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Mutual Funds Weekly Roundup: March 15

Brian Mathews

|

Business meeting.
MutualFunds.com provides weekly information about any material impact on the mutual funds industry due to major economic and corporate events around the world. In addition, performance statistics on the top funds and fund categories are also provided.
  • U.S. and international equities were all up this week.
  • The best-performing fund for 2018 on a year-to-date basis is the Leland Thomson Reuters Vntr Cptl Idx I (LDVIX).
  • Small Cap Growth Equities is the best-performing mutual funds subcategory based on the rolling-month returns.
  • Make sure to check out the previous edition of the Weekly Roundup to keep track of changing trends in the mutual funds space.

Market Wrap-Up

U.S. Equities – U.S. equity markets bounced back from last week’s decline and were up across the board. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 3.25%, to close at 25,336, and is now up 2.49% on a year-to-date basis. The S&P 500 also had a gain of 3.54% for the week, to close at 2,787, and is up 4.22% year-to-date. The NASDAQ Composite increased 4.17%, to close at 7,561. The NASDAQ is the best-performing index among major indices on a year-to-date basis and is up 9.52%.

This week’s best-performing sector was industrials, up 4.45%. This sector consists of companies like Boeing Co (NYSE:BA), which was up over 16% on a year-to-date basis.

International Equities – International markets were also up this week, with the MSCI Developed Market Index gaining 1.88%, to close at 2,041. The MSCI Emerging Market Index had an increase of 2.18%, to close at 1,207. Japan’s Nikkei 225 also saw an increase this week of 1.36%, to close at 21,469.

Commodities – The commodities markets were also all up, with crude oil increasing by $0.79 per barrel, to close at $62.04. The price of gold increased by $1 per troy ounce, to close at $1,322. Copper also increased by $0.01, to close at $3.14.

Taxable Bonds – Shorter-term maturity yields decreased for the week, with the 2-year Treasury yields decreasing 2 bps and the 10-year Treasury yields decreasing 2 bps. The longer 30-year Treasury yields increased 3 bps compared to the week before.

Municipal Bonds – Municipal yields also gained this week, with the 2-year AAA-rated bonds increasing 1 bps to yield 1.57%. The 10-year AAA-rated bonds saw an increase of 3 bps, while the 30-year AAA-rated bonds increased by 4 bps to yield 3.12%. Municipal bond funds saw large inflows of $505 million this week. The largest credit spread for the two-year securities increased to 69 bps for the week.

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

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

Performance Snapshot: Top Fund Category

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 March 9, 2018.
Category Top Subcategory MTD Subcategory Return (%) Top Subcategory Performer Top Subcategory Performer MTD Fund Return (%) Performance Rationale
U.S. Equity Fund Small Cap Growth Equities 9.61% Lord Abbett Developing Growth P LADPX 15.71% The fund's largest holding is Planet Fitness Inc. (NYSE:PLNT), which is up nearly 28% for the trailing month.
International Equity China Equities 8.59% Oberweis China Opportunities OBCHX 13.17% The fund's largest holding is Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) which is up over 5% for the trailing month.
Commodities Broad Basket 2.96% Credit Suisse Commodity Acss Strat A CRCAX 4.45% With commodities up this week, the fund benefited from being invested in oil and gold.
Taxable Bonds Emerging-Markets Bonds 1.24% Barings Emerging Markets Local Ccy Dbt I BXLIX 2.25% Shorter-maturity emerging-market bonds saw the biggest gain this week.
Municipal Bonds Single State Municipal Bonds 0.06% Oppenheimer Rochester® LtdTerm NY MunisY LTBYX 1.31% New York–based bonds saw this week's biggest increase.

Performance Snapshot: Top Fund

Top-performing fund: Leland Thomson Reuters Vntr Cptl Idx I (LDVIX).

One of the fund’s largest holdings is MasterCard Inc. (NYSE:MA), which is up over 20% on a year-to-date basis.

Top 5 Performers

The following table provides the top-performing mutual funds on a YTD basis as of March 9, 2018. 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.

Name Ticker Category YTD % Net Expense Ratio % of Assets in Top 10 Holdings Total Assets $ (Millions) Top Sector Invested
Leland Thomson Reuters Vntr Cptl Idx I LDVIX Large Blend 25.89% 1.74% 26.5% $ 35 Technology
Morgan Stanley Inst Growth I MSEQX Large Cap Growth Equities 17.48% 0.63% 51.3% $ 4,740 Technology
Transamerica Capital Growth I TFOIX Large Cap Growth Equities 17.47% 0.96% 54.2% $ 927 Technology
PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth POAGX Mid-Cap Growth 17.35% 0.64% 33.6% $ 10,600 Healthcare
Morgan Stanley Multi Cap Growth IS MCRTX Large Cap Growth Equities 17.11% 0.84% 53.3% $ 495 Technology
We provide this report on a weekly basis. To stay up to date with mutual funds market events, return to our News section.

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Business meeting.

