Having done exceedingly well in the post-meltdown period, Principal Large Cap has succumbed to market volatilities this year. It would, however, be unwise to exit the scheme on the basis of a short-term performance hiccup

Its past performance so far reveals that Principal Large Cap has outperformed the markets brilliantly during rallies, but it has stagnated during downturns. The current financial year has been a particularly disappointing one for the scheme as its investment calls of being overweight on metals and underweight on software have backfired. Despite the current volatile conditions, Principal Large Cap has abstained from taking heavy cash calls and stands by its conviction of not going overly defensive. A similar strategy adopted in the meltdown period of 2008 did help in the scheme in the following year. This strategy, however, is like a double edged sword. It can hurt deeply in the near term if the markets are to deteriorate further but can also enrich investors if markets are to head north hereon.