With holdings in giants like HDFC Bank, Infosys, Reliance industries and Larsen & Toubro, HDFC Balanced fund has performed well since its launch

HDFC Balanced has a consistent and dependable longterm track record. The fund’s performance goes up during bull market years, while it manages to check its losses when the markets fall. The strategy to have a higher allocation towards equity and disciplined asset rebalancing has worked well for the fund and has paid off investors. The debt portion is invested mainly in good-quality bonds.

The equity component is highly skewed towards large-caps, which ensures investments are in quality stocks with long-term track record and history. The performance of this fund can beat several large-cap equity funds at times, making it suitable for investors looking for steady growth over a period of time. The fund’s 5-year SIP return at 19.16 per cent is indicative of what one can gain from investing regularly in this scheme. And the relatively low risk fund should encourage first time investors to consider making a start.