MF Cash Buffer Falls as Equity Funds Trim Cash to ₹1.49 Lakh Cr

The latest data shows that equity mutual funds have trimmed their cash positions only slightly, thus keeping buffers at an elevated level. In August, the MF cash buffer stood at ₹1.49 lakh crore, down just a bit from ₹1.57 lakh crore in July.

This implies fund managers are still being cautious. With markets staying volatile and stock valuations running higher than normal, they would rather keep more cash as a buffer than hurry to invest it all. While keeping cash provides them optionality if markets dip, it also means they could end up missing out if equity momentum persists.

Some of the biggest fund houses, including SBI Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund, ICICI Pru, Axis, Kotak, DSP, Nippon India, and PPFAS, continue to maintain sizeable cash levels. It shows that caution remains the prevailing mood across the industry

Equity Mutual Fund Cash Holdings

The data shows that most of the large mutual funds are still holding significant amounts of cash, even if they trimmed a bit in August:

• SBI Mutual Fund: ₹23,600 crore (down from ₹27,750 crore in July)
• HDFC Mutual Fund: ₹22,613 crore (slightly lower than ₹23,050 crore in July)
• ICICI Prudential: ₹20,508 crore (compared with ₹20,914 crore earlier)

Other significant funds like PPFAS, Axis Mutual Fund, Nippon India, Kotak Mahindra, and DSP also continued to maintain high level of cash reserves.

Why Fund Managers Remain Cautious

Despite the MF cash buffer relaxing somewhat, fund managers are not keen to put all of it into shares. The reasons are mainly:

• High Valuations: In large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap segments alike, share prices are well above their historic means. This does not encourage managers to go on aggressive purchases.
• Market Volatility: August saw benchmark indices slip; Sensex fell 1.6%, Nifty 1.4%, MidCap index 2.5%, and SmallCap index 3.7%. Such swings keep managers defensive.
• Opportunity Cost: Meanwhile, managers are aware that keeping too much cash can spoil returns if markets rebound vigorously. It is this balancing act that explains why cash levels are higher than normal but are being gradually reduced.
• Flexibility: Cash-holding provides room for funds to move in quickly if markets are corrected or if there are good chances in block deals or IPOs.

Conclusion

For fund managers, the challenge is balancing two risks: being too conservative and missing the move if markets come back, or taking on too much exposure in a market that appears to be stretched on valuations. For investors,  this implies fund managers staying cautious, preferring flexibility to pursuing short-term gains. Over the next few months, how these buffers are utilised will remain sensitive to market stability, valuation comfort, and new opportunities for investment.

Source: MoneyControl

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