Published Paper Details:

Investment means using money with the goal of increasing wealth over time. People can choose to invest directly by buying and managing securities themselves or indirectly through financial intermediaries like mutual funds. When investing directly, the person has full responsibility for all decisions, which requires good knowledge of the market and strong skills in managing a portfolio. On the other hand, when investing indirectly, the person relies on professional fund managers to make investment decisions, which lessens the personal responsibility and effort involved. This paper looks at the risk and return levels of some of the best-rated equity mutual funds in India. It uses statistical tools such as standard deviation, Sharpe ratio, beta, Jensen's alpha, and Treynor's ratio to compare how different fund categories perform. These categories include ELSS, large-cap, mid-cap, and flexi-cap funds. The study aims to find out which investment schemes offer good returns relative to the risk taken and provides guidance for investors.