Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC has launched two new specialised equity funds aimed at providing flexible investment options beyond traditional models, reflecting rising interest among Indian asset managers in long-short strategies amid volatile market conditions.
Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC has entered the specialised investment fund space with two new offerings designed to give fund managers more room to move between long and short positions as market conditions shift. According to the company, the Apex Equity Long Short Fund will seek broad exposure across Indian equities while adjusting net equity exposure dynamically, while the Apex Equity Ex-Top 100 Long Short Fund is aimed at identifying opportunities beyond the country’s largest listed companies. Harish Krishnan, chief investment officer for equities at Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC, said the two strategies were intended to give investors different ways to build portfolios through changing market cycles while keeping long-term capital growth in view. The launch follows earlier reporting by The Economic Times that the group had introduced its first specialised investment fund in March with a hybrid long-short structure.
The equity ex-top-100 strategy is built around the idea that newer market leaders may be found outside the top 100 companies by market value. A draft filing with the Securities and Exchange Board of India showed the fund would invest mainly in equity and equity-linked instruments in companies outside that group, while using limited short exposure through derivatives to manage risk and support returns. Industry listings also indicate that similar products in the category typically require a minimum investment of ₹1,000,000, signalling that these funds are aimed at wealthy individuals and other sophisticated investors rather than the mass retail market.
The new launches come as interest in long-short strategies grows among Indian asset managers looking for ways to navigate volatile equity markets. The hybrid long-short product already in the market combines equity, debt, derivatives and arbitrage positions, and is structured as an interval scheme, according to fund documents and market data providers. That broader toolkit is meant to let managers pursue returns across market conditions rather than relying purely on rising share prices.
The announcement landed on a busy day for India’s primary markets, with two public offers also drawing investor attention. Business Standard reported that auto components maker Dhoot Transmission’s initial public offering was subscribed 63% on the first day, while supply chain asset pooling firm LEAP India’s offer was 49% subscribed on the second day. Together, the developments point to continued appetite for both new fund structures and fresh equity issuance, even as investors remain selective.
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