Indian Mutual Fund Screener (IMF Screener)

DIRECT & GROWTH OPTIONS ONLY

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Screener Guide & Key Definitions

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Welcome to the Indian Mutual Fund Screener (IMF Screener). We rank mutual funds using strict mathematical benchmarks to separate genuine manager skill from lucky market runs. This guide explains how to use these indicators to evaluate performance, risk, and manager execution.

📈 Why Rolling Returns beat Absolute (Point-to-Point) Returns

Most investment sites display Absolute Returns (e.g. standard 1-year or 3-year performance). These are computed between two single dates (e.g. June 1st, 2025 to June 1st, 2026). If the market had an abnormal peak or bottom on exactly one of those dates, the return figures are heavily skewed (a phenomenon called endpoint bias).

Rolling Returns eliminate endpoint bias by looking at the average of every single daily window across history (e.g. hundreds of overlapping 1-year, 3-year, or 5-year periods). This simulates a real-world investor who could have bought and sold at any random time, providing a true measure of return consistency across complete market cycles (bulls, bears, and sideways trends).

★ Overall Rating (Max 5★)

Simple Meaning: The overall grade of the fund based on mathematical consistency and size checks.

Baseline / Benchmark: ≥ 4★ represents top-tier consistency and risk control. < 3★ indicates high risk or below-average consistency.

Scoring Details: Combines 3Y Rolling Returns (25%), Information Ratio (25%), CAPM Alpha (25%), and Downside Capture (25%).
Minimum Track Record: Funds must have a minimum 3-year (756 business days) historical NAV series to receive a rating. Newer funds are marked as UR (Unrated) and sorted at the bottom.
AUM Adjustment: Mid-cap and Small-cap funds are penalized by up to -0.75★ progressively as AUM bloats (since size hurts liquidity/agility), whereas Large-cap and Debt funds are rewarded up to +0.25★ for institutional stability.
Concentration Penalty: Top-10 stock weight outside the healthy range of 20% to 45% is penalized by -0.25★ (too concentrated is risky; too diluted acts like a boring index fund).

📈 Rolling Returns (1Y, 3Y, 5Y)

Simple Meaning: The average of compounded annual returns across all historical periods of that length.

Baseline / Benchmark: Double-digit rolling returns (e.g., > 12% to 15%) are considered strong benchmarks for long-term equity wealth generation. Compare this to the benchmark index or category average.

Why it Matters: It proves whether the fund compounds wealth steadily over time or just had a single lucky year.

⚡ CAPM Alpha (3Y)

Simple Meaning: The manager's stock-picking bonus return. Extra returns generated purely by active picking, after removing general market returns.

Baseline / Benchmark:
Alpha > 0%: Beat the benchmark index via active management.
Alpha ≥ 3.0%: Excellent (adds 3%+ extra return annually purely from stock-picking).
Alpha < 0%: Failed to beat the index after accounting for management fees.

Why it Matters: Ensures you are getting your money's worth from active fees rather than just riding standard market momentum.

🛡️ Downside Capture (3Y)

Simple Meaning: Capital protection shield. Measures how much of the market's losses the fund suffers when the market drops.

Baseline / Benchmark:
100%: Fell exactly as much as the market index.
< 100% (e.g. 70% to 80%): Ideal (only captured 70-80% of losses, protecting your capital).
> 100%: Aggressive (fell harder than the benchmark; high risk during recessions).

Why it Matters: Lower downside capture prevents deep portfolio drawdowns, giving your money a much faster start when the market recovers.

🎯 Information Ratio (3Y)

Simple Meaning: Skill-to-risk ratio. Determines if outperformance is due to consistent, structured execution or just a few lucky, high-risk bets.

Baseline / Benchmark:
≥ 0.5: Good (consistent risk-controlled outperformance).
≥ 1.0: Exceptional (highly reliable outperformance per unit of active risk).
< 0: Inefficient risk taking (active management subtracted value relative to the risk taken).

Why it Matters: Separates disciplined, talented fund managers from lucky speculators.

💡 Note: Since fund managers' official tenure dates are not exposed in standard factsheet APIs, click on any manager's name in the table to instantly lookup their career history, tenure, and background on LinkedIn.
Choose Mutual Fund Category
Category Quant Leader
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Category Mean 3Y Rolling Return
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Annualized Consistency
Category Mean CAPM Alpha (3Y)
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Risk-Adjusted Excess

Fund Performance & Risk Ranking Profile

0 funds
Rank Scheme Name Rating AUM (Cr) 1Y Rolling Return 3Y Rolling Return 5Y Rolling Return Alpha (3Y) Downside Capture Info Ratio (3Y) Fund Manager

Frequently Asked Questions

How to select the best mutual fund in India?

Selecting the best mutual fund requires looking beyond absolute returns. You should focus on consistency (Rolling Returns), risk-adjusted performance (Information Ratio), and the fund manager's stock-picking ability (CAPM Alpha). This screener automatically ranks Indian mutual funds based on these advanced quantitative metrics.

How does the 5-Star Mutual Fund Rating System work?

Our proprietary 5-Star rating system calculates a comprehensive composite score rather than relying on just one metric. It grades mutual funds based on 4 main factors:

  • 3Y Rolling Returns (25%): Measures long-term performance consistency and eliminates endpoint market timing luck.
  • 3Y CAPM Alpha (25%): Measures the manager's pure stock-picking skill above the benchmark.
  • 3Y Information Ratio (25%): Measures risk-adjusted return (excess return per unit of active risk).
  • Downside Capture (25%): Measures the fund's defensive ability to limit losses during market crashes.

Finally, it applies progressive adjustments for AUM size (penalizing small-cap/mid-cap funds with excessive size that hinders portfolio agility, while rewarding large-cap/debt funds for scale and stability) to arrive at the final rating. Manager tenure is tracked strictly as a qualitative overlay to prevent data coverage bias.

Why are some mutual funds marked as "UR" (Unrated)?

Funds must have a minimum 3-year (756 business days) historical track record to be eligible for a star rating. Since short-term performance can be heavily influenced by temporary market trends or luck, we mark funds under 3 years old as UR (Unrated) and place them at the bottom of the rankings. This ensures a fair, risk-adjusted comparison against veteran funds and prevents newer, unproven funds from outranking seasoned performers purely due to a short-term hot streak.

What is a good rolling return for mutual funds?

A good rolling return is one that consistently beats the benchmark over a 3-year or 5-year daily rolling window. Unlike point-to-point absolute returns, rolling returns eliminate market timing bias, giving you an accurate picture of a mutual fund's true performance across various market cycles.

Direct vs Regular mutual funds: which is better?

Direct mutual funds are always mathematically better than Regular mutual funds because they have a lower Expense Ratio (no distributor commissions). Over a 10-20 year period, investing in Direct Growth plans can save you lakhs of rupees in compound interest. This screener only tracks Direct Growth mutual funds.

How to check mutual fund performance accurately?

The most accurate way to check mutual fund performance is by analyzing its CAPM Alpha and Information Ratio. CAPM Alpha measures the excess return generated purely by the manager's active stock-picking skills, while the Information Ratio measures how much excess return was generated per unit of risk taken.