MFs Unfazed by Investors Pausing SIPs

Hundreds of mutual funds investors rushed to stop their payments under systematic investment plans, or SIPs, in January, but market experts argue there is no need to hit the panic button just yet.

- Dipti Sharma

The SIP stoppage ratio—discontinued or expired SIP accounts against new SIP registrations in a given month—spiked to 109% in January, the highest since it hit 52% in April last year, per a JM Financial Institutional Securities report dated 13 February.

In absolute terms, however, the number of outstanding SIP accounts declined from 103.2 million in December to 102.7 million in January—by about 0.5%. Even so, the decline in outstanding SIPs—as more SIP accounts were discontinued than were registered—is an indication that recent market corrections have shaken the confidence of retail, or individual, investors, experts said.

Taher Badshah, chief investment officer at Invesco Mutual Fund, said while the closures do not appear to have significantly impacted overall SIP contributions, "this SIP stoppage could lead to a sharp slowdown in new additions moving forward."

Total SIP assets under management in India dropped to ₹13.2 trillion in January from ₹13.6 trillion in December, per data from the Association of Mutual Funds of India, or Amfi.