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Mumbai: Flows into equity mutual funds fell 21% in August from the previous month on a weaker retail investor appetite. A decline in scheme launches also weighed on collections. Investors poured ₹33,430 crore into equity mutual funds in August compared with ₹42,702 crore in July. Inflows through SIPs were marginally lower at ₹28,265 crore against ₹28,464 crore a month earlier."The lower impact of new flows compared with the previous month of about ₹9,000 crore is to the extent of new fund offers (NFOs) which were higher in July than August," says Akhil Chaturvedi, ED, Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company.Debt mutual funds recorded outflows of ₹7,980 crore, driven largely by withdrawals from liquid schemes.The decline in equity markets also weighed on overall assets. The mutual fund industry's net AUM slipped 0.3% to ₹74.93 lakh crore from ₹75.18 lakh crore in July, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).Among equity categories, sectoral or thematic funds saw the sharpest drop, with inflows slipping to ₹3,893 crore in August from ₹9,426 crore in July.123819275Within the diversified equity space, flexicap funds attracted the highest flows at ₹7,679 crore in August, marginally higher than ₹7,654 crore a month earlier. Small-cap funds saw a 23% fall in inflows to ₹4,993 crore from ₹6,484 crore in July, as investors turned cautious amid high valuations in the segment.Mid-cap funds, however, recorded a modest rise in flows to ₹5,331 crore compared with ₹5,182 crore earlier, while large-cap funds saw inflows climb to ₹2,640 crore from ₹2,125 crore.In the fixed income space, liquid funds recorded the largest outflows at ₹13,350 crore in August, while overnight funds saw inflows of ₹4,950 crore. As bond yields rose, investors pulled out ₹928 crore from gilt funds.In the hybrid category, which invests across two or more asset classes, net inflows eased to ₹15,294 crore from ₹20,879 crore in July. Arbitrage funds, known for their safety and tax efficiency, witnessed inflows drop to ₹6,667 crore from ₹7,296 crore, while multi-asset allocation funds saw collections fall to ₹3,528 crore from ₹6,197 crore in the previous month.A sharp rise of 50% in the price of domestic gold led to investors adding ETFs worth ₹2,190 crore in August from ₹1,256 crore in the previous month. "For domestic investors, gold continues to act as a shield against currency fluctuations and inflationary pressures, while also offering tactical positioning ahead of pivotal global monetary policy decisions," says Nehal Meshram, senior analyst - manager research, Morningstar Investment Research India.

Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot on September 10, 2025, while speaking at his "American Comeback" tour at Utah Valley University.The incident sent shockwaves through U.S. political circles including President Trump and Vice President JD Vance. U.S. President Donald Trump called for prayers on Truth Social, saying, "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"Who is Charlie Kirk? Kirk, 31, co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 at the age of 18 with Bill Montgomery. The organization promotes conservative values on college campuses and has grown into a network that includes Turning Point Action, Turning Point Academy, and Turning Point Faith.Also Read: Charlie Kirk shot- Trump calls for prayers as right-wing activist attacked at Utah University event He also serves as president of Turning Point Endowment and is a member of the Council for National Policy, a conservative activist network, according to The New York Times. Born on October 14, 1993, in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Kirk was active in politics from a young age, volunteering for Republican campaigns and engaging in student activism. He briefly attended Harper College before leaving to pursue political activism full-time, influenced by Tea Party member Bill Montgomery. Kirk is also a media personality. He hosts The Charlie Kirk Show, a daily radio program, and has authored several books, including Campus Battlefield (2018) and The MAGA Doctrine (2020). NBC News reported that his podcast is downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times daily.The activist is married to Erika Frantzve, a former Miss Arizona USA. The couple has two children.Charlie Kirk Controversies Kirk is a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump and has promoted pro-Trump causes, including challenging the 2020 presidential election results. He has also been criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, rejecting mainstream climate science, and opposing critical race theory in schools, according to Forbes.Kirk shooting under investigation Following the shooting, FBI Director Kash Patel said on X, "We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected." He added that FBI agents were on the scene quickly.

Deloitte LLP has told its staff in India to show up in office at least two days a week or risk negative performance reviews, as the Big-Four accounting giant starts tightening its pandemic-era flexible work policy.The new rule becomes effective starting Oct. 1 for employees at the firm’s seven offices that help clients or provide back-office support across the South Asian country, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. The missive also said that staff may have to attend office on schedule because of space considerations, and failure to comply with the mandate will be tracked and taken into account during performance reviews.A spokesperson for Deloitte said in a statement that the firm’s hybrid working model is “not one-size-fits-all.” Without commenting on the RTO plan, the statement added that the approach is “designed for clients, businesses, team leaders and professionals to co-locate when it matters most to the performance of our work and the development and well-being of our professionals.”The move by Deloitte US comes about a year after rival PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP clamped down on remote working in the UK by telling its staff and partners there to spend at least three days a week in office or with clients. Similarly, some of the global financial giants including JPMorgan Chase & Co. have ordered their employees to return to the office five days a week, while HSBC Holdings Plc told its UK retail banking staff to expect smaller bonuses if they don’t attend office frequently enough. Deloitte’s US tax practice earlier this year introduced rules that require staff to spend two to three days a week in the office, or face a potential bonus hit, the Financial Times has reported.

Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) on Wednesday sold its entire 1.65% stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank for Rs 6,256 crore via block deals. SMBC's over 3.2 crore shares were sold to scores of buyers at a price of Rs 1,940.8 apiece which include domestic and foreign funds, asset management companies and sovereign funds. The buyers include 360 One Asset Management, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Blackrock Global Funds-India Fund, BNP Paribas Financial Markets, BofA Securities, Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte - ODI, Nomura Funds Ireland Plc, Societe Generale, T Rowe Price Funds and Citigroup among others. Among domestic MFs, some of the prominent names included Aditya Birla Sun Life MF, Axis Mutual Fund, HDFC MF and several scheme of Mirae Asset. Shares of Kotak Mahindra Bank today ended at Rs 1,972.90 on the NSE, gaining Rs 12.50 or 0.64% per share.Kotak Mahindra shares have rallied 10% in 2025 so far while 1-year returns also hover around 10%.The stock is currently trading below its 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages (SMAs) of Rs 2,051.2 and Rs 1,998.6, respectively.Kotak Mahindra Bank had reported a 7% year-on-year decline in its standalone net profit for the June quarter at Rs 3,282 crore, compared to Rs 3,520 crore in the year ago period. The net interest income (NII) for Q1FY26 increased to Rs 7,259 crore, up 6% YoY from Rs 6,842 crore in Q1FY25. This decline was excluding gains on KGI divestment, the company filing said. On June 18, 2024, ZKGI ceased to be a wholly-owned subsidiary and became an associate of the Bank.However, the net profit numbers came in after adjusting for the one-time gain from the sale of its general insurance business. Including the gain, the unadjusted net profit was significantly higher at Rs 6,250 crore in the year ago period.Also Read: Oracle stock turns 2025's multibagger after 41% surge; chairman Larry Ellison beats Elon Musk to become world's richest man(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)