Friday, May 28, 2010

Sebi wants more checks on MF expenses

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is preparing ground for a fresh set of mutual fund (MF) reforms to make the instrument more transparent and attractive for investors.

The MF advisory committee, comprising industry and Sebi representatives, is due to meet on Monday to discuss the proposals.

For a start, the regulator wants fund houses to keep promotional expenses, such as those on foreign trips and gifts to distributors, outside the ambit of the expense ratio. This ratio — it includes fees paid to fund managers, advertising, legal, record-keeping and accounting costs, custodial charges and taxes — is capped at six per cent for a scheme. In most cases, fund houses keep the expense ratio around 2.5 per cent, but include promotional costs in the calculation.

Sources familiar with the development said the regulator suspected that many costs passed off as advertising or promotional expenses were in reality paid to distributors for pushing sales.

The move comes when Sebi has been embroiled in a battle with the insurance regulator, Irda, for control over unit-linked insurance plans, seen as a rival to MF schemes. By reforming the commission structure for these schemes, the market regulator has put pressure on the insurance sector to opt for reforms.

Clearer performance measures
In addition, at the Monday meeting, the regulator would want to put in place a more investor-friendly performance review mechanism. At present, apart from the daily net asset value, fund houses put out monthly fact-sheets which provide mathematical calculations comparing and evaluating the schemes on offer. The regulator feels retail investors find this form of review complicated. Instead, it wants MFs to provide specific quantitative parameters for one to be able to judge the performance of a scheme.

The advisory committee is also to discuss issues like guidelines for MF investments in equity derivatives. This has become a contentious issue. Some members feel fund houses should not be allowed to invest in risky instruments like stock derivatives.

However, if a complete ban was not possible, there should be some specific guidelines, said an industry source.

The committee, whose earlier meeting was in November, was also likely to look at the issue of conflict of interest among trustees, asset management companys (AMCs) and managements of fund houses, sources said. The issue was discussed earlier and it was noted that there was an overlap in membership of these entities.

Sebi had addressed the issue by ordering that AMCs, trustees and managements should have different sets of individuals. The sources said the regulator wanted to ensure that no gaps remained in the regulations.

In the recent past, Sebi has used the MF advisory panel to usher in a lot of changes, such as in the entry and exit load structure, put in place last August.


Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=396301

No comments:

Just click away from joining most active Mutual Fund India google group

Google Groups
Subscribe to Mutual Fund india
Email:
Visit this group

Aggrasive Portfolio

  • Principal Emerging Bluechip fund (Stock picker Fund) 11%
  • Reliance Growth Fund (Stock Picker Fund) 11%
  • IDFC Premier Equity Fund (Stock picker Fund) (STP) 11%
  • HDFC Equity Fund (Mid cap Fund) 11%
  • Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund (Large Cap Fund) 10%
  • HDFC TOP 200 Fund (Large Cap Fund) 8%
  • Sundram BNP Paribas Select Midcap Fund (Midcap Fund) 8%
  • Fidelity Special Situation Fund (Stock picker Fund) 8%
  • Principal MIP Fund (15% Equity oriented) 10%
  • IDFC Savings Advantage Fund (Liquid Fund) 6%
  • Kotak Flexi Fund (Liquid Fund) 6%

Moderate Portfolio

  • HDFC TOP 200 Fund (Large Cap Fund) 11%
  • Principal Large Cap Fund (Largecap Equity Fund) 10%
  • Reliance Vision Fund (Large Cap Fund) 10%
  • IDFC Imperial Equity Fund (Large Cap Fund) 10%
  • Reliance Regular Saving Fund (Stock Picker Fund) 10%
  • Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund (Large Cap Fund) 9%
  • HDFC Prudence Fund (Balance Fund) 9%
  • ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan (Dynamic Fund) 9%
  • Principal MIP Fund (15% Equity oriented) 10%
  • IDFC Savings Advantage Fund (Liquid Fund) 6%
  • Kotak Flexi Fund (Liquid Fund) 6%

Conservative Portfolio

  • ICICI Prudential Index Fund (Index Fund) 16%
  • HDFC Prudence Fund (Balance Fund) 16%
  • Reliance Regular Savings Fund - Balanced Option (Balance Fund) 16%
  • Principal Monthly Income Plan (MIP Fund) 16%
  • HDFC TOP 200 Fund (Large Cap Fund) 8%
  • Principal Large Cap Fund (Largecap Equity Fund) 8%
  • JM Arbitrage Advantage Fund (Arbitrage Fund) 16%
  • IDFC Savings Advantage Fund (Liquid Fund) 14%

Best SIP Fund For 10 Years

  • IDFC Premier Equity Fund (Stock Picker Fund)
  • Principal Emerging Bluechip Fund (Stock Picker Fund)
  • Sundram BNP Paribas Select Midcap Fund (Midcap Fund)
  • JM Emerging Leader Fund (Multicap Fund)
  • Reliance Regular Saving Scheme (Equity Stock Picker)
  • Biral Mid cap Fund (Mid cap Fund)
  • Fidility Special Situation Fund (Stock Picker)
  • DSP Gold Fund (Equity oriented Gold Sector Fund)