Gold
The Feb 2016 SGB showcased a fantastic return on maturity compared to other investment avenues like fixed deposits and some equity mutual funds.
This article is a part of our detailed article series on the new issues of Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) and well as maturity of existing SGBs. Ensure you have read the other parts here:
The Mar 2016 SGB showcased a fantastic return on maturity compared to other investment avenues like fixed deposits and some equity mutual funds.
Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) 2023-24 (Series IV): know all the details about it to decide if you should invest.
Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) 2023-24 (Series III): know all the details about it to decide if you should invest.
The 2015 Series I SGB showcased a notable return on maturity compared to other investment avenues like fixed deposits and certain equity mutual funds.
Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) 2023-24 (Series II): know all the details about it to decide if you should invest.
Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) 2023-24 (Series I): know all the details about it to decide if you should invest.
This is the second SGB that was ever issued way back in Feb 2016.
| Series | 2015 Series I SGBFEB24 |
|---|---|
| Issue date | 08-Feb-2016 |
| Issue Price | ₹2,600 |
| Interest | 2.75% |
| Maturity date | 08-Feb-2024 |
| Maturity price | ₹6,271 (tax free) |
| Headline return % | 141% |
| Gold price return | 11.63% |
| Rupee fall vs USD | 21.98% |
| Total interest received | ₹572 (taxable at slab) |
| XIRR (no tax on interest) | 13.64% |
| XIRR (30% tax on interest) | 13.03% |
The SGB has given a return higher than the gold price due to the interest paid every six months.
Related:
Frequently asked questions on Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB): the complete guide
If you had bought and held this SGB until maturity, then this is the return you would have got based on the amounts you paid, the intermediate interest you got and the final maturity value:
| Date | Description | No tax | 10% tax | 20% tax | 30% tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-16 | Investment | -2,600 | -2,600 | -2,600 | -2,600 |
| Aug-16 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-17 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Aug-17 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-18 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Aug-18 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-19 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Aug-19 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-20 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Aug-20 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-21 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Aug-21 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-22 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Aug-22 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-23 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Aug-23 | 6-m interest | 35.75 | 32.18 | 28.60 | 25.03 |
| Feb-24 | Maturity | 6,306.75 | 6,303.18 | 6,299.60 | 6,296.03 |
| 08-Feb-24 | XIRR | 13.64% | 13.43% | 13.23% | 13.03% |
It is important to note that to get the return in the table above, which is a calculation similar to that of Yield To Maturity or YTM of a bond, the intermediate 6-monthly interest payments must be also invested in SGB, if needed from the secondary market: How to buy SGB from the stock market?.
Simply adding the gold price return with the interest rate will not give the return of the SGB since the interest also has to compound at the same rate.
We all know that SGB gives the highest returns out of all types of gold investment: The Ultimate Guide to Which Type of Gold Gives the Best Returns.
We can see that the SGB has given a return higher than the gold price movement (11.63%) over 8 years due to the interest it pays out.
Please note that the rupee depreciation against the US Dollar, since most of our gold is imported, reduces the headline 141% return by 21.98% or the yearly return to a more pedestrian 8.89%.
We will now compare this SGB return to other asset classes starting with FD.
SBI was giving 5-10 year FDs offering a modest 7% for non-senior citizens which would have course give a return much lower due to tax. Other banks would have given higher returns but their risk would have been higher as well though all banks are covered under DICGC insurance.
| Investment | No tax | 10% tax | 20% tax | 30% tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGB | 13.64% | 13.43% | 13.23% | 13.03% |
| FD | 7.00% | 6.30% | 5.60% | 4.90% |
To understand if you should invest in SGBs:
If we look at the universe of all equity mutual funds, and exclude thematic and sectoral funds from it, there were 155 funds at the time of issuance of this SGB which are still active today.
If we consider the 30% post-tax return case, the following 7 funds have been beaten by the SGB.
| Fund | Return pre-tax | Return after-tax |
|---|---|---|
| Taurus Large Cap Fund | 12.42% | 11.54% |
| Taurus Flexi Cap Fund | 12.52% | 11.63% |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 13.04% | 12.14% |
| BANDHAN Flexi Cap Fund | 13.14% | 12.23% |
| LIC MF Flexi Cap Fund | 13.26% | 12.35% |
| Franklin India Bluechip Fund | 13.78% | 12.84% |
| Nippon India Tax Saver Fund | 13.78% | 12.84% |
If we assume zero tax in both cases, then the following 12 funds have been beaten by the SGB.
| Fund | Return pre-tax | Return after-tax |
|---|---|---|
| Taurus Large Cap Fund | 12.42% | 11.54% |
| Taurus Flexi Cap Fund | 12.52% | 11.63% |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 13.04% | 12.14% |
| BANDHAN Flexi Cap Fund | 13.14% | 12.23% |
| LIC MF Flexi Cap Fund | 13.26% | 12.35% |
| Franklin India Bluechip Fund | 13.78% | 12.84% |
| Nippon India Tax Saver Fund | 13.78% | 12.84% |
| LIC MF Large Cap Fund | 13.99% | 13.04% |
| DSP Top 100 Equity Fund | 14.11% | 13.16% |
| HDFC Long Term Advantage Plan | 14.18% | 13.22% |
| Franklin India Equity Advantage Fund | 14.23% | 13.27% |
| Axis ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 14.42% | 13.45% |
Note: All of these are direct plans and regular plan returns would have been obviously worse: Do not make this mistake when investing in mutual funds.
Readers should understand that this comparison of two different asset classes should be done not on this point-to-point fashion but using rolling returns only: What are rolling returns in case of mutual funds? Why is this better than point-to-point returns?
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This post titled SGB issued in Feb 2016 has given 141% return in 8 years. How does that compare with FDs and equity mutual funds? first appeared on 11 Feb 2024 at https://arthgyaan.com
