Yes, it is prudent to invest in small-cap mutual funds if you have a high risk tolerance and a long-term horizon (7-10 years). They offer higher growth potential but come with more volatility. Ensure they form a part of a diversified portfolio to balance risk.
Small caps can diversify portfolios and bring higher growth potential — albeit with higher risks. However, the value of small-cap stocks grew more than 10% in the first 10 months of the year, buoyed in part by the Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September.
Small-cap valuations – Attractive
We expect earnings to drive the next leg higher for small-cap share prices. Analysts are looking for robust earnings growth: 15% this year, and by over 30% in 2025 and 2026. That is ahead of the long run rate of 13% growth (see Exhibit 3).
2025 outlook: Small caps offer an inexpensive way to gain exposure to the robust US economy. Multiple favorable trends – including onshoring and increased CAPEX – may explain why Wall Street expects to see the strongest earnings gains come from small caps in 2025.
Given the changing macroeconomic backdrop, we outline why we see potential value for investors in small caps in 2024. The consensus is that interest rates look to have peaked, with markets now pricing in cuts across many major economies in 2024, something which could prove beneficial to small caps.
Most investors think smaller companies underperform in a recession. In most cases, they are correct. However, what's less well-known is that small caps usually exit recessions quicker than assumed – outperforming large caps. This rebound can begin as early as three months into an economic downturn.
Nifty Smallcap 100 index has fallen 4% to its lowest level since mid-June amid concerns about Q3FY25 performance. Disappointing earnings results have led to increased selling pressure, with many stocks down significantly from their 1-year highs and foreign investors pulling out funds.
Looking ahead, S&P 500 stocks are currently forecast to generate 13% EPS growth in 2025 and 13.1% growth in 2026 (versus 8.5% EPS growth in 2025), while the S&P SmallCap 600 Index is currently forecast to generate EPS growth of 20.9% in 2025 and 18.6% EPS growth in 2026 (versus minus 8.0% EPS growth in 2024), according ...
It has to do with the great financial crisis and then the pandemic, quantitative easing. The low interest rates, the deficits, and obviously in the extreme case when the pandemic hit, we had aggressive monetary easing as well as fiscal stimulus.
Rebound Potential: The initiation of rate cuts by central banks, signalling a move towards a more normalised interest rate environment, could reduce the performance gap between small and large cap stocks. This environment may favour small cap stocks, indicating a potential rebound.
Small-cap funds are riskier than large-cap funds and may not be suitable for everyone. Small-cap companies are more sensitive to market changes and can experience sudden and wide price fluctuations. Small-cap companies are less popular and smaller in size, making their stock less liquid.
Small-cap mutual funds are ideal for you if you have an investment horizon of five years and above, as small-cap stocks are volatile in the short term, and small-cap funds perform better in the long term.
Small-cap is not a bad thing, it is just that you should have the time-frame. If you're investing for any 10 year, small-cap will beat all other kinds of funds hands down, but if you are coming with a very short-term expectation, you will be very surprised in a very negative way.
The future outlook for mid-cap and small-cap funds is cautiously optimistic. With India's GDP expected to grow at 6.5%-7% in FY 2025-26, sectors represented in under the mid and small cap indices are poised for expansion.
However, the highly overstretched valuation of large-cap stocks, together with a few positive developments may shift market participants' preference from large to small-cap stocks. At this stage, we recommend small cap stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank that have strong growth potential for 2025.
In 2024, we expect to see small-caps rebound, and we believe that the companies that meet our investment criteria – quality businesses with strong balance sheets and sustainable metrics, and undervalued relative to peers or the market – may have a strong year.
Market experts recommend that investors hold small caps for at least 10 years to benefit and allocate 8% of the portfolio to small caps. But this is entirely subject to the risk appetite and investment goals of the investor.
Small caps are more economically sensitive and thus often underperform in late-cycle environments. Small caps have more leverage and floating-rate debt and are therefore more exposed to higher interest rates.
Suppose you are a short-term investor and start investing in small-cap mutual funds you may lose your investment amount because small-cap mutual funds are not ideal for short-term investors as they are volatile.
Key takeaways:
Relative to large caps, investors may also see an increase in small cap opportunities due to lower valuations, the potential for higher earnings growth, and benefits from domestic policy trends.
Filter. Small Cap Fund : These mutual funds select stocks for investment from the small cap category, which includes all stocks except largest 250 stocks (by market capitalization). Suitable For : Investors who are looking to invest money for at least 3-4 years and looking for very high returns.
Small-caps are making a comeback in 2024, with the Russell 2000 index up 17% this year, though it still lags the S&P 500.
In a recession, it's smart to preserve your capital by investing in safer assets, such as bonds, particularly government bonds, which can perform well during economic downturns.
As of October 19, 2024, the small cap index was overvalued at a Price-to-Earnings (P/E) of 33.39, while the 3 year long term average stands at 24.49. But experts think there are certain sectors within the small cap that are fairly valued.