Balanced funds' assets more than double in FY17

'Mixed' investing in vogue: Rising popularity of balanced mutual funds among Indian investors

Balanced funds, mutual fund schemes that invest in a mix of equity and debt, saw their assets more than double to Rs 84,800 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 39,100 crore a year ago, becoming the fastest-growing segment in the industry.

The mutual fund industry’s overall asset growth was 42 per cent in 2016-17.

Net inflows into balanced funds in 2016-17 were Rs 36,610 crore, up 85 per cent from a year ago. The segment also added over 1 million investors, with the total folio count in March climbing to 3.54 million from 2.49 million a year ago.

Typically, balanced schemes