Sunday, 26 April 2020

Franklin Templeton MF schemes shut due to Covid 19 pandemic


About Franklin Templeton Mutual fund schemes shut from 24.04.2020:-
 The asset management company said it was forced to take the extreme step of closing down six of its debt schemes due to a combination of high redemptions, weak inflows and "dislocation in corporate bond markets". And also, the NBFCs continue to say that they are not receiving any money from banks for the inevitable asset-liability mismatch because of the moratorium granted to their borrowers, the stock markets are reflecting the pain of the financials are the reasons for closing down those 6 schemes. The AMFI urged "investors continue to focus on their investment goals, consult their financial advisor and not get side-tracked by an isolated event in a few schemes of one fund company." Morningstar Analyst Ratings on the affected funds Under Review/suspended with immediate effect.

The six schemes are:-
(a) Franklin India Low Duration Fund (FILDF),
(b) Franklin India Dynamic Accrual Fund,
(c) Franklin India Credit Risk Fund,
(d) Franklin India Short Term Income Plan,
(e) Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund,
(f) Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund (FIIOF).
All these schemes followed the high-risk, and high-return credit risk strategy.

 FAQ
1. When will the investors get their money?
It is expected that once the macroeconomic situation improves, the cash-flow pains will be relieved, and they be able to make good on their debts, allowing investors to withdraw their investments, according to Shetty.
FT will do an orderly sale of their investments and return the money to investors. They may publish a Net Asset Value (NAV) for the schemes on a daily basis and eventually communicate more details on an exit strategy
"This step is in a way similar to temporarily blocking withdrawals from a bank. However, time duration can't be predicted," explains Singhal. The fund manager said that investors will have to wait for a few months to get their money while pointing out that instances like targeted long-term repo operations' inability to find takers despite the low-interest rate illustrate heightened risk aversion in the system and a "dislocation" in the markets.

2. Should investors also worry about other funds from Franklin Templeton?
This appears to be a situation unique to these specific debt funds from Franklin Templeton. Experts feel that credit risk funds are going to face redemptions by people worried about the safety of their money.
Credit risk funds take additional risk to generate additional return and the current economic environment has led to defaults.

3. How Will I Get the Money Back?
There are two ways of doing this:
(a) They will also continue to explore opportunities to sell assets through the secondary market once the current environment stabilises.
(b) Regular payments when underlying assets reach maturity or receive coupon payments or are pre-paid.
In the first instance, it is anybody’s guess when the market will stabilise and when the secondary market transactions will restart. But, it’s the second method that can provide some sense of timelines regarding recovery.

4. When Will I Get My Money Back?
A good measure of when investors can receive their money back is by analysing the liquidity profile of the underlying assets in the 6 affected schemes. A liquidity profile is a measure of the maturity timelines of these assets. Assuming that all maturities and payments are honoured, here is a realistic timeline of how each scheme will repay the money.

Imp disclaimer: Do remember, this calculation does not account for any secondary market transactions. If FT decides to sell some/any security in the secondary market, it is likely that it may fetch a different value and will subsequently alter the timelines too.

Imp disclaimer: If any underlying security is downgraded prior to its maturity, its valuation may be altered affecting the prospect of the full amount being returned.

Imp disclaimer: In all likelihood, FT will not prolong the recovery till the full maturity duration. Experts say most securities are likely to be disposed off in the secondary market within 1-2 years.​

Bottom line:-
The experts also advised investors to be prudent while investing in debt funds. We believe stress even in a small segment of the credit market can turn highly contagious in bad times due to lack of liquidity and extreme risk aversion.


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