Open-ended funds

Open-ended funds 

Open-ended funds are an alternative to investing in a mutual fund. They entail collecting funds from investors to invest in different underlying securities. 

Based on their structural types, mutual funds can be split into two categories: open-ended and close-ended. Open-ended schemes are always accessible for buyback and subscription. The maturation period is not pre-determined. These funds are fantastic if a potential investor is just concerned about liquidity. 

What is an open-ended fund? 

An open-ended fund is a diversified portfolio of collected investor capital with infinite share issuance capacity. The fund sponsor sells shares directly to investors and redeems them on their behalf. These shares’ current net asset value determines their daily values (NAV). Mutual funds, hedge funds, and exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are examples of open-ended funds. 

An open-ended fund offers investors a simple, inexpensive option to combine funds and buy a diversified portfolio that reflects a certain investing aim. Investment goals include investing in large- or small-cap firms for income, growth, etc. 

Understanding an open-ended fund 

Investments and redemptions are always possible with open-ended funds. These funds are perpetually open because they have neither a lock-in period nor maturity. There is no upper restriction on the number of investments that open-ended funds can accept from the general public.  

Open-ended funds base their daily NAV calculations on the value of the underlying securities at the day’s end. In most cases, these funds are not traded on stock markets.  

Open-ended mutual funds always offer significant liquidity compared to closed-ended funds, where liquidity is only available after the designated lock-in period or at fund maturity. 

How do open-ended fund work? 

In the market, mutual funds are floated via a new fund offer (NFO). An investor may purchase or sell units in open-ended mutual funds even after the NFO period has passed. Additionally, neither the maximum number of units that can be issued nor the mutual funds’ maturity date is fixed. However, if an investor sells his units in a scheme, he can be required to pay an exit load. 

Units in open-ended mutual funds can be bought and sold whenever you want, at the fund’s net asset value. The NAV changes every day based on the values of the stocks and bonds on the market. The number of units of the mutual fund that may be issued is not restricted. These funds don’t have a predetermined maturity date. An open-ended fund’s units are removed from the market once an investor redeems them. An investor must pay an exit load for units sold within a year. 

Advantages of an open-ended fund 

The following is a list of open-ended mutual funds’ advantages: 

• An investor may take units from an open-ended fund anytime during business hours. This offers the crucial element of liquidity for an investor’s portfolio of investments. While many investment options offer decent returns, most have lock-in periods that make investor money inaccessible until maturity. Investors can benefit from the greatest amount of liquidity using open-ended mutual funds. 

• A short glance at the fund’s historical performance can provide insight into how it has performed over several market cycles. This helps investors make wise decisions and investments in line with their goals. 

• An investor can start a systematic investment plan, or SIP, to invest a predetermined amount in the scheme regularly because units can be purchased on any working day. This is most advantageous for salaried investors and those with no investment funds. Additionally, a systematic investment plan might help an individual start with a corpus. 

Disadvantages of an open-ended fund 

The following is a list of open-ended mutual funds’ disadvantages: 

• The NAV of an open-ended mutual fund fluctuates according to the performance of its underlying holdings. Open-ended funds are hence extremely volatile and exposed to market hazards. Despite the fund manager’s efforts to lower volatility by diversifying his assets, these funds always carry some market risk. 

• Open-ended funds typically assign highly competent fund managers to judge the fund’s securities selection. As a result, investors are denied the opportunity to express their opinions over the asset mix of the funds. 

• Management of an open-ended fund makes an effort to maintain a diversified portfolio, but it is still vulnerable to market risk. The underlying benchmark’s variations affect the funds’ NAV. 

Frequently Asked Questions