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An ultra short duration fund is a type of debt mutual fund that invests in short-term debt instruments. The Macaulay duration of the fund ranges between 3 and 6 months.
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A type of debt mutual fund , ultra short duration funds are those that invest in debt securities in such a manner that the Macaulay portfolio duration lies between 3 and 6 months. Ultra short duration funds offer stable returns on investment.
Park your funds for a short tenure and earn good return
Low interest rate risk since the maturity of the underlying portfolio is short-term
There’s no capping on the maximum investment amount
Returns from these funds range in the 6% to 8% limit
The funds invest in securities carrying a high credit rating
Ultra short duration funds are not completely risk-free. There’s some element of credit risk
Check the expense ratio of such schemes. Though the ratio is low, choose a fund which has the lowest ratio for maximum investment
Compare ultra short duration funds on their returns too. A fund with the highest return is better
If your investment horizon is less than 3 months, you can explore liquid funds rather than ultra short duration funds.
Ultra short duration funds invest in securities with a short maturity period
Hence, they are suitable for short-term investments
If you want to park your surplus funds for 3 months to 6 months, you can choose ultra short duration funds
Since there’s no restriction on redemptions, you can invest your emergency corpus in these funds and let the corpus grow
Returns earned are taxed at your income tax slab rates
Dividends earned, if any, are taxed at your income tax slab rate
Earn dividends on your investment at regular intervals
Accumulate the returns over the investment tenure and get a lump sum amount on redemption
Although ultra short duration funds are low-risk investments, they are not zero-risk. They carry the risks that all debt funds carry, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk.
Most ultra short duration funds do not carry an exit load. However, this rule is fund-specific, and you should check with your fund house.
Ultra short duration funds invest in bonds with a maturity period of 91 days to 180 days.
Macaulay duration is the time taken by a bond to repay investors through interest payments and capital repayments. The usual Macaulay duration for an ultra short duration fund is 3 to 6 months, which makes their interest rate risk relatively lower.
Ultra short duration funds are a good investment option for a financial goal within 6 months. However, since they are not completely risk-free, if your travel plans are certain, you should also have a less risky or risk-free backup fund.
No, returns on ultra short duration funds depend on the performance of underlying money market/debt investments and are not 100% guaranteed.
You can redeem ultra short duration funds at your convenience as they do not have a lock-in period.
The duration profile of both types of funds is different. Liquid funds invest in instruments with a maturity of up to 91 days, while for ultra short duration funds, it is 91 to 180 days. Ultra short duration funds are known to offer higher returns than liquid funds.
Ultra short duration funds are unique investment tools suitable for short-term investment goals. They offer historically higher returns than fixed-income instruments and are a good way to step into equity investments slowly by transferring funds.
A fixed deposit or savings account would provide returns at a fixed rate (%). An ultra short duration fund, on the other hand, does not assure any rate of returns. However, it is designed in a low-risk manner to give you the potential to earn higher returns over 6 months compared to fixed-income instruments.
On average, Ultra Short Duration Funds yielded returns of 7.37% p.a. in the past year, with annualized returns of 5.68% and 5.92% p.a. over the last 3 and 5 years, respectively.
Ultra Short Duration Debt Mutual Funds are ideal for an investment horizon of 6 months to 1 year.
Investors who may consider opting for ultra-short funds include:
Short-term investors looking for stable returns - Those with short-term investment goals ranging from 1 month to 18 months, as these funds cater well to such durations.
Risk-averse Investors seeking low-risk investment options - Individuals with a low risk tolerance, as ultra-short funds primarily invest in fixed-income assets.
Investors seeking alternate sources of income - Those seeking stable dividends with minimal market volatility, as these funds offer steady returns through fixed-income investments.
While on the one hand, fixed deposits are risk-free investments, the Ultra Short Term Funds, on the other hand, carry a high level of risk.
Capital gains from investing in ultra short-duration funds could be taxed. The holding period, the time you remain invested in this fund, determines the tax rate.
The STCG
increases the investor’s income from these funds, and his income bracket determines his tax rate. Taxes on long-term capital gains (LTCG)
from these funds are 20% after indexation and 10% without it.