INVESTORS AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION TOWARDS MUTUAL FUND INVESTMENT:AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Mutual Fund as an investment option gives a platform to risk averse investors who do not prefer to take high risk on their hard earned money. In India, Mutual Fund Industry is growing at a rapid pace and has emerged as a vital segment of the financial markets, specifically in channelizing and mobilizing the financial savings of hundreds of individuals in equity and debt instruments. Since investment in mutual funds is influenced by investors perception, the purpose of the present study is to examine investors awareness and perception towards mutual fund as a means of investment. The study is based on primary data collected though a questionnaire from 105 respondents residing in Delhi-NCR.Major reasons for investors preference for mutual fund investment were found to be tax benefit, security, liquidity, return and reliability. Research findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between gender and investors perception with respect to returns in mutual funds. Also, a significant relationship exists between age and investors perception with regard to higher tax shield provided by mutual funds.