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Investors boosted their investments in equity mutual funds by 19% in August, accumulating ₹29,329 crore, while systematic investment plan (SIP) collections hit a record high of ₹32,297 crore. This represents the 66th consecutive month of positive inflows. Meanwhile, the fixed income category experienced a slight decrease, with net outflows of ₹8,711 crore in August, compared to net inflows of ₹1.87 lakh crore in July.

During the month, new SIPs added totaled 6.64 million, while stoppages amounted to 5.4 million, resulting in a SIP stoppage ratio of 81.1%, a slight improvement from July's 81.9%. The industry's total assets under management (AUM) rose marginally to ₹87.07 lakh crore, an increase of 1.5% from July's ₹85.75 lakh crore.

Equity mutual funds were popular among investors, with mid and small cap funds leading the charge, attracting ₹14,962 crore or 51% of the total net flows. This was a 51% increase compared to the previous month's ₹13,960 crore or 56%. Flexicap strategies also saw a rise, collecting ₹5,059 crore, a notable jump from the previous month's ₹4,709 crore. Multicap funds added ₹3,732 crore, compared to July's ₹3,227 crore.

However, large cap funds witnessed outflows of ₹1,147 crore, down from ₹1,322 crore in July, as investors opted to reduce their exposure to large cap funds due to low returns over the past couple of years. Thematic funds saw inflows of ₹1,766 crore, slightly lower than the previous month's ₹1,328 crore.

Among hybrid strategies, aggressive hybrid funds, which invest between 65-80% in equities and 20-35% in fixed income, attracted ₹1,323 crore, a decrease from the previous month's ₹1,986 crore. Other categories, such as multi-asset allocation funds, saw a decline, with net inflows of ₹3,671 crore, compared to ₹3,753 crore in July. Arbitrage funds also experienced a drop, with inflows of ₹3,789 crore, down from ₹6,502 crore in July.