Kotak Gilt-Investment Provident Fund and Trust-Growth

Kotak Gilt-Investment Provident Fund and Trust-Growth holds up reasonably well within the Sectoral category, currently carrying a 3-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 78/100.

Cost: At 0.8203%, the expense ratio is meaningfully cheaper — about 22% below the Sectoral category average of 1.05% (based on 326 comparable funds). Lower costs compound in your favour over long holding periods.

Risk-adjusted performance: Over the trailing 1-year period, the fund shows a negative Sharpe ratio of -1.33 — 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 4.11% is on the lower side, suggesting a comparatively smoother ride.

Who should invest: This fund is best suited to investors whose goals and risk appetite align with a Equity fund. Given the Very High risk rating, this fund is not suited to short-term goals or investors who may need to exit within 2-3 years.