Mr. Gopal Agrawal

Fund Manager - Equity, HDFC Mutual Fund

1. The year began on a turbulent note amidst concerns over unfavorable global markets. What can be various aspects to look forward to staying invested in Indian equity markets for medium to long term?

Markets can be volatile in the short term, driven by various events. Investors are best placed to consider ignoring short term volatility and continue building portfolios towards long term goals. Having said that, we have observed that any fall in markets due to global reasons have been a buying opportunity for a long investor, and this current market seems to have validated that trend.

In the long run, markets are largely driven by earnings growth, which in turn is impacted by a host of factors, with GDP growth being a key contributor. Growth outlook for Indian economy is strong. Reforms and measures by the Govt. over the past few years have strengthened the same.

Other factors that investors today could keep in mind are 1) valuations of Indian equities being lower from recent highs on account of rising earnings, 2) Recovery of the private capex cycle, 3) improving manufacturing competitiveness. In terms of risks, key risks emanate from slow global growth, higher global and Indian interest rates for a longer period of time, and other geopolitical risks.

2. What has triggered the sudden change in market sentiment in India?

Significant buying from Foreign Institutional Investors seems to be a key reason in the sudden change in current market valuations. Moderation in commodity process (reflected in falling wholesale prices), improvement in CAD, rally in treasury yields in anticipation of peaking inflation and interest rates, and underperformance of large other Emerging Markets led to strong FII flows for India. Here onwards, outlook for inflation and earnings are generally considered key for market performance, as valuations are above average. Continuing moderation in volume growth could pose risks to earnings momentum over time.

3. What has been your investment strategy in 2023 so far? Are you planning to sustain on the same or you have a different plan?

In general, the strategy has been to focus on stock selection with a style agnostic approach, wherein we look for opportunities across growth, value and turnaround stories. We have remained benchmark aware in terms of sectors and we don’t believe in taking major sectoral calls. The focus of research effort is on understanding the businesses, the key drivers, forming a view on the key drivers and understanding the risks.

As of date, we intend to manage our funds in a similar way as it was managed in the past, with a steadfast focus on risk management. As and when we find valuation excesses in certain segments of the market, we could make necessary changes with a view to protect investors capital during that phase.

4. Not many investors are aware whether their investments are in an appropriate type of funds. Can you let these investors know about the criteria that will help them select an ideal fund for them?

Choosing the most suitable mutual funds from a vast universe of options can be a daunting task for most investors. In the midst of this challenge, it's crucial to cut through the noise and distractions and focus on what truly matters: aiming for the best long term experience in terms of returns and risks, while aligning with individual long-term goals. To identify mutual funds with the potential for long term performance, it is essential to look beyond short-term returns. A strong track record spanning more than 15, 20 or 25 years reflects a fund's ability to navigate through various market cycles, geopolitical events, and crises. It demonstrates the fund's resilience and the effectiveness of the investment team's processes, risk management policies, and a sound investment philosophy. When investing for long-term financial goals, investors should ideally prioritize those backed by extensive track records.

5. Where in the market do you still think there is value, and where do you think valuations are stretched?

With markets trading at all-time high, there are lot of excesses that have been created in certain stocks/sectors. While the headline valuations are above their long-term average, there are still pockets of opportunities in certain stocks/sectors. At the broader level, we are positive across themes. However, one should be mindful of the valuations when one enters into a particular sector/stock. As stock returns are a blend of earnings growth and valuation de/re-rating, the starting valuations become very important and that could determine the future returns.

At the sector level, we are positive on 1) Consumer Discretionary – Within consumer discretionary, we are positive on select sectors such as autos and auto ancillaries, 2) Utilities – due to attractive valuations, low thermal capacity addition over the last 5 years and reforms undertaken over the last year are also positive for the sector, 3) Communication Services – post consolidation in the sector, pricing power outlook has improved, 4) Information Technology – normalization in margins have put an end to earnings downgrade in IT sector as top line growth drivers are structural in nature, and 5) Industrials: on account of factors such as government focus on manufacturing, shift in global supply-chain, and the China+1 theme. We are negative on Consumer Staples given the growth and margin risk and excessive valuations and materials due to risk of global slowdown

DISCLAIMER: Views expressed are of Mr. Gopal Agrawal, Senior Equity Fund Manager of HDFC Asset Management Company Limited as of 25^th July 2023. The current investment strategies are subject to change. The Fund/ HDFC AMC is not indicating or guaranteeing returns on any investments. The statements contained herein are based on our current views and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Stocks/Sectors referred above are illustrative and not recommended by HDFC Mutual Fund (“the Fund”)/ HDFC AMC. The Schemes of the Fund may or may not have any present or future positions in these sectors. Readers should seek professional advice before taking any investment related decisions.

MUTUAL FUND INVESTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO MARKET RISKS, READ ALL SCHEME RELATED DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY.

