• U.S. equities were all down this week, snapping a six-week trend of gains.

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

• U.S Large Cap Growth is the best-performing mutual funds subcategory based on the 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 fell this week, with the exception of the NASDAQ. The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased for the second week in a row and fell 0.27% to close at 23,358. The S&P 500 also had a decrease of 0.13% for the week, to close at 2,579. On the other hand, the NASDAQ Composite Index was up 0.47% to close at 6,783. The NASDAQ continues to be the best-performing major U.S. index on a year-to-date basis, up 26.00%.

The consumer discretionary sector was this week’s top-performing sector, up 1.31%. This sector consists of companies like Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD), which was up over 3% for the week.

International Equities – International markets also fell, with the exception of the MSCI Emerging Market Index. The MSCI Developed Market Index fell 0.59% to close at 1,986, but is still up 21.48% on a year-to-date basis. The MSCI Emerging Index had an increase of 0.72% for the week and remains the best-performing index on a year-to-date basis, up 34.74%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 snapped its nine weeks in a row of gains and fell 1.25% to close at 22,397.

Commodities – The commodity sector was down this week except for gold. Crude oil fell $0.19 per barrel and closed at $56.55 per barrel. The price of gold increased $23 per troy ounce to close at $1,296. On the other hand, copper saw a slight decrease of $0.01 to close at $3.07.

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

Taxable Bonds – Treasury yields fell this week, with the exception of the 2-year Treasury, which increased 7 bps to yield 1.72%. The 10-year Treasury yield decreased 6 bps, while the 30-year Treasury yield also decreased 10 bps to 2.78%.

Municipal Bonds – Municipal yields all gained, with the 2-year AAA-rated bonds increasing 6 bps to yield 1.23%. The 10-year AAA-rated bonds increased 3 bps, while the 30-year AAA-rated bonds increased 1 bps to yield 2.77%. Municipal bond funds saw a second week of inflows, with an increase of $395 million in assets under management. The largest credit spread for the five-year securities increased by 2 bps to settle at 49 bps for the week.

Explore our Mutual Funds Education section to learn more about important mutual funds concepts.

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 November 17, 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 121% on a year-to-date basis.

Top 5 Performers

The following table provides the top-performing mutual funds on a YTD basis as of November 17, 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.