Around 97% of Equity Mutual Funds Gave Negative Returns in 2025; Are You in the Lucky 3%?

In 2025 so far, nearly 97% of equity mutual funds have offered negative returns. There are approximately 541 equity funds, out of which only 18 funds have been the positive performers, and 523 schemes have delivered negative returns.

The Nippon India Taiwan Equity Fund experienced the highest loss, followed by the Samco Flexi Cap Fund, which decreased by 26.15%. The Shriram Multi Sector Rotation Fund and Invesco India Technology Fund recorded negative returns of around 24.33% and 24.22%, respectively, during the mentioned period.

Top 15 losers in equity funds in 2025 so far

Motilal Oswal Nasdaq 100 FOF delivered a negative return of approx. 23.54% in 2025 so far.

Mirae Asset S&P 500 Top 50 ETF FoF has given a negative return of 21.86% in the same period. On the other hand, HSBC Mutual Fund. HSBC Small Cap Fund and HSBC Midcap Fund offered negative returns of around 21.73% and 21.52%, respectively, in 2025 so far.

Three International funds, including Invesco India – Invesco Global Consumer Trends FoF, ICICI Pru NASDAQ 100 Index Fund, and Franklin India Feeder delivered negative returns of around 18.55%, 18.48%, and 18.47%, respectively, in the mentioned period.

Two of the funds from SBI Mutual Fund- SBI Innovative Opportunities Fund and SBI Technology Opp Fund gave around 17.97% and 17.90%, respectively, in the current year so far.

Two small-cap mutual funds, Aditya Birla SL Small Cap Fund and Mahindra Manulife Small Cap Fund, delivered negative returns of approximately 17.32% and 17.26%, respectively, in 2025 so far.

The largest small-cap fund by assets under management, Nippon India Small Cap Fund, recorded a loss of 16.48% during the said period. Similarly, Kotak Emerging Equity Fund, the second-largest mid-cap fund, declined by 16.32%.

Axis NASDAQ 100 FoF and Aditya Birla SL NASDAQ 100 FoF each recorded a loss of 15.23% during the same period. Additionally, Quant Small Cap Fund delivered a negative return of approximately 14.32% in 2025 so far.

SBI Automotive Opportunities Fund and Edelweiss Multi Cap Fund each recorded a 13.67% loss in the said period.
HDFC Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund, which is the largest mid cap fund, gave a negative return of 13.21%.

Canara Rob Emerg Equities Fund and HDFC Defence Fund each recorded a loss of 11.40% in 2025 so far. The last fund that recorded a loss in double digits is Edelweiss Gr China Equity Off-Shore Fund. It gave a negative return of 10.04% in 2025 so far.

Three banking and financial services-focused funds- Baroda BNP Paribas Banking and Financial Services Fund, Aditya Birla SL Banking & Financial Services Fund, and Mirae Asset Banking and Financial Services Fund- were among the last to slip into negative territory, posting losses of 0.80%, 0.42%, and 0.37%, respectively, in 2025 so far.

Positive performers

Despite the downturn, around 18 equity mutual funds have managed to deliver positive returns in the current calendar year. HSBC Brazil Fund recorded a robust return of approximately 8.30% during the period. It was followed by the Edelweiss Europe Dynamic Equity Off-shore Fund with a gain of 7.34% and the Mirae Asset Hang Seng TECH ETF FoF, which delivered a 6.38% return so far in 2025.

The ICICI Pru Strategic Metal and Energy Equity FoF went up by 4.48%, while the Axis US Treasury Dynamic Bond ETF FoF gained 4.30%. The Aditya Birla SL US Treasury 3-10 Year Bond ETFs FoF also did well, giving a return of around 4.01% so far in 2025.

Two international funds – DSP US Treasury FoF and Aditya Birla SL US Treasury 1-3 year Bond ETFs FoF- delivered 3.86% and 2.52% returns, respectively, in the mentioned period. On the other hand, two banking and financial services funds – DSP Banking & Financial Services Fund and ITI Banking & Financial Services Fund- offered 2.26% and 1.84% returns, respectively, in 2025 so far.

Bandhan US Treasury Bond 0-1 year FoF delivered a return of 1.59% in 2025 so far, followed by UTI Banking and Financial Services Fund, which offered a 0.78% return in the mentioned period.

Individuals should note that the above information is just the analysis of the performance of the mutual fund and is not a recommendation. Always consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.