Mr. Umesh Sharma

Vice President & Portfolio Manager – Fixed Income, Franklin Templeton India

Umesh Sharma is a vice president and portfolio manager for Franklin Templeton Fixed Income in Mumbai, India. Mr. Sharma is responsible for managing local fixed income portfolios focusing on high grade debt, closed ended scheme, and debt portion of hybrid schemes.

Mr. Sharma has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to his current role, Mr. Sharma was a fund manager for Religare Asset Management Company Pvt. Ltd. He also was previously with ICICI Bank, JM Financial Asset Management Company Pvt. Ltd., and UIT Asset Management Company Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Sharma joined Franklin Templeton in 2010.

Mr. Sharma holds a bachelor of commerce from Mohanlal Sukhadia University at Udaipur. He is a Chartered Accountant (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and a Company Secretary (Institute of Company Secretaries of India). He also finished level III for the CFA (CFA Institute, USA) in 2006.

1. If one evaluates that the interest rate hike is about to reach its pinnacle, what kind of investing strategy will you suggest to retail investors?

In an ideal situation, the yield curve plotted as a function of tenure and yields is an upward sloping figure. This denotes commensurately higher interest rates for higher duration. It must also be noted that in fixed income market interest rates and price of a debt security move in opposite direction. Considering that the interest rates are about to peak, one may look at investing in funds that have longer duration. However, much also depends on other factors such as risk appetite of investor, liquidity, investment goal, among others. For an investor with multiple goals, a ladder approach may be handy where goal-specific investment can be made in funds that match the goal horizon i.e. funds that have a defined maturity date. Alternatively, a simple solution would be to invest the contingency corpus in liquid or money market funds and for investment horizon of two years and above a medium duration product may be considered.

2. It is generally difficult to predict the numbers announced by the Fed, RBI and other authorities. Even if we read analysis from economists it is still difficult to analyze the debt markets. Can you suggest some simple ways that would help investors to understand the key drivers of the debt market?

Simply put, the key drivers of interest rates are growth, inflation and external dynamics. In India, RBI, being an inflation targeting Central Bank, looks at its inflation target of 4%+/-2%, while keeping an eye on growth. Thus, if inflation is expected to breach the target, then it is imperative for RBI to act.

Thus, in very simple terms, if growth parameters are satisfactory and inflation is under control, then expect a stable rate regime. If growth is accelerating and inflation is likely to breach the target, then expect a rising rate regime and if growth is slowing and inflation is weakening, then expect a downward trend in rates. One must remember that markets are forward looking and are typically discounting expectations with respect to these variables. Hence, one may find opportunities if one’s analyses is different from what the market has baked in.

3. What are the red flags while evaluating the liquidity of your portfolio, and what do you do when you encounter these warning signs?

We evaluate the portfolio daily with respect to underlying liquidity. The fixed income portfolios have a significant exposure (minimum 80%) to highest rated securities which are typically liquid. We also closely track the flows into/out of the funds and any concentration risks there. We also evaluate the flow into/out of the industry within similar funds. In addition, the news flow with respect to portfolio exposures is closely monitored. There is an independent risk management function which also tracks these liquidity parameters and in addition, also looks at portfolio liquidity with respect to historical redemption trends etc, among other things. The framework ensures that the funds keep aligning to changes in the external environment on a dynamic basis.

4. What kind of impact could tax amendments on debt funds have on investor participation? Do you believe that in order to encourage investor engagement, recent changes will necessitate significant product modifications?

Going by the recent data from AMFI, we haven’t seen much impact. On a YTD basis, fixed income category AUM has grown by 14%, folios have also grown by 0.25% in line with trend from previous months. Debt funds continue to offer benefits over traditional investments in the form of choices depending upon risk-return appetite, ability of schemes to reflect prevailing interest rates through portfolio yield to maturity, professional management, option to redeem investment without penalty, among others. There are certain taxation benefits also like deferment of taxation, adjustment of capital gains/losses etc.

Current regulations do not permit excessive modifications in product structures. We feel the current set of 16 funds category offer a plethora of investment solutions to investors. Beyond these, there are Fixed Maturity Plans and Target Maturity Funds as well which serve well to meet varied investor requirement.

5. How much AUM do you manage, and can you provide us an overview of the last three years' performance of the funds you directly manage?

I manage/co-manage around $1 billion AUM across fixed income and hybrid schemes. For the funds I directly manage, 67% of the funds have been in the top 2 quartiles over a 3-year time frame (regular plans; data as of 23th Jun 2023), while the balance have slight underperformance relative to peer average.

6. What’s your investment mantra and how well has it worked for you?

On the professional front, the investment mantra is to look at the data hard, glean information and use it to distill into portfolio construction. In other words, its research, conviction, and execution.

On the personal front, the mantra is to invest for the long term while keeping overall asset allocation as per my goals. One should not be deterred by short-term fluctuations and should keep an eye on the long-term.