Where is this $13.2 billion fund manager investing today?

Rajeev Thakkar is not your run-of-the-mill investor. As the Chief Investment Officer of PPFAS Mutual Fund, he has built a reputation around clarity, conviction and, above all, first-principles thinking. If you watch his interviews or read his letters, you’ll notice how refreshingly rational his approach is in a market often driven by noise. He avoids fads, stays under-invested in overheated sectors and sticks to a global, value-oriented strategy. If his investment strategy seems very uncle-like to you, get this: Under his stewardship, the Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund has grown into the largest in its category. In fact, the flexi-cap fund’s performance vindicates his philosophy: The fund has delivered an annualised return of 27.3 per cent, significantly higher than the benchmark Nifty 500’s 22.42 per cent in the last five years. Whether he’s writing to unitholders – you must have guessed by now that he is a major Warren Buffet admirer – or allocating his own capital, Thakkar’s success lies in his time-tested principles: Simplicity over complexity Discipline over emotion Time in the market over timing the market. So when we get to know where he is investing, thanks to Livemint, it’s worth paying attention. Thakkar: Most of my investments over the past 18-24 months have been in hybrid and arbitrage funds Thakkar’s debt allocation has increased significantly, from 4-5 per cent in 2020 to 12-13 per cent today. Why? “Given I’m in my 50s, I sta