Best marks the strongest value in a row, and only where the gap is bigger than noise — a near-tie is left unmarked rather than dressed up as a result. SIP XIRR is a ₹10,000/month instalment over 5 years of real NAV history. Nothing here is supplied by a fund house. For research only — not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
Which fund has delivered higher returns — Franklin Asian Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
Over the last 3 years, HDFC Defence Fund returned +36.08% CAGR against Franklin Asian Equity Fund's +23.96%, computed from AMFI NAV history. Past returns don't guarantee future performance.
Which fund is cheaper — Franklin Asian Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
HDFC Defence Fund has the lower expense ratio: Franklin Asian Equity Fund charges 1.25% a year against HDFC Defence Fund's 0.89%. The expense ratio is deducted from the NAV daily, so a lower one compounds in the investor's favour.
Which fund is riskier — Franklin Asian Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
HDFC Defence Fund has shown higher volatility (+25.91% annualized vs Franklin Asian Equity Fund's +16.75%), measured as the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over the trailing 3 years. Worst 3-year drawdown: Franklin Asian Equity Fund -14.24% vs HDFC Defence Fund -34.54%.
Which fund manages more money — Franklin Asian Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
HDFC Defence Fund is the larger fund: Franklin Asian Equity Fund manages ₹720.84Cr against HDFC Defence Fund's ₹9,371Cr in assets. Size cuts both ways — scale lowers costs, but a very large fund can find it harder to move in and out of positions.
Are Franklin Asian Equity Fund and HDFC Defence Fund in the same category?
Yes — both are Sectoral/ Thematic schemes, so their returns, risk and cost are directly comparable against the same peer set.
Figures update daily from AMFI NAV history; ratings and ranks are WealthTicker’s own — see the methodology. This is data, not investment advice.