Mutual funds deployed capital aggressively into equities during the recent market downturn, pushing cash holdings to a 16-month low as fund managers treated the selloff as a buying opportunity. The shift signals a meaningful change in positioning: rather than raising defensive buffers, the industry collectively reduced dry powder as prices fell. Inflows into mutual funds remained steady through March despite mark-to-market losses across portfolios, suggesting retail and institutional participation held firm even as net asset values declined. That resilience in inflow data is notable because it indicates investors did not panic-redeem at scale, giving fund managers the liquidity confidence to deploy rather than preserve cash. The consequence is a leaner cash cushion across the industry heading into an uncertain period. If markets continue to slide, funds will have limited room to absorb redemptions or capitalize on further dips without selling existing positions. The key metric to watch is whether March inflow momentum carries into subsequent months as unrealized losses remain visible on investor statements.
Indian startups raised $5.2 billion across 501 deals in H1 2026, down 9% in value but up 7% in deal count year-on-year, per the Inc42 Indian Tech Startup Funding Report. The drop is driven by fewer mega-rounds, while AI funding surged 317% and growth-stage deal activity hit a multi-year high.
The BSE Sensex fell 893 points and the Nifty 50 shed 279 points on June 30, 2026, wiping out roughly Rs 6 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session. Both indices dropped 1.16%, closing at 76,200.68 and 23,824.10 respectively.
Kotak Mahindra Bank shares fell nearly 3% to Rs 397.6 after CEO Ashok Vaswani announced plans to exit the bank. Investor concern now centres on succession timing and whether the bank's ongoing digital and deposit-growth strategy will stay on track.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 3% at Monday's open while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%, as escalating US-Iran conflict triggered a broad risk-off move across Asian markets. South Korea's heavy reliance on Middle East oil imports makes it especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks of this kind.
