‘It’s been a mixed year for Quantum Mutual Fund’

For asset management company Quantum, the past year has not been very good as it sat on huge cash.

Pankaj Pathak, Fund Manager — Fixed Income, Quantum Mutual Fund, told BusinessLine that the company registered slower growth in 2018, as the market was frothy at the beginning of the year and valuations did not make sense. “There was significant correction in September-October. Until then, the cash holding at our end was around 20 per cent.

“When the market crashed, we deployed the cash and brought the holding to 7 per cent,” he said, explaining the reason for slow growth. That said, Pathak expressed satisfaction at the cautious approach. “It was not just equity. In the debt category too, we noticed some incidents, panic in the credit space. But our priority is to ensure that the investments are safe and liquid,” he said.

“Investors should look at the long term,” he said. Pathak was in the city at the company’s ‘Path to Profit’ investor meet. The meet was aimed at bursting investment myths and helping investors take informed decisions.

“We have conducted close to 200 sessions since inception in 2009, highlighting investment options and benefits of investing in mutual funds. Our offerings include nine simple schemes across all the three asset classes — equity, debt and gold. We started with an investor base of 600. It has crossed 45,000 at present,” he said.

To a query on market moves in the coming year, he said, “The country has inherent strength to grow. We may see some volatility, but the fundamentals are not threatened. Any government that is voted to power will support growth.”

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