MutualFunds.com provides a snapshot of the performance of some key mutual funds and ETFs, trying to capture investor interest in specific areas of the financial markets. The report is aimed at providing a quick overview of the sectors, regions and asset classes that moved in a meaningful manner in the last 30 days. In addition, the report also highlights some of the key economic indicators for major geographies, reminding you to adjust your portfolios if required.
MutualFunds.com generates this report every fortnight. In order to select the mutual funds and ETFs highlighted in this report, MutualFunds.com uses a system to automatically scan through hundreds of relevant securities within different sectors, regions and asset classes. The system only picks up the best and worst performing securities for further manual analysis.
Performance Scorecard
Check out best and worst performers across different sectors, geographies and assset claases.
| Category | Monthly Performance | Mutual Funds | ETFs | 1-month Ret (%) |
| Sector | Oil and gas prices have continued to rise, lifting funds with exposure to these commodities. Oil and gas funds have been by far the best performers for the month, while the biotechnology sector, the technology sector, and big banks have suffered. | ENPIX: ProFunds UltraSector Oil & Gas Fund | 29.80% | |
| UOPSX: ProFunds UltraNASDAQ | -18.08% | |||
| DIG: ProShares Ultra Oil & Gas | 40.15% | |||
| MTK: SPDR® NYSE Technology ETF | -20.00% | |||
| U.S. Broad | Small-cap and small-cap energy stocks have been among the best performers, while Chinese small-cap stocks, along with international growth stocks, have posted weak returns. | VSMSX: Vanguard S&P Small | 2.51% | |
| IVNQX: Invesco Nasdaq 100 Index Fund | -4.08% | |||
| RYE: Invesco S&P 500® Equal Weight Energy ETF | 23.98% | |||
| ECNS: iShares MSCI China Small | -7.89% | |||
| Fixed Inc | Floating rate bonds and long-term U.S. Treasuries have posted strong performances. Meanwhile, foreign bonds, corporate bonds, and inflation-linked bonds have underperformed. | OOSYX: Invesco Senior Floating Rate Fund | 0.56% | |
| HXIAX: Harvest Asian Bond Fund | -5.19% | |||
| TLO: SPDR® Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF | 8.62% | |||
| ITR: SPDR® Portfolio Intermediate Term Corporate Bond ETF | -22.16% | |||
| Alts | In alternative funds, oil and gas funds have been among the best performers, while gold and cryptocurrencies have underperformed. | ENPIX: ProFunds UltraSector Oil & Gas Fund | 29.80% | |
| SKIRX: DWS Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund | -26.29% | |||
| DIG: ProShares Ultra Oil & Gas | 40.15% | |||
| IGLD: FT Cboe Vest Gold Target Income ETF | -22.22% | |||
| Foreign | Russian equities, by virtue of the economy being linked to oil prices, have outperformed, along with Indonesia. At the other end of the spectrum are Denmark and Brazil, whose performances have disappointed. | EUROX: US Global Investors Emerging Europe | 6.61% | |
| MIOFX: Marsico International Opportunities | -16.50% | |||
| FLRU: Franklin FTSE Russia ETF | 10.20% | |||
| EDEN: iShares MSCI Denmark ETF | -33.33% |
Fund performance data for the period between September 10, 2021 and October 8, 2021.
Key Economic Indicators
Check out our quick take on the key economic indicators across North America, Europe and Asia.
| Economic Indicators | Comments |
| Fiscal Policy | The U.S. government temporarily reached a bipartisan deal to extend the debt ceiling. However, the agreement between Republicans and Democrats is only for a short period of time, and another standoff is expected in December. Republican leader Mitch McConnell warned that he would not extend the ceiling easily next time. If McConnell keeps his word, this could throw the U.S. into a temporary crisis and even cause recession. |
| Consumer Spending | U.S. oil inventories have been increasing for two consecutive weeks after experiencing drawdowns for seven months in a row. This is the first two-week increase since April. Europe is battling with gas shortages, something that has pushed oil and gas prices to multi-year highs. The crisis appears to be only worsening and puts serious threats on the post-pandemic economic recovery. The Organization of Petroleum Countries (OPEC) and Russia have agreed to a modest increase in the supply of oil, dashing hopes that a higher rise in output will curb a rally in crude. Too high oil prices are not in OPEC’s interest, as this could accelerate the transition to renewable energy and reinvigorate U.S. shale production. |
| Employment | The U.S. added just 194,000 jobs in September, in a huge disappointment for pundits who had expected a figure closer to 500,000. The low figure has sown doubts of whether the U.S. economy can recover as fast as thought before. The unemployment rate, which is measured differently, declined from 5.2% to 4.8%. Average hourly earnings increased by 0.6%, suggesting even higher inflation might be forthcoming. |
| Manufacturing Sector | ISM's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) expanded in September for the first time in three months. The PMI is well in expansion territory at 61.1, up from 59.9 in the prior two months. The Institute for Supply Management has noted that deliveries from suppliers are slowing at a faster rate, a reason for worry, while manufacturing stocks are growing and consumer inventories are running low. |
| Service Sector | The U.S. services sector expanded in September to 61.9 from 61.7 in the prior month, in a further sign the services sector is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. However, managers have been complaining about labor shortages. |
We provide this report on a fortnightly basis. To stay up to date with mutual fund market events, come back to our news page here.