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What Is Discretionary Fund Management? And Who Is It For?

Most people assume wealth grows because of great stock ideas. In reality, wealth compounds because decisions are made on time, repeatedly, and without emotion. After working with portfolios across cycles, one pattern becomes clear: execution matters more than intent. That’s where discretionary fund management fits in. At a basic level, discretionary fund management is about handing execution to professionals, within rules you agree on upfront. What Discretionary Fund Management Means When you opt for discretionary fund management, you’re not outsourcing thinking; you’re outsourcing execution. You and the asset management company define risk limits, asset mix, liquidity needs, and objectives Investment managers operate within that framework without asking for trade-by-trade approval Portfolio changes happen when markets move, not after discussions You receive transparent reporting after actions are taken The mandate acts like guardrails. Inside those guardrails, decisions are continuou...
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Things to know before investing via Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) Route in India

Foreign portfolio investment is often spoken about casually, but in practice, it’s one of the most structured and regulated ways to access Indian markets. This route isn’t designed for individuals testing the waters. It exists for serious capital that wants clarity, liquidity, and institutional discipline. If you’re considering FPI, understanding the mechanics matters far more than picking stocks. FPI Is an Institutional Doorway, Not a Retail Shortcut At its core, the FPI route is built for pooled, professional money. It allows foreign investors to invest in market instruments like equities, debt, REITs, InvITs, and listed derivatives Individual foreigners typically invest through NRI or PIS routes, not FPI FPI exists for funds, family offices, and allocators who want scalable exposure Bottom line: If you’re exploring India as an asset class, not a trade, the FPI route is the right framework. Category Classification Shapes Everything That Follows FPIs are classified mainly into Categor...

Questions to Ask Alternative Investment Partners in India

Private equity, credit strategies, long–short funds, and bespoke mandates are now mainstream for serious capital. That’s why alternative investments in India are no longer niche. Scale hasn’t reduced risk; it has shifted it. Now, the biggest mistakes don’t come from market cycles; they come from poor partner selection. This is a practical diligence framework for evaluating alternative investment partners in India, beyond pitch decks and past IRRs. 1. Strategy Clarity and Drift Control Before returns, understand intent. Most funds sound differentiated at launch, but many quietly morph when markets turn. The first job of due diligence is to test how tightly the strategy is defined. What exactly is the fund built to do, and what will it never do? How concentrated can positions become, and who approves exceptions? If this is a multi-asset fund, who decides allocation shifts and under what triggers? How has the strategy behaved during past drawdowns, not rallies? A clear strategy doesn’t gu...

Asset Management Company: Quick Guide

  Scroll through any financial brochure and the term “asset management company” appears so often it starts to blur. Yet behind that label sit the firms that quietly decide how trillions are allocated, which risks are taken, and which investment opportunities get a seat in your portfolio. An asset management company (AMC) is not just a product factory. It is a decision engine:  a team, a set of systems, and  a governance framework  that turns client capital into:  positions in equities,  bonds,  cash, and sometimes  more complex strategies. When you invest in marke through an AMC, you are outsourcing three hard things at once, research, portfolio construction, and ongoing discipline. What an AMC Really Does (Beyond the Brochure) Strip away the branding and a familiar pattern appears. Research teams map sectors, read balance sheets, speak to management, and build views on value and risk. Portfolio managers translate those views into actual holdings...