Domestic fund managers are increasingly looking to bring an international flavour to equity portfolios they handle as they look at large swings in performances. At least six equity funds have added shares of global companies in their holdings as part of direct stock allocations in the past year or so.So far, a majority of the overseas allocations of domestic schemes have been by investing in another fund abroad. In addition, there are several local schemes that allow investors to invest in global funds. Now, fund managers are taking control of all the allocations themselves.The success of Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund, an eight-year-old equity scheme, could have been a trigger. This product, which can invest 25-30% of its portfolio in international stocks, has gained popularity among investors of late as the option to invest abroad has given the product an edge over others. The fund has returned over 20% over the past three and five years, making it among the best performers.“Having a mix of domestic as well as international stocks lowers the portfolio volatility given that different markets may move up and down at different times,” said Rajeev Thakkar, chief investment officer, Parag Parikh Mutual Fund. The top three companies in the fund’s portfolio are Alphabet Inc, Microsoft and Facebook.Many other mutual funds have launched products that invest in a mix of domestic and global stocks. These include Axis ESG, Axis Growth Opportunities, Kotak Pioneer, DSP Value, DSP NRNE and Edelweiss MSCI India Domestic & World Healthcare 45 Index Fund .“Global themes that are not available in the listed space in India constitute the international component,” said Jinesh Gopani, head-equity, Axis AMC, who runs Axis ESG and Axis Growth Opportunities.Financial planners point out that tax advantage is one reason why some investors prefer such schemes. International funds are taxed as debt funds while funds with up to 35% allocation to international equities are taxed as equity funds.“If you sell between the first and third year, an international fund is subject to debt taxation which means an investor needs to pay 30% long- term capital gains tax, while in a equity fund he pays 10% tax,” said Harshvardhan Roongta, CFP Roongta Securities.Some financial planners believe it’s better to keep separate funds. “It is best to allocate separately to domestic and international funds as it is easier to track performance and make changes if necessary,” said Vishal Dhawan, founder, Plan Ahead Wealth Advisors. Dhawan is, however, bullish on Parag Parikh Flexible Equity Fund because of its long-term track record. 83126481