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Returns and performance
What is rolling returns?
Rolling returns are the returns over every possible period of a set length, for example every 5-year stretch, which shows how consistent a fund has been.
How it works
A trailing return such as 'the last 5 years' depends heavily on where today sits in the market cycle. Rolling returns take every start date in the history, work out the return over the chosen length, and show the spread: worst, median, best and how often returns were negative.
They answer the question investors actually ask: if I had invested at a random time and held for five years, what range of outcomes should I have expected?
Example
Our charts page works out the Nifty 50's rolling returns from every trading day since 2000: held for one year it lost money about a quarter of the time, but held for seven years or more it never did.
Keep in mind
- Past rolling returns show a range, not a promise.
- Compare funds using the same holding period and the same dates.
Questions people ask
Why are rolling returns better than trailing returns?
Trailing returns describe one start date; rolling returns cover all of them, so one lucky or unlucky date does not dominate.
Where can I see rolling returns?
Our 26 years of Indian markets page shows them for the Nifty 50, for lump sums and SIPs.
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General information for education, not investment advice or a recommendation of any scheme. Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. Past performance may or may not be sustained in future. Last reviewed 25 October 2026.