ICICI Prudential Regular Savings Fund - Direct Plan - Growth

ICICI Prudential Regular Savings Fund - Direct Plan - Growth holds up reasonably well within the Conservative Hybrid category, backed by a 5-star rating. It has delivered steady, if unspectacular, returns over a full market cycle. TopFund's composite Health Score, which weighs rating, 3-year CAGR, expense ratio and fund size, puts it at 79/100.

Cost: At 1.03%, the expense ratio runs 26% above the Conservative Hybrid category average of 0.82%. That gap is worth weighing against the fund's actual performance versus cheaper peers before committing to a long SIP.

Risk-adjusted performance: Over the trailing 1-year period, the fund shows a negative Sharpe ratio of -0.35 — over the past year, returns haven't kept pace with the volatility involved, even before accounting for the risk-free rate. Separately, annualised volatility of 3.51% is on the lower side, suggesting a comparatively smoother ride.

Who should invest: This fund is best suited to investors who want a single fund blending equity growth with debt-driven stability. The High risk rating means near-term volatility should be expected — this isn't a fund to check daily.