• The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at new all-time high of 21,830.

• The best-performing fund so far for 2017 continues to be 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 declined besides the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had a gain of 1.16% to close at 21,830. The DJIA is also up 10.46% year-to-date and the 21,830 mark hit another all-time high for the index. The S&P 500 had a slight decrease of 0.02% for the week, closing at 2,472. The NASDAQ Composite Index also had a slight decline of 0.20% to close at 6,375. The NASDAQ is the best-performing major index on a year-to-date basis, up 18.42%.

The telecommunications sector was this week’s top-performing area, up a huge 6.99%. However, the index is still down 5.44% on a year-to-date basis. The telecommunications sector is up big thanks to the two largest companies in the sector, AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Communications (VZ), which are both up 6.96% and 10.92%, respectively, for the last five days due to beating analysts’ expectations for the second quarter.

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

International Equities – International markets showed minimal gains for the week except for the Nikkei. The MSCI Developed Index had an increase of 0.23%. The MSCI Emerging Index also had a slight increase, up 0.29% for the week. The MSCI Emerging Market Index remains the best-performing index on a year-to-date basis, moving up 25.37%. On the other hand, Japan’s Nikkei 225 saw another decline of 0.70% for the week, closing at 19,960.

Commodities – The commodity sector had big gains for the week. Crude oil had an increase of $3.94 per barrel and closed at $49.71 per barrel. The price of gold increased $14 per troy ounce to close at $1,268. Copper was also up for the week, increasing by $0.15 to close at $2.88.

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

Taxable Bonds – Treasury yields all increased this week thanks to the Fed maintaining interest rates at current levels. The 2-year Treasury increased 1 bps to 1.35%. The 10-year Treasury yield had an increase of 5 bps, while the 30-year Treasury yield increased 9 bps to 2.90%.

Municipal Bonds – Municipal yields also increased this week. The 2-year AAA-rated bonds increased 1 bps and the 10-year AAA-rated bonds increased 3 bps. The 30-year AAA-rated bond increased 5 bps and is now yielding 2.76%. Municipal bond funds saw inflows for the second week, pulling in $199 million. The largest credit spread among Treasury and muni bonds increased by 2 bps to 57 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 28, 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 over 65% on a year-to-date basis and over 10% for the trailing one-month.

Top 5 Performers

The following table provides the top-performing mutual funds on a YTD basis as of July 28, 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.