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Thursday, December 29, 2016

How Repo Rate Affects Debt Funds?

Reserve Bank of India logo and repo rate visual
Picture depicts RBI's logo and Repo Rate Visual

Actual Question:

How does RBI repo rate affect the performance of debt mutual funds?

Answer:

Dear Friend!
Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) ‘Repo Rate’ strongly influences the lending rates of commercial banks. If the repo rate is cut, the lending rates fall. On the other hand if repo rate is increased, the cost of borrowings go up.
How RBI’s repo rates will affect the performance of debt mutual funds is difficult to predict. One simple logical expectation is that if repo rates go up, the floating lending rates will go op and will positively impact the banks and other lending institutions and therefore, indirectly, the prospects debt mutual funds. But fixed interest rate loans are not affected. Mostly bonds, government securities, treasury notes are fixed interest rate instruments and debt mutual funds predominantly invest in such loans. In such a scenario there are no gains or losses in the short and medium terms.
Yet another argument could be that a fall in repo rate and consequently commercial lending rates to spur overall quantum of borrowings and therefore the prospects of debt mutual funds could brighten.
Predicting the consequences of events like changes in repo rates is not only difficult but fraught with huge risks. Therefore one should never make investment decisions based on such events/ actions. One should make good assessment about the fund, invest and simply leave it.
Anyway, friend, what are the special reasons for your interest in debt mutual funds? Debt funds do not make the investor rich or wealthy. There is no scope for increase in either recurring income or for capital appreciation. Debt funds are suitable only for those who have a large corpus of investible funds out of which one expects a regular income like charitable foundations, universities, pension funds, rich individuals and generally not for a majority salaried and middle income individuals. For them only well-diversified growth funds or exchange traded funds are suitable to create wealth in the long term.

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Thank you,
With Best Regards

Anand

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