Financial Markets and Instruments

Fixed Term Plans (FTP) and Fixed Maturity Plans (FMP) are closed-end funds that have a fixed maturity date and cannot be redeemed before that period. Unlike open-end funds, they do not accept ongoing subscriptions or redemptions and are designed to match the maturity of their underlying debt instruments.

Growth funds invest primarily in equity shares with the objective of capital appreciation, offering the highest potential returns among mutual fund categories. Debt funds and gilt funds focus on fixed income with minimal growth potential, while balanced funds mix both equity and debt for moderate growth.

Equity fund NAVs fluctuate based on stock market movements, industry/sector events affecting their holdings, and company-specific developments. Real estate prices operate in an entirely separate asset class and do not directly influence the performance or valuation of equity mutual funds.

ELSS funds invest in equities and can invest in shares of listed companies as their primary investment avenue. The other statements are incorrect: ELSS does have a lock-in period (3 years), fund managers follow specific investment mandates, and investors do get tax benefits under Section 80C.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (CDSC) decreases over time as the investor holds the fund longer - this is how it incentivizes long-term investment. The annualized value decreases because the total charge is spread over a longer holding period, and the charge percentage typically declines each year.

Fixed term plans in India have three key characteristics: they are close-ended (cannot be redeemed before maturity except in specified circumstances), have maturity periods shorter than one year typically, and are not listed on stock exchanges. These features distinguish them from open-ended funds.

Mutual fund unit holders are part owners of the fund's underlying assets - this is the fundamental legal structure of mutual funds. They are neither creditors nor debtors (that would be bondholders), and they are not trustees (that role belongs to the trustee company appointed to oversee the fund).

The 'don't keep all eggs in one basket' metaphor perfectly captures the essence of portfolio diversification - spreading investments across different assets reduces risk. The other options are different idioms: 'one bird in hand' suggests certainty over potential gain, 'what goes up must come down' refers to cycles, and 'risk and return go hand in hand' describes a tradeoff relationship.

Value averaging is a systematic investment strategy where the investor sets a target portfolio value and invests enough to reach that target. If the portfolio value has gone down due to market decline, more money is invested to bring it back to the target value. This differs from rupee-cost averaging (same amount regularly) or lump-sum investing.

Fund B is more diversified because it invests in companies across two countries (India and USA) versus Fund A which only invests in India. Geographic diversification across countries typically provides better risk reduction than concentration in a single country, even if the number of securities were similar. We don't need more information because we can clearly see B has broader geographic exposure.

Beta measures a fund's volatility relative to the market. A beta greater than 1 indicates the fund is more volatile than the market benchmark - it will tend to move more (both up and down) than the market. Beta equal to 1 means same volatility as market, while beta less than 1 means lower volatility.

The unit capital of close-ended funds is fixed and they sell a specific number of units. Unlike in open-ended funds, investors cannot buy the units of a close-ended fund after its NFO period is over.

Value funds seek fundamentally sound companies whose shares are UNDERPRICED in the market, not overpriced. They look for stocks trading below their intrinsic value. Option A is the incorrect statement, making it the correct answer to 'which is INCORRECT?'. The other options correctly describe balanced funds (equal debt-equity mix), growth funds (investing in high-growth companies), and specialty funds (regional/thematic focus).

Mutual funds have three key characteristics: pooling of investments from many investors (A), market risk as investments are subject to market fluctuations (B), and uniform unit holder rights where all investors in the same scheme have equal rights (C). Safety of principal (D) is NOT a characteristic - mutual funds do NOT guarantee principal safety; they carry market risk and investors can lose capital.

For a no-load scheme, SEBI caps the investment management fee at 1% of weekly average net assets. With weekly average net assets of Rs. 200 crore, the maximum fee is 200 × 1% = Rs. 2 crore. This is part of the expense ratio regulations.