Investment directory
Mutual funds, ETFs & REITs
20,240 listings across India and the US, plus identified London REITs. Mutual fund NAVs are from AMFI; exchange-traded prices appear when a live quote is available. DeepScreen analyzes each product with the framework that fits it: mutual-fund process and costs, ETF basket quality and tracking, and REIT property cash flow and leverage. These investments are not assessed with the company stock score.
Mutual fund analysis
Compare NAV history, rolling returns, drawdown, benchmark-relative performance, risk measures, portfolio structure, manager evidence and TER. Indian Direct and Regular plans are treated separately when the scheme data identifies them.
Read mutual fund Q&A →ETF analysis
Analyze the basket, not just the ticker: holdings, concentration, portfolio valuation, drawdown, volatility, expense ratio, tracking quality, liquidity, spread and premium or discount to NAV where data is available.
Read ETF Q&A →REIT analysis
Focus on property economics: occupancy and WALE where disclosed, tenant concentration, NOI or distributable cash flow, leverage, debt maturity, distribution coverage, NAV and cap-rate valuation.
Read REIT Q&A →20,240 results · page 3 of 405
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Investment FAQ
Mutual fund, ETF and REIT questions answered
Concise answers to common research questions about NAV, TER, Direct vs Regular plans, ETF tracking and liquidity, REIT occupancy, WALE, NDCF, AFFO, leverage and valuation.
General investment questions
- What is the difference between a mutual fund, an ETF and a REIT?
- A mutual fund pools investor money into a managed portfolio and is normally bought or redeemed at a calculated NAV. An ETF is also a pooled portfolio, but its units trade on an exchange during market hours, so the market price can differ from NAV. A REIT is a listed real-estate trust that owns or finances income-producing property. Compare fund process and costs for mutual funds, basket tracking and trading quality for ETFs, and property cash flow, leases, leverage and valuation for REITs.
- How does DeepScreen analyze mutual funds, ETFs and REITs?
- DeepScreen uses a different framework for each investment type instead of applying company-only stock ratios to everything. Mutual funds are reviewed through process, rolling performance, risk-adjusted measures, portfolio construction, people and cost. ETFs are reviewed as baskets using holdings, valuation, concentration, tracking, liquidity and trading costs. REITs are reviewed as property operating businesses using occupancy and lease quality where available, cash flow, leverage, distribution coverage and property valuation measures.
Mutual fund FAQ
- What is a mutual fund and how does it work?
- A mutual fund pools money from many investors and invests it according to a stated objective, such as equity, debt, hybrid or index investing. Investors own units of the scheme rather than the underlying securities directly. The value of each unit is represented by the scheme's net asset value, or NAV. When comparing funds, look beyond the latest return and examine the mandate, benchmark, portfolio, fees, manager record and downside behaviour over complete market cycles.
- What is the difference between Direct and Regular mutual fund plans in India?
- Direct and Regular plans belong to the same underlying scheme and generally hold the same portfolio under the same fund manager, but their expense ratios differ. A Direct plan does not include distributor commission in the same way a Regular plan does, so its ongoing expense ratio is normally lower. Because expenses are deducted from scheme assets, the two plans have separate NAVs and their returns can diverge over time. Compare like-for-like options before judging performance.
- What is a mutual fund expense ratio or TER?
- The total expense ratio, or TER, is the recurring cost charged to a mutual fund scheme for management and operating expenses. It is expressed as a percentage of assets and is reflected in the fund's NAV. Small fee differences can compound over long holding periods, but the lowest TER is not automatically the best fund; compare cost together with mandate, benchmark-relative results, portfolio risk, manager process and consistency.
- How should I compare mutual fund performance?
- Compare a fund with an appropriate benchmark and comparable funds over multiple periods instead of relying on one strong calendar year. Useful checks include 3-, 5- and 10-year annualized returns where history exists, rolling returns, maximum drawdown, volatility and risk-adjusted measures such as Sharpe and Sortino. Also confirm whether the current manager was responsible for the historical record and whether the fund's style has materially changed.
- What risks should I check before choosing a mutual fund?
- Start with the fund's stated objective and riskometer, then examine concentration, sector or credit exposure, portfolio turnover, drawdown, volatility and liquidity of the underlying assets. For active funds, review manager tenure and style drift. For passive funds, tracking error and tracking difference are important. Past returns do not guarantee future returns, so a fund should be evaluated against its objective, risk profile and costs rather than its recent ranking alone.
ETF FAQ
- What is an ETF?
