New Delhi, Aug. 25 -- Gold has delivered a stunning lead over equity funds in the three-year SIP return race. SBI Gold Fund delivered 44.11% and Axis Gold Fund 43.84%, while the next-best funds-across pharma, small-cap and mid-cap categories-were clustered around 20-21%.

For investors who put Rs.10,000 every month into the top-performing funds three years ago, the difference is stark. The SIP value in SBI Gold Fund reached Rs.6.59 lakh, compared with about Rs.4.90 lakh in the top-performing equity funds in the list.

SBI Gold Fund delivered the highest three-year SIP return in the data at 44.11%, followed closely by Axis Gold Fund at 43.84%. The two gold funds were clear outliers in the ranking.

SBI Gold Fund's 44.11% return was 22.75 p...