- U.S. equities and international equities were mostly up this week.
- The best-performing fund for 2018 on a year-to-date basis is Leland Thomson Reuters Vntr Cptl Idx I (LDVIX).
- Latin America Equities is the best-performing mutual funds subcategory based on 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 industry.
Market Wrap-Up
The best-performing sector was energy, up 2.32% for the week. This sector consists of companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. (NASDAQ:XOM), which is up 0.25% for the week.
International Equities – The international markets were also up this week, with the MSCI Developed Market Index gaining 1.35% to close at 2,011. The MSCI Emerging Market Index gained 2.15% to close at 1,092. Finally, Japan’s Nikkei 225 saw a slight gain of 0.07%, to close at 22,713.
Commodities – The commodities markets were mostly down this week, with crude oil falling $1.77 per barrel to close at $68.69. The price of gold decreased by $7 per troy ounce to close at $1,223. Meanwhile, copper prices saw an increase of $0.05 and now trade at $2.80.
Be sure to read important tips on how to invest in the right commodity-based mutual fund.
Taxable Bonds – Treasury yields were all up this week. The 2-year Treasury increased by 8 bps to now yield 2.67%. The 10-year Treasury yield increased 7 bps and now yields 2.96%. The 30-year Treasury increased 6 bps and now yields 3.09%.
Municipal Bonds – Municipal yields were also all up this week, with the 2-year AAA-rated bonds gaining 4 bps to now yield 1.62%. The 10-year AAA-rated bonds saw an increase of 4 bps, while the 30-year AAA-rated bonds increased by 7 bps, to now yield 3.06%. Municipal bond fund flows had its second week in a row of inflows, increasing by $419 million this week. The largest credit spread for the two-year securities increased to 105 bps for the week.
Explore our Mutual Fund Education section to learn more about important mutual fund concepts.
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 Equities | 4.39% | Quantified STF Advisor | QSTAX | 8.77% | The fund's top holding is Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), which is up 2.92% for the week. |
International Equity | Latin America Equities | 13.91% | BlackRock Latin America Instl | MALTX | 15.83% | The fund's largest holding is Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB), which up 5.93% for the week. |
Commodities | Broad Basket | -2.27% | Direxion Indexed Cmdty & Inc Strat Inv | DXCTX | 0.94% | With commodities and bond prices falling this week, this fund was protected since it had over 80% in cash. |
Taxable Bonds | Emerging Markets Bond | 2.26% | Barings Emerg Mkts Dbt Blnded Ttl Ret A | BXEAX | 4.41% | Emerging markets bonds saw this week's largest gains. |
Municipal Bonds | Single State Munis | 0.41% | Lord Abbett New Jersey Tax Free F | LNJFX | 0.64% | NJ tax-free bond funds saw the largest increase in price. |
Performance Snapshot: Top Fund
One of the fund’s largest holdings is Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX), which is up over 75% on a year-to-date basis.
Top Five Performers
The following table provides the top-performing mutual funds on a YTD basis as of July 27, 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 Cap Growth Equities | 28.43% | 1.74% | 28.10% | $72 | Technology |
Alger Small Cap Focus Z | AGOZX | Small Cap Growth Equities | 26.61% | 0.90% | 32.10% | $1,410.00 | Technology |
ClearBridge Select IS | LCSSX | Mid Cap Growth Equities | 25.62% | 2.02% | 22.90% | $126.00 | Technology |
Morgan Stanley Multi Cap Growth I | CPODX | Large Cap Growth Equities | 23.80% | 0.95% | 54.00% | $727.00 | Technology |
Wasatch Ultra Growth | WAMCX | Small Cap Growth Equities | 23.21% | 1.30% | 23.20% | $182 | Technology |