Mutual Fund Glossary — Learn 50+ Investment Terms
Learn essential mutual fund and investment terms with interactive visual examples and charts.
- NAV (Net Asset Value)
- The per-unit market value of a mutual fund scheme. Calculated as (Total Assets − Liabilities) ÷ Number of Units outstanding.
- XIRR (Extended Internal Rate of Return)
- The most accurate way to measure your mutual fund portfolio's actual return, accounting for the exact dates and amounts of all your investments and redemptions.
- CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
- The mean annual growth rate of an investment over a specified time period longer than one year, assuming profits are reinvested.
- Sharpe Ratio
- A measure of risk-adjusted return. Calculated as (Fund Return − Risk Free Rate) ÷ Standard Deviation. Higher Sharpe ratio means better risk-adjusted performance.
- SIP (Systematic Investment Plan)
- Investing a fixed amount in mutual funds at regular intervals (usually monthly) to benefit from rupee cost averaging and compounding.
- Expense Ratio
- Annual fee charged by the fund house as a percentage of AUM. It covers fund management, administrative, and operational costs. Lower is better for investors.
- AUM (Assets Under Management)
- The total market value of all investments managed by a mutual fund scheme. Higher AUM generally means more investor confidence.
- Alpha
- The excess return of a fund compared to its benchmark index. Positive alpha means the fund manager has added value beyond market returns.
- Beta
- A measure of a fund's volatility relative to the market. Beta > 1 means more volatile than the market, Beta < 1 means less volatile.
- Max Drawdown
- The maximum observed loss from a peak to a trough before a new peak. It measures the worst-case scenario risk for an investor.
- VaR (Value at Risk)
- The maximum expected loss over a given time period at a given confidence level. For example, 95% VaR of 5% means you can expect a maximum loss of 5% on 95% of trading days.
- ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme)
- Tax-saving mutual funds with a 3-year lock-in period that qualify for Section 80C deduction up to ₹1.5 lakh per year under the Income Tax Act.
- Sortino Ratio
- Similar to Sharpe Ratio but only considers downside deviation, making it more relevant for investors who care about losses rather than overall volatility.
- Standard Deviation
- A statistical measure of how much a fund's returns deviate from its average return. Higher standard deviation means higher volatility and risk.
- SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan)
- The opposite of SIP — withdraw a fixed amount at regular intervals from your mutual fund investment. Popular for generating retirement income.
And 35+ more terms explained with interactive charts and visual examples
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