Not because of the return figure alone. Keep your SIP aligned with your long-term plan, then check whether small- and mid-cap holdings have pushed your overall portfolio beyond its target allocation. If they have, rebalancing may make sense; if they have not, recent outperformance by itself is not a reason to stop or switch an SIP.
What the 21.5% figure does—and does not—tell you
The 6 October 2026 Mint headline reports that small caps beat large caps by 21.5% over a year. The article body does not specify which indices were compared, the exact start and end dates, or whether the calculation uses price returns or total returns. Treat the figure as a headline claim, not as a fully defined performance comparison.
Even a precisely measured one-year gap would describe a past period, not show that small caps will continue to lead. A recent winner is not, by itself, a reason to change a long-term allocation.
First separate your SIP from your asset allocation
An SIP is a way to contribute regularly; it does not determine how your entire portfolio should be divided. Your allocation includes accumulated investments as well as new contributions, and may span large-, mid- and small-cap funds alongside debt, gold or global equities.
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That distinction means you can keep a planned SIP running while separately reviewing whether the portfolio’s existing holdings need rebalancing. Vaibhav Porwal, co-founder of Dezerv, put the risk of reacting to a valuation view this way: “Stopping it because a segment looks expensive turns a systematic plan into a market call, which is the thing a SIP exists to avoid,” as quoted by Mint.
Compare your current portfolio with your own target
Use the allocation you chose for your goals, time horizon and tolerance for risk as the test—not a market-wide threshold or the weight of one standout fund. Look at the whole portfolio, including exposures held across multiple schemes and asset classes. A strong run in small caps can make their share of the total larger even if your monthly SIP amount has not changed.
Experts quoted in recent coverage offered different reference points, which are not universal rules:
- Bharath Rathore of Anand Rathi Wealth said that an overall mid- and small-cap allocation around 25% was not, by itself, a reason to change course after recent market moves; he also cited roughly 20–22% small-cap exposure as a reference. These refer to different groupings and are his reported views, not prescribed allocations for every investor. Mint
- Chintan Haria, Principal, Investment Strategy at ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company, said combined mid- and small-cap exposure around 30–35% is a level to watch, and investors substantially above their own plan may consider rebalancing. Moneycontrol
The thresholds differ in both size and what they count. Neither overrides your own plan. Haria also said, “If your asset allocation allows it, you may continue with the SIPs. SIPs themselves are not the challenge,” in the Moneycontrol interview.
Choose a rebalancing method that fits the size of the gap
If an asset class or market-cap segment is overweight, there are two broad ways to move toward your target. Which is appropriate depends on the gap, your time horizon and the cost of changing existing holdings.
| Approach | What it does | When to weigh it |
|---|---|---|
| Redirect future SIP contributions | Send new money toward underweight parts of the portfolio rather than adding to the overweight segment. | Consider this when contributions can bring the allocation closer to target over a suitable period. |
| Adjust accumulated holdings | Sell or switch some existing investments to reduce the overweight and restore the intended mix. | Consider this when the gap is too large to address through contributions alone; account for tax and transaction costs. |
Before moving accumulated money, consider the amount involved, the schedule for making the change and the tax cost. The Mint report advises discussing those factors rather than treating a switch as an automatic response to recent returns. Mint
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why last year’s winning category is not a reliable switching rule
Rebalancing brings a portfolio back toward a chosen allocation. Switching to whichever market-cap category performed best in the previous year is a different strategy: it tries to identify the next winner from the last one.
Mint’s report on a WhiteOak Capital Asset Management study released on 15 June 2026 illustrates why those approaches should not be confused. The study used the Nifty 100 TRI, Nifty Midcap 150 TRI and Nifty Smallcap 250 TRI. In its mid-cap starting scenario, an annual strategy switching SIPs to the prior year’s best-performing category returned 14.76% XIRR through 31 May 2026, versus 17.05% for staying in the mid-cap index. For the 10-year rolling SIP comparison, average XIRR was 15.75% for switching and 17.55% for remaining in the mid-cap index; the observations ran from 1 April 2015 through 31 May 2026.
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In the study’s small-cap starting scenario, annual switching returned 14.75% XIRR through 31 May 2026, versus 14.63% for remaining in the small-cap index. In its 10-year rolling SIP comparison, average XIRR was 15.75% for switching and 14.91% for remaining in the small-cap index over observations from 1 April 2015 through 31 May 2026. These are results reported by Mint from the named study, not independent tests or forecasts. The outcomes differed by scenario, so they do not establish a dependable rule for selecting the next year’s winning category. Mint
Quick Recap
A practical review before you change anything
- Set the reference point: identify the allocation that fits your goals, time horizon and risk tolerance.
- Measure the whole portfolio: include accumulated holdings and exposures across funds and other assets, not only the SIP you are considering.
- Identify the gap: compare current weights with the target and decide whether new contributions can reasonably close it.
- Choose the least disruptive suitable action: redirect contributions if that is sufficient, or assess changes to accumulated holdings if it is not.
- Account for costs and timing: consider tax and transaction costs before selling or switching, and avoid making a change solely to chase last year’s returns.
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