Mutual fund investments in stocks at Rs 5,000 crore in April

New Delhi: Mutual fund managers have purchased stocks worth close to Rs 5,000 crore in this month so far on sustained participation by retail investors.

This comes on the top of over Rs 51,000 crore investment in stocks in 2016-17 financial year.

Fund houses are upbeat over the industry's performance in the new fiscal while expecting investment from new investors to fuel the growth of the sector.

As per data released by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), mutual fund managers invested a net sum of Rs 4,895 crore in stock markets in this month so far. In comparison, they infused a net amount of Rs 4,191 crore in equities in the entire last month.

Apart from equities, fund managers invested a staggering Rs 50,313 crore in debt markets.

According to market experts, the mutual fund industry is at a take-off stage in terms of growth and Indian investors are warming up to investments in equity as an asset class.

"The positive net inflow in equities can be credited to maturity of retail investors who have come up in the 'learning curve' by contributing funds into monthly systematic investment plans (SIPs)," Bajaj Capital Group Director Anil Chopra said.

A mutual fund pools the assets of its investors and invests the money on their behalf. It provides diverse investment instruments like stocks and bonds without requiring investors to make separate purchases and trades.