What is the disadvantage of a small-cap fund?

Asked by: Mr. Reginald Daugherty  |  Last update: May 16, 2026
Score: 5/5 (39 votes)

Small-cap mutual funds are very risky. This means that in the short term, investing in them could lead to short-term losses. If you cannot tolerate seeing negative returns on your investments at specific periods, you should stay away from small-cap funds.

What are the risks of small-cap funds?

Higher risk
  • lliquidity risk — The shares of smaller companies are less liquid than shares of their larger peers. ...
  • Recession risk — Smaller companies have historically underperformed their larger peers during recessions and bear markets. ...
  • Credit risk — The cost of borrowing is higher for smaller companies.

Why not to invest in small-cap?

However, numerous small-cap stocks do not have the capacity to handle exceptionally large trading volumes. In other words, small-cap stocks can face liquidity constraints. Small Cap Mutual Funds also find it challenging to invest the inflows worth crores they are getting each month amid stretched valuations.

How many years is a small-cap fund good for?

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.

Are small-cap funds a good investment now?

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.

RISKS and ALTERNATIVES of Small-Cap Funds! | Ankur Warikoo Hindi

29 related questions found

Why are small-cap funds falling?

Typically, small-caps experience sharper declines during market corrections. Second, the weakness in the economy has started reflecting in the corporate earnings. India Inc's earnings show has been disappointing, resulting in earnings downgrades.

Will small caps do well in 2024?

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.

Are small caps good in a recession?

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.

Which small-cap fund gives the highest return?

Invesco India Smallcap Fund Direct Growth

Fund Performance: The Invesco India Smallcap Fund has given 21.89% annualized returns in the past three years and 30.36% in the last 5 years. The Invesco India Smallcap Fund comes under the Equity category of Invesco Mutual Funds.

Is it time to exit small-cap fund?

Exit if your portfolio is becoming too concentrated in small-cap stocks. Diversification is a key risk management strategy.

How much of your portfolio should be in small-cap stocks?

To find an appropriate investment mix for your time horizon, find your age and the corresponding portfolio allocation. A typical mixture could include 60% large-cap (established companies), 20% mid-cap/small-cap (small to medium-sized compa- nies), and 20% international (companies outside the U.S.) stocks.

Should I get out of small-cap stocks?

The overall quality of publicly traded small caps has deteriorated, as private sponsors help top performers stay private for longer. Instead of small caps, investors should consider actively adding exposure to U.S. large-cap value and mid-cap growth stocks.

Why not invest in small-cap mutual funds?

However, investors also need to be aware and take into account the risks associated with small-caps viz. higher volatility, lower liquidity, lesser disclosures and transparency. Moreover, small-caps also are likely to be more vulnerable to economic downturns.

Do rising interest rates hurt small-cap stocks?

Small caps are expected to benefit most from lower interest rates due to their propensity to hold floating-rate debt and have weaker balance sheets.

Is it a good time to invest in small-cap funds?

Small-cap funds have enjoyed a record run in the past five years. The category has fetched 31% annualised returns, compared to 16% from large-cap funds. Investors continue to bet heavily on this space. Since 2019-20, the total inflow in small-cap funds has crossed Rs.1 lakh crore.

What is the best mutual fund to hold for 10 years?

The private wealth management funds are the blue line, Kiplinger's #1 on their list of best performing mutual funds to invest in (10 years) is olive, and the other lines are benchmarks such as the Barclays U.S. Aggregate bond fund in yellow, 60%/40% (S&P500/Barclays U.S. Aggregate) stock/bond mix in orange, and the S&P ...

Is it good to have 2 small-cap funds in portfolio?

Small Cap Mutual Funds: Up to 2. Given how high the risk is with these mutual funds, it is best to limit yourself to a limited number of small cap mutual funds. Also, avoid putting in a great percentage of your total mutual fund investment in small cap mutual funds. Debt Funds: Ideally 1, but 2 is also good.

Why are small-cap stocks doing so poorly?

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.

What is the best asset to hold during a recession?

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.

Should we invest in small-cap funds in 2024?

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.

Is it time to buy small caps?

But analysts and investors are increasingly optimistic about small-caps' potential to outperform large-caps in the months ahead, driven by the likelihood that the U.S. won't fall into a recession and that interest rates will fall by as much as 1.5 percentage points by the end of 2025, says Sam Stovall, chief investment ...

What percent of portfolio should be small-cap?

Market experts recommend that investors hold small caps for at least 10 years to benefit and allocate 8% of the portfolio to small caps.