Mumbai, Sept. 16 -- The fall in India's equity market over the past year has triggered glaringly contrasting approaches of active retail investors accessing the market directly versus those using the mutual fund route to buy stocks.

The active direct retail route-investors who trade at least once a month-was singed as 5 million investors exited the markets between September 2024 and August this year, per NSE data.

During this period, the unique investor count through the mutual fund route grew 12.5%, per data from Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi), suggesting a move towards relatively more patient investing amid the volatility.

However, market veterans said the falling direct retail trend would reverse once the market regains...