How MFs' top investment bets in December did so far in January

In December, mutual funds (MFs) deployed considerably larger amount in 10 stocks amid a gush of liquidity. It has been a mixed bag for fund managers as some of these stocks have done exceedingly well while some have unperformed the market.

The stocks that gained the most among top picks include TCS and L&T. However, fund managers could not be such good sellers when it comes to top few sell calls.

For instance, Infosys — the most liquidated counter — jumped 11%, while Indian Hotels galloped about 28%. Sell calls on Gail (India) and TVS Motor rewarded fund managers handsomely as both the counters fell 7.5-8%. It is worth to note that fund managers do not generally buy or sell stocks, with a short-term view.

The gains or losses in share prices during the immediate following month should not be the barometer to judge fund managers’ investment expertise.