- An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, is a pooled investment portfolio whose units trade on a stock exchange during market hours. Many ETFs track an index, sector, commodity or rules-based strategy, while some are actively managed. Because ETF units trade in the market, investors should evaluate both the underlying portfolio and the trading experience: holdings, index methodology, expense ratio, tracking quality, bid-ask spread, volume and premium or discount to NAV.
- ETF vs mutual fund: what is the main difference?
- Both can provide diversified exposure, but the transaction mechanism is different. A traditional mutual fund is normally purchased or redeemed with the fund at a calculated NAV, while an ETF trades on an exchange at market prices throughout the trading session. That means ETF investors must consider spreads, market liquidity and premium or discount to NAV in addition to the fund's expense ratio and portfolio. Mutual fund investors should pay particular attention to plan costs, loads and the scheme's process.
- What are tracking error and tracking difference in an ETF?
- Tracking difference is the gap between an ETF's return and the return of the benchmark it is designed to follow over a period. Tracking error measures how variable that return gap is over time. Expense ratio, trading costs, cash holdings, index rebalancing and replication choices can all affect tracking. For an index ETF, consistently small tracking difference and tracking error can be more informative than looking at the expense ratio alone.
- How do volume and bid-ask spread affect ETF investors?
- Trading volume shows how much an ETF changes hands, while the bid-ask spread is the gap between the best quoted buying and selling prices. A wider spread increases the friction of entering or exiting a position even when the published expense ratio is low. For execution quality, look at normal trading volume, spread behaviour during liquid market hours, assets under management and whether the underlying securities themselves are liquid.
- How should I analyze ETF holdings and concentration?
- Treat the ETF as one large basket. Check the index or strategy it follows, the weight of its top holdings, sector concentration and whether a small number of securities drive most of the risk. Then review weighted portfolio valuation and quality measures such as P/E, P/B, earnings growth, ROE and leverage when those metrics are meaningful for the holdings. A diversified-looking ETF name can still hide significant concentration.
REIT FAQ
- What is a REIT?
- A real estate investment trust, or REIT, is an investment vehicle that gives investors economic exposure to income-producing real estate without requiring direct ownership of each property. Listed REIT units trade on an exchange. Their economics are driven by the underlying properties, rental income, occupancy, lease terms, financing costs, development and acquisitions, so REIT analysis should focus on property cash flow and balance-sheet strength rather than treating the trust like an ordinary industrial company.
- What are the most important metrics for analyzing a REIT?
- Key operating measures include occupancy, WALE or weighted average lease expiry, tenant concentration, rent growth and same-property NOI. Cash-flow analysis should focus on REIT-specific distributable cash flow such as AFFO in markets where it is reported, or NDCF for Indian REITs. Balance-sheet checks include LTV, debt to EBITDA, interest coverage, debt maturities and fixed versus floating debt. Valuation can include price to AFFO, NAV discount or premium, implied cap rate and distribution yield.
- Why do occupancy and WALE matter for REITs?
- Occupancy indicates how much of a REIT's rentable property is currently leased. WALE, or weighted average lease expiry, estimates the average remaining lease term after weighting leases by a relevant measure such as rent or area. High occupancy and a well-staggered lease profile can support cash-flow visibility, while heavy near-term expiries or dependence on a few tenants can increase renewal and vacancy risk. These measures should be read together with tenant quality and rental terms.
- What are NDCF and AFFO, and why are they useful for REIT analysis?
- Ordinary accounting earnings can be distorted for property businesses by depreciation, asset sales and non-cash items. REIT investors therefore often use cash-flow measures designed for property operations. AFFO is commonly used in several international REIT markets, while Indian REIT disclosures focus on net distributable cash flow, or NDCF. The exact definition can differ by market and issuer, so compare the reported calculation with operating cash flow and the distribution actually paid.
- How much of its cash flow must an Indian REIT distribute?
- Under India's SEBI REIT framework, at least 90% of the REIT's net distributable cash flows must be distributed to unit holders, subject to the applicable regulations and distribution mechanics. That requirement does not make a high distribution yield automatically attractive. Investors should still check whether NDCF is sustainable, whether debt is rising, how much capital expenditure is required and whether property occupancy and lease quality can support future distributions.
Primary educational sources
DeepScreen writes these explanations from primary regulator and investor-education material, then applies its own research framework. Product-specific facts should still be checked against the latest issuer or scheme disclosure.
Source: AMFI scheme NAV snapshot (30 Sep 2026), Nasdaq Trader directory (1 Oct 2026), and exchange listings. Directory coverage is not a guarantee of every active listing. NAVs are dated, not live trading prices. Quotes depend on provider availability.