Are pension funds creating a stock market bubble by pouring money into ETFs and index funds?

Pravin PalandeET Prime
Feb 16, 2026 | 19:19 IST

After Covid’s second wave, 92% of active fund managers lagged the index. Now, massive passive inflows — INR7,500 crore a month, led by EPFO-backed ETFs — are accused of inflating Nifty 50 stock prices. But is this surge quietly reshaping India’s markets?

The safest, cheapest and the easiest way of investing in equities for the common man may well be turning into a primary tool in distorting the market – passive investing.

In March 2021, the second wave of Covid delivered a double blow — lives were lost, economies stalled, and markets cracked. For investors, it was a brutal phase. For fund managers, it was even worse. The SPIVA report released in June 2022 captured the pain: a staggering 92% of active fund managers underperformed the index.
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