New Delhi, June 25 -- Many investors often shift their SIP investments to the market-cap segment that has recently delivered the highest returns, hoping the strong performance will continue. However, an analysis of historical data suggests that chasing last year's top-performing category does not necessarily translate into better long-term returns.

An analysis by WhiteOak Capital Asset Management shows two approaches. One investor switches SIP investments every year to the previous year's best-performing market-cap category (large-cap, mid-cap, or small-cap), while another stays invested in the chosen category.

Let's find out which investor earns better returns over the years.

The first scenario assumed an investor who started a SIP in...