Hungry IPOs Carve A Heft Slice Of Mutual Funds

Core Insights - The ongoing surge in IPOs is significantly utilizing mutual fund liquidity, with six primary market issuances accounting for over ₹13,000 crore in net equity investments by mutual funds in November [3][4]. Group 1: Mutual Fund Activity - Groww led the inflows, attracting approximately ₹4,200 crore, while other companies like Lenskart Solutions, Pine Labs, and Physics Wallah each garnered over ₹1,000 crore in investments from mutual funds [4]. - Net equity investments by mutual funds reached ₹43,500 crore in November, indicating strong demand and liquidity in the market [4]. Group 2: IPO Market Dynamics - The robust appetite for IPOs from mutual funds, alongside strong demand from other investor segments, has facilitated record issuances, with over 100 mainboard IPOs launched this year, the highest in 25 years [5]. - The primary market activity is largely driven by retail inflows into mutual funds, as elevated valuations in the secondary market have redirected liquidity towards primary issuances [5]. Group 3: Sector Trends - Demand in the primary market is particularly strong for consumer technology and new-age businesses, which currently represent 20% of recent IPOs, a figure expected to rise above 30% in the next five years [7][8]. - At least 20 startups with private market valuations in the hundreds of millions of dollars are preparing to enter the market, indicating a growing trend in the consumertech sector [8]. Group 4: Secondary Market Activity - In the secondary market, Eternal topped the mutual fund buy list with ₹4,500 crore invested, followed by ICICI Bank, ITC, Mphasis, and HDFC Bank [9]. - Conversely, mutual funds reduced their exposure to public sector banks and pharmaceutical stocks, with State Bank of India and Reliance Industries among the most sold stocks [9].