Rolling Returns — Mutual Fund Term Explained

Returns calculated over all possible periods of a given length. Shows consistency of performance rather than cherry-picked point-to-point returns.

Rolling returns calculate a fund's return for every possible starting date over a defined period. For example, 3Y rolling returns shows the 3-year CAGR starting from every month over the last 10 years.

Rolling returns reveal a fund's consistency — how often it delivered above a threshold, how rarely it was deeply negative.

Related terms

• Trailing Returns — Point-to-point returns calculated from today backwards. The most common return metric but sensitive to start/end dates.
• CAGR — Compound Annual Growth Rate. Measures how much a lump sum investment grew per year on average. Not ideal for SIP returns — use XIRR instead.
• Benchmark — The market index a fund is compared against. A fund manager must beat the benchmark consistently to justify active management fees.

Browse the full mutual fund glossary, or see this concept in action in the fund screener.