Rebalancing is the discipline of periodically restoring a portfolio to its target asset-allocation weights by selling outperformers and buying underperformers. It is the simplest, most evidence-supported way to control risk and (mildly) enhance returns through mean reversion.
Triggers used in practice: (a) Calendar-based — once or twice a year; (b) Threshold-based — when any allocation drifts more than X% (e.g., 5%) from target; (c) Combined — calendar check with threshold trigger. Threshold-based reduces unnecessary trading; calendar adds discipline.
Rebalancing forces "sell high, buy low" mechanically, neutralising recency bias. The flip side: in trending markets, rebalancing reduces returns by cutting winners early. Most academic and practitioner evidence suggests rebalancing pays off in volatility reduction more than in return enhancement.
Tax friction in India: Selling equity to rebalance triggers STCG (20%) or LTCG (12.5% above Rs 1.25 lakh). To minimise tax, rebalance via (i) new contributions into the underweight asset, (ii) dividend / coupon redeployment, (iii) within tax-deferred wrappers (ULIP / NPS), and (iv) only sell if drift exceeds threshold materially.
Example 1: Target 60% equity / 30% debt / 10% gold. After a strong equity year, allocation becomes 70 / 23 / 7. Rebalancing sells 10% of equity to restore weights. Triggers LTCG on the sold equity but reduces equity-overweight risk going into the next year.
Example 2: Investor uses calendar-plus-threshold rule: rebalance annually OR when any sleeve drifts >7%. In a quiet year, allocations stay within bands; the trigger isn't pulled and no tax is realised.
The single biggest practical issue is sticking with rebalancing in bull markets when selling winners feels stupid — that's exactly when it matters most.
Disclaimer: Educational content from MintByte (ARN-314872, MFD). Examples are illustrative. SEBI Investment Adviser registration is in process; we do not provide personalized rebalancing advice.