Short Term Debt Funds or Short Duration Funds

As the name suggests, Short term debt funds, also known as short duration funds, are typically Debt Mutual Funds that invest money for a short duration, usually less than 3 years. Also known as Short Term Income Funds, Short term debt funds invest in debt instruments and money market instruments that include Bank papers (also called Certificate of Deposits), government papers(G-secs) and commercial papers (CPs). This Mutual Fund scheme is suitable for investors who prioritise Capital preservation, but also wish to invest for a predominantly longer period to earn good returns over the long term (between 1-3 years). Investors who are willing to invest for a short duration of 1-3 years can look at short term bond funds. Short term debt products can benefit from the interest Accruals in the debt Portfolio and from the tactical exposure to higher duration debt by the respective fund manager.

Features of Short Duration (Short-Term) Debt Funds

Some of the prominent features of short term funds are:

Liquidity

The short term debt funds are highly liquid as the maturity period is short and the investments avenues allow liquidity. Usually, there are no entry and exit loads charged on these funds. However, some short term debt funds do charge an exit load if the exit is made in a few months. So, the investors are suggested to invest wisely considering all the parameters.

Returns

When it comes to investing in Mutual Funds, returns are what people actually look for. However, this should not be the only parameter while choosing a best short term Debt fund to invest. In the recent reports, RBI stated that the investors would earn better returns by Investing in short to mid-term funds that invest in instruments having a maturity between of one to five years. Generally, the fund managers handling such funds prefer investing in high credit rating securities. Thus, ensuring the least possibility of Default by the issuers providing safety to investors’ capital. Currently, short term debt funds with a maturity period of one-three years give annualised returns of 9-10% p.a. Investors should not just chase returns, but also look at the credit quality of the portfolio. If you are a conservative investor then it makes sense to ensure that give away some returns for the extra safety.

Interest Rate Risk

Given the short term nature of these funds, the returns are not much affected by Inflation and there is a lesser interest rate risk. Typically, short term debt funds generate income from the interest earned on short to medium term Bonds. This accrual income, meaning the accumulated interest, gets added to the Net Asset Value and becomes your final return. Since you know these funds provide steady income, therefore, the returns are less volatile as compared to other long-term income funds. Some short term funds do carry a bit of interest rate risk, this can be measured by a parameter called duration of the portfolio. One can even look at the average maturity of the portfolio. Both these parameters are available on the fact sheets of the scheme. Just remember a simple rule, higher the duration or maturity higher the interest rate risk! If interest rates fall, then this is positive, however, if rates rise, then the returns would be negatively impacted.

Investment Horizons

Short term debt funds do not invest in instruments that have a very long maturity as they try to maintain lower interest rate risk and offer better tax-adjusted returns. Since these funds provide stable returns in a time period of one to three years, investors should try to match the investment timeline with the average maturity of the fund. The instruments they invest in include money Market instruments like bonds, Commercial Paper and certificate of deposits etc.

Active Management Required

Being a short term investment, these funds do not require heavy active management by the fund manager. Once the portions of the portfolio are allotted, the need of actively managing (buying and selling units) the investments is lower, having said this the fund manager needs to ensure that interest rate views are incorporated and he/she is vigilant on the credit quality of the portfolio as well as new opportunities. Their aim to provide steady returns is achieved by ensuring regular active management of the fund.

Dividend Payout

Short term debt funds also offer an option of dividend payout. With this option, the investors can get dividends at regular interval mostly monthly and fortnightly. However, the dividends paid by these funds attract a DDT (Dividend Distribution Tax) of 25% for individual investors.

Benefits of Short Duration (Short-Term) Funds

• The short term bond funds have a shorter maturity so they generally offer safe and stable returns.
• The fluctuations in interest rates of the debt market have a marginal to the insignificant effect on the returns of short term debt funds.
• Being sensitive to changing the interest rate, short term bond funds usually perform better than other funds who are affected by the market fluctuations.
• The liquidity of these funds is high. So, the investors can easily withdraw their investment in case of emergencies.
• Typically, most of the best short term debt funds do not charge any fee for withdrawal. So, there is minimal to no exit load.
• Short term debt funds are tax efficient. The tax charged on the interest of these funds is much less than that of fixed bank deposits.

Top Short Duration (Short-Term) Debt Funds 2024

Some of the best short term debt funds include-

Short Term Debt Fund Taxation

Tax implication on debt funds is computed in the following manner-

Short Term Capital Gains

If the holding period of a debt investment is less than 36 months, then it is classified as a short-term investment and these are taxed as per individual's tax slab.

Long Term Capital Gains

If the holding period of debt investment is more than 36 months, then it is classified as a long-term investment and is taxed at 20% with an indexation benefit.

Risks Involved with Short Term Mutual Funds

Alike all the financial securities, Short term debt funds have certain flaws as well. Some of the risks accompanying these funds include-

Risk of Rising Inflation

Short term debt funds are ideal having a short term financial goal of one to three years and not for long term. So, the investors who are looking for long term investments should invest in Equity Funds, which offers the benefits of rising inflation while yielding good returns.

Risk of Changing Interest Rates

The change in interest rate in the Economy has a little effect on short term debt funds, though the impact is very marginal. As the tenure of duration is short, the impact of interest rate changes in insignificant. However, investors should always look at the duration or maturity of the fund before making any conclusions. A high duration/maturity exposes the Fund to interest rate risk.

Risk of Credit

Usually, short term debt funds invest in instruments that have a high credit rating and have a safe track record. However, there are times when the asset managing company that is managing the fund defaults, the investor has to take the challenge of managing the risk on his own. So, the investors must keep this in mind and invest wisely. Hence, it is always advisable to look a getting into a fund with a good quality portfolio.