• The MSCI Emerging Market Index remains the best-performing index on a year-to-date basis.

• The best-performing fund so far for 2017 is the Neuberger Berman Greater China Eq Instl (NCEIX).

• Latin America Equities is the best-performing mutual fund subcategory based on a rolling month.

• Make sure to check out the previous edition of the Weekly Roundup to keep track of changing trends in the mutual funds space.

U.S. Equities – U.S. equity markets all saw gains besides the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had a slight decline of 0.27% to close at 21,580. The DJIA is also up 9.20% year-to-date. The S&P 500 had an increase of 0.54% for the week, closing at 2,473. The NASDAQ Composite Index was this week’s best-performing index among the major indices and was up 1.19% to close at 6,388. The NASDAQ is the best-performing major index on a year-to-date basis, up 18.66%.

The utility sector was this week’s top-performing area, up 2.59%, and up 11.50% on a year-to-date basis. The utility sector is typically a defensive sector but the sector is up thanks to companies like NextEra Energy Inc. (NYSE:NEE) and Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK), up 1.90% and 1.64% for the week, respectively.

Explore our Mutual Fund Education section to learn more about important mutual fund concepts.

International Equities – International markets were mostly positive for the week except the Nikkei. The MSCI Developed Index had an increase of 0.47%. The MSCI Emerging Index had the week’s largest gain, up 1.35% for the week. The MSCI Emerging Market Index is also the best-performing index, moving up 25.01% YTD. On the other hand, Japan’s Nikkei 225 saw a slight decline of 0.09% for the week, closing at 20,100.

Commodities – The commodity sector was a mixed bag this week. Crude oil had a decrease of $0.77 per barrel and closed at $45.77 per barrel. The price of gold increased $28 per troy ounce to close at $1,254. Copper was also up for the week, increasing by $0.03 to close at $2.72.

Be sure to read our important tips on how to invest in the right commodity-based mutual fund.

Taxable Bonds – Treasury yields all decreased again this week, with the 2-year Treasury decreasing 1 bps. The 10-year Treasury yield had a decrease of 8 bps, while the 30-year Treasury yield decreased 10 bps to 2.81%.

Municipal Bonds – Municipal yields also decreased this week. The 2-year AAA-rated bonds decreased 7 bps and the 10-year AAA-rated bonds decreased 10 bps, while the 30-year AAA-rated bonds decreased 11 bps and is yielding 2.71%. Municipal bond funds saw turned back to inflows this week, gaining $291 million. The largest credit spread among Treasury and muni bonds increased by 4 bps to 55 bps for the 5-year securities.

The following table provides a list of the top-performing mutual fund subcategories for the previous week within the broader categories of the industry. In each of these subcategories, we have listed the top mutual funds based on the one-month return generated as of July 21, 2017.

Top-performing fund: Neuberger Berman Greater China Eq Instl (NCEIX)

The fund’s largest holding is in Tencent Holdings Ltd (HKG:0700), which is up almost 60% on a year-to-date basis.

Top 5 Performers

The following table provides the top-performing mutual funds on a YTD basis as of July 21, 2017. Only those funds that are rated five stars by Morningstar and that generated YTD returns greater than or equal to that achieved by the S&P 500 are included.

We provide this report on a weekly basis. To stay up to date with mutual fund market events, return to our News section.