Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund has launched the MSIF Equity Long-Short Fund under its specialised investment fund platform, marking the fund house's entry into the rapidly evolving SIF segment. According to the fund house's media statement, the new fund offer (NFO) opens on 30 September and closes on 14 October, with the fund reopening for continuous sale and repurchase from 26 October 2026. The fund will invest predominantly in listed equities and equity-related instruments while selectively employing short positions through derivatives to generate long-term capital appreciation. The strategy targets long-term capital appreciation by identifying opportunities across different market environments and seeking risk-adjusted returns across market cycles.
The investment strategy combines macro analysis, fundamental stock selection and a structured risk management framework. The macro assessment considers factors including interest rates and inflation, economic growth, liquidity, market flows and geopolitical risks, while stock selection incorporates fundamental research and quantitative inputs. The risk management framework includes stock-level hedges, sector deviation limits, portfolio hedges, position limits and drawdown triggers. On the short side, the strategy follows a research-driven framework that evaluates factors across policy and ownership, business and governance, and earnings and valuations. Short positions are considered based on identified catalysts and supporting evidence, rather than being taken solely on a directional view of the market.
The fund will be managed by Abhishek Jaiswal and Aalap Shah, as reported by Mahindra Manulife. Jaiswal brings more than 18 years of investment management experience, while Shah has over 20 years of experience in the Indian equity and derivatives markets. The management team will focus on identifying high-conviction long ideas while selectively taking short exposure where fundamentals or valuations appear less favourable, backed by rigorous research and disciplined risk management framework. The fund will offer regular and direct plans, with growth and income distribution cum capital withdrawal options, and carries a Risk Band Level 5 classification. As noted in recent reports, this scheme is permitted to take limited short positions using derivatives alongside its long holdings — a strategy flexibility not available to conventional equity mutual funds.
The launch comes as investors increasingly seek strategies that can navigate opportunities across market cycles, as noted by Krishna Sanghavi, CIO - Equity at Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited. The fund aims to generate risk-adjusted returns across varying market environments through its long-short approach, combining the transparency and discipline of the mutual fund framework with sophisticated investment strategies typically found in alternative investment vehicles. According to Anthony Heredia, MD and CEO of Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited, the launch reflects the fund house's commitment to offering differentiated investment solutions aligned with evolving investor needs. The strategy is benchmarked against the Nifty 500 TRI and requires a minimum application amount of ₹10 lakh for regular investors and ₹1 lakh for accredited investors. The minimum investment spread reflects genuinely different target investors, with sub-₹1,000 schemes built for mass-market retail accessibility, while the SIF's threshold ensures only investors with adequate risk capacity and sophistication access long-short strategies.
