Birla Sun Life frontline Equity has managed to keep itself out of bearish impact while outperforming peers on returns

The hallmark of this fund scheme is its ability to change course depending on the market conditions. The fund maintains a high exposure to large caps, which helps it do well during both bull and bear phases. This approach to selecting less volatile large-cap stocks adds stability to the portfolio and the fund’s returns. At the same time, during a raging bull run, the returns may not seem to be up to what peers manage. The fund manager follows a growth-at-a-reasonableprice style, which helps it post consistent returns over its benchmark.

Where the fund scores the most is in its ability at containing downsides, ably demonstrated in 2009, 2011 and 2013. A consistent fund management team has only meant that there are no surprises when it comes to performance. A well diversified portfolio of over 70 stocks with no restrictions to allocation gives a free hand to fund manager on stock selection.