A research papers on “comparative study of investors preference and their satisfaction between mutual funds and direct investment in equity market”

Simple forms of savings in the form of deposits or administered savings are no longer sufficient to meet the ever-increasing requirements of the household. Thus the time has come to save intelligently through the various avenues of investment. The time has come to look at investment avenues, which can beat inflation and help our money to grow further in order to meet our future requirements. Investments in various forms will enable us to meet inflation and protect our purchasing power along with aiding us to generate a sustained income post retirement. One of the available investment avenues is investment in stock market. It has been statistically proven in many markets, including ours, that over time, equity outperform most asset classes. It helps to think of risk as an opportunity. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" applies just as much to the stock market as to other aspects of life. Both stock market and mutual fund is yet to reach its peak level. There is still a lack of knowledge about Mutual fund and Stock market amongst the majority of market players. High degree of volatility in the recent times in the Indian market has led to development of Mutual fund. Today investors prefer more Mutual fund to enter into stock market rather invest directly in stock market. Objective of this study is to find and analyze which is more satisfied investment instrument direct investment in equity market or investing through mutual fund on the basis of different parameters like risk, returns, cost etc. The study would facilitate the reader to know the future prospects of mutual fund and stock market.