Mutual Funds Weekly Roundup: March 15

Brian Mathews

|

MutualFunds.com provides weekly information about any material impact on the mutual funds industry due to major economic and corporate events around the world. In addition, performance statistics on the top funds and fund categories are also provided.
  • U.S. and international equities were all up this week.
  • The best-performing fund for 2018 on a year-to-date basis is the Leland Thomson Reuters Vntr Cptl Idx I (LDVIX).
  • Small Cap Growth Equities is the best-performing mutual funds subcategory based on the rolling-month returns.
  • Make sure to check out the previous edition of the Weekly Roundup to keep track of changing trends in the mutual funds space.

Market Wrap-Up

U.S. Equities – U.S. equity markets bounced back from last week’s decline and were up across the board. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 3.25%, to close at 25,336, and is now up 2.49% on a year-to-date basis. The S&P 500 also had a gain of 3.54% for the week, to close at 2,787, and is up 4.22% year-to-date. The NASDAQ Composite increased 4.17%, to close at 7,561. The NASDAQ is the best-performing index among major indices on a year-to-date basis and is up 9.52%.

This week’s best-performing sector was industrials, up 4.45%. This sector consists of companies like Boeing Co (NYSE:BA), which was up over 16% on a year-to-date basis.

International Equities – International markets were also up this week, with the MSCI Developed Market Index gaining 1.88%, to close at 2,041. The MSCI Emerging Market Index had an increase of 2.18%, to close at 1,207. Japan’s Nikkei 225 also saw an increase this week of 1.36%, to close at 21,469.

Commodities – The commodities markets were also all up, with crude oil increasing by $0.79 per barrel, to close at $62.04. The price of gold increased by $1 per troy ounce, to close at $1,322. Copper also increased by $0.01, to close at $3.14.

Taxable Bonds – Shorter-term maturity yields decreased for the week, with the 2-year Treasury yields decreasing 2 bps and the 10-year Treasury yields decreasing 2 bps. The longer 30-year Treasury yields increased 3 bps compared to the week before.

Municipal Bonds – Municipal yields also gained this week, with the 2-year AAA-rated bonds increasing 1 bps to yield 1.57%. The 10-year AAA-rated bonds saw an increase of 3 bps, while the 30-year AAA-rated bonds increased by 4 bps to yield 3.12%. Municipal bond funds saw large inflows of $505 million this week. The largest credit spread for the two-year securities increased to 69 bps for the week.

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

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

Performance Snapshot: Top Fund Category

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 March 9, 2018.
Category Top Subcategory MTD Subcategory Return (%) Top Subcategory Performer Top Subcategory Performer MTD Fund Return (%) Performance Rationale
U.S. Equity Fund Small Cap Growth Equities 9.61% Lord Abbett Developing Growth P LADPX 15.71% The fund's largest holding is Planet Fitness Inc. (NYSE:PLNT), which is up nearly 28% for the trailing month.
International Equity China Equities 8.59% Oberweis China Opportunities OBCHX 13.17% The fund's largest holding is Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) which is up over 5% for the trailing month.
Commodities Broad Basket 2.96% Credit Suisse Commodity Acss Strat A CRCAX 4.45% With commodities up this week, the fund benefited from being invested in oil and gold.
Taxable Bonds Emerging-Markets Bonds 1.24% Barings Emerging Markets Local Ccy Dbt I BXLIX 2.25% Shorter-maturity emerging-market bonds saw the biggest gain this week.
Municipal Bonds Single State Municipal Bonds 0.06% Oppenheimer Rochester® LtdTerm NY MunisY LTBYX 1.31% New York–based bonds saw this week's biggest increase.

Performance Snapshot: Top Fund

Top-performing fund: Leland Thomson Reuters Vntr Cptl Idx I (LDVIX).

One of the fund’s largest holdings is MasterCard Inc. (NYSE:MA), which is up over 20% on a year-to-date basis.

Top 5 Performers

The following table provides the top-performing mutual funds on a YTD basis as of March 9, 2018. 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.

Name Ticker Category YTD % Net Expense Ratio % of Assets in Top 10 Holdings Total Assets $ (Millions) Top Sector Invested
Leland Thomson Reuters Vntr Cptl Idx I LDVIX Large Blend 25.89% 1.74% 26.5% $ 35 Technology
Morgan Stanley Inst Growth I MSEQX Large Cap Growth Equities 17.48% 0.63% 51.3% $ 4,740 Technology
Transamerica Capital Growth I TFOIX Large Cap Growth Equities 17.47% 0.96% 54.2% $ 927 Technology
PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth POAGX Mid-Cap Growth 17.35% 0.64% 33.6% $ 10,600 Healthcare
Morgan Stanley Multi Cap Growth IS MCRTX Large Cap Growth Equities 17.11% 0.84% 53.3% $ 495 Technology
We provide this report on a weekly basis. To stay up to date with mutual funds market events, return to our News section.

Sign up for Advisor Access

Receive email updates about best performers, news, CE accredited webcasts and more.

Popular Articles

Read Next

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