Staying invested in equities can make a significant difference to long-term returns, with the cost of missing a handful of the market’s strongest sessions becoming increasingly steep, according to Abakkus Mutual Fund.According to the fund house, investors who remained invested in the equity market throughout the period from April 2005 to August 2026 recorded substantially higher returns than those who missed some of the best-performing days.The Nifty 50 TRI delivered a CAGR of 13.55% for investors who stayed invested throughout the period. However, missing just the five best days reduced the CAGR to 11.21%. The impact increased sharply as more of the market’s strongest days were missed.Investors who missed the best 10 days recorded a CAGR of 9.65%, while missing the best 30 days brought the CAGR down to 4.61%. For those who missed the best 50 days, the CAGR fell to just 0.94%, according to Abakkus.The data highlights the potential cost of attempting to time the equity market, as a relatively small number of strong market sessions can have a significant impact on long-term returns.Separately, Abakkus said the Nifty 50 index had recovered 7.8% from its March 2026 bottom of 22,331 to 24,080 as of August 31, 2026.Despite the recovery, the index remained below its peak of 26,329, recorded on January 2, 2026. The Nifty 50 would require another 9.3% return to fully recover to that peak level, the fund house said.ALSO READ: SBI's 80 paise masterstroke: How NSE IPO could deliver Rs 2,850 crore jackpot and 2,23,025% return"According to Abakkus Mutual Fund, investors who stayed invested throughout the period of April 2005 to August 2026 in equity markets recorded higher returns than the ones who missed being invested by a few days."The fund house's analysis was based on data from ACE MF and niftyindices.com, along with Abakkus' internal analysis. The data was as of August 31, 2026.Abakkus cautioned that past performance may or may not be sustained in the future and is not a guarantee of future returns. It also noted that index performance does not signify scheme performance.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)If you have any mutual fund queries, message ET Mutual Funds on Facebook/Twitter. We will get them answered by our panel of experts. Do share your questions at ETMFqueries@timesinternet.in along with your age, risk profile, and Twitter handle.