- U.S. markets rebounded from the week prior, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average increasing 1.32% this week to 21,080.
- The best-performing fund so far for 2017 is the T. Rowe Price Global Technology (PRGTX).
- Large Cap Growth is the best-performing rolling-one-month mutual fund subcategory.
- Make sure to check out the previous edition of the Weekly Roundup to keep track of changing trends.
Market Wrap-Up
The utilities sector was this week’s top-performing area, up 2.57%. The sector is up slightly over 10% on a year-to-date basis and is the third-best performing sector after information technology and the consumer discretionary sector. This is led by companies like NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE) that are up over 17% on a year-to-date basis.
Explore our Mutual Fund Education section to learn more about important mutual fund concepts.
International Equities – International equities were also up this week. The MSCI Developed Index had an increase of 0.22%, while the MSCI Emerging Index had a larger increase of 2.18% for the week. After Japan’s NIKKEI 225 broke its four-week positive trend last week with a decline, it bounced back this week with an increase of 0.49% to close at 19,687.
Commodities – The commodity sector was a mixed bag this week, with crude oil decreasing $0.53 per barrel and closing at $49.80 per barrel. The price of gold increased for the second week in a row, up $15 per troy ounce to close at $1,268. Copper was down $0.02 for the week to close at $2.57.
Be sure to read our important tips on how to invest in the right commodity-based mutual fund.
Taxable Bonds – Treasury yields saw no movement except for the 30-year. The 2-year and 10-year Treasury yields remained flat, while the 30-year saw a slight increase of 1 bps.
Municipal Bonds – Municipals declined across all maturities. The 2-year AAA-rated bonds dropped 2 bps, the 10-year AAA-rated bonds dropped 7 bps, and the 30-year AAA-rated bonds dropped 6 bps. Municipal bond funds also continued into the seventh week of net positive fund flows with over $344 million of inflows. The largest credit spread among Treasury and muni bonds widened to 51 bps for the 5-year securities.
Performance Snapshot: Top Fund Category
Category | Top Subcategory | 1-Month Subcategory Return (%) | Top Subcategory Performer | Ticker | 1-Month Fund Return (%) | Performance Rationale |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Equity Fund | Large Cap Growth | 3.01% | Zevenbergen Genea Institutional | ZVGIX | 11.10% | The fund's largest holding is Amazon, Inc. (AMZN), which is up over 32% on a YTD basis. |
International Equity | Europe Equities | 3.97% | Columbia Acorn European Z | CAEZX | 6.05% | The top holdings of the fund includes European companies such as Wirecard AG, which is up over 43% YTD. |
Commodities | Broad Basket | -0.17% | Cohen & Steers Active Cmdts Strat C | CDFCX | 0.55% | With commodities down for the year, this fund was protected by being invested in 96% cash as a hedge. |
Taxable Bonds | Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond | 1.64% | Barings Emerging Markets Local Ccy Dbt I | BXLIX | 3.18% | International bond prices went up this week, with emerging markets seeing the most gains. |
Municipal Bonds | High Yield Municipal Bonds | 1.28% | Dreyfus High Yield Municipal Bond Y | DHYYX | 2.17% | With muni yields declining, investors seem to prefer high-yield munis. |
Performance Snapshot: Top Fund
With over 68% in technology, the fund is this year’s best-performing fund. Its largest holding is in Salesforce.com (CRM), which is up more than 32% YTD.
Top 5 Performers
The following table provides the top-performing mutual funds on a YTD basis as of May 26, 2017. Only those funds that are rated five stars by Morningstar and that generated YTD returns greater than equal to that achieved by the S&P 500 are included.
Top-Performing Fund | Ticker | Category | YTD Return (%) | Net Expense Ratio (%) | % of Assets in Top 10 Holdings | Net Assets $ (Millions) | Top Sector Invested |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
T. Rowe Price Global Technology | PRGTX | Global Equities | 30.69% | 0.90% | 54.60% | $4,370 | Technology |
Wasatch Emerging India Institutional | WIINX | India Equities | 29.57% | 2.00% | 35.00% | $154 | Financial Services |
Morgan Stanley Inst Growth IS | MGRPX | Large Cap Growth Equities | 29.16% | 0.54% | 56.90% | $3,510 | Technology |
Morgan Stanley Inst International Opp I | MIOIX | Foreign Large Cap Growth Equities | 29.14% | 1.34% | 49.30% | $138 | Technology |
Morgan Stanley Inst Global Opp I | MGGIX | Global Equities | 27.40% | 1.07% | 53.50% | $925 | Technology |