Passive mutual fund assets climbed 5% in October to ₹14 lakh crore, supported by strong ₹7,743 crore inflows into gold exchange traded funds. This momentum came as investors shifted capital into commodity-backed funds amid global rate uncertainty and persistent equity market volatility. Meanwhile, overall equity mutual fund inflows softened 8.8% to ₹6,026 crore , suggesting cautious optimism among retail participants.