MFs may be described as “Financial institutions which pool the funds by way of issue of their units of equal size from different
investors and investing them in securities of diverse nature and variety, so that the risk of the investors is minimized and return
maximized.” Safety of funds, disposal of risks, and a satisfactory return are the hallmarks of MFs. Interestingly, these intermediary
financial institutions are commonly known as MFs in India, while in U.K. they are called as Investment Trust and are called as
Investment Companies in U.S.A. and other countries. The profits and losses of MFs are shared by the investors in proportion to their
investments.