INVESTORS’ PERCEPTION AND ITS DETERMINANTS IN MUTUAL FUND INVESTMENT IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DISTRICT

Mutual funds have emerged as an important investment avenue by offering portfolio diversity, expert fund oversight, liquidity, and accessibility to investors with varying financial capabilities. However, investment participation is substantially influenced by how investors perceive expected returns, associated risks, transparency, liquidity, and the effectiveness of professional fund management. Although previous studies have examined mutual fund investment behaviour, understanding the combined influence of these factors on investor perception within specific regional contexts remains important. Addressing this concern, the present study examines investors’ perception towards mutual fund investment and identifies the major factors influencing such perception in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala. A structured questionnaire was used to gather primary data from 217 mutual fund investors utilizing a quantitative research approach. The findings revealed a significantly favourable overall perception towards mutual fund investment. Professional fund management recorded the strongest standardized impact on investor perception, followed by perceived return and transparency. The identified factors collectively explained 65.9% of the disparity in investor perception. The findings demonstrate that favourable mutual fund perception extends beyond return expectations and incorporates managerial expertise, transparency, liquidity, and risk considerations..