Mutual funds: data and analysis

Some funds that were in the black still turned in a poor performance — it’s all relative.

A 20% gain sounds good, until you find out the category returned 30%.

Passive funds attracted new cash even if their returns were negative.

Volatility has returned in 2018, while easy stock gains have vanished.

While some funds show low valuations, S&P and Dow both stand at post-crisis highs.

Clients have the luxury of focusing on returns, but advisors need to add “risk adjusted” to their vocabulary.

While passive funds track an index, active managers can still beat the averages and earn the much-discussed small-cap premium.

When clients are too focused on returns, bring the discussion back to expenses.

The average annualized return of the top 20 funds has been nearly 15%.

They have time on their side, but compounding won’t work if they’re all in cash.

Muni funds should become more attractive under the new tax laws, say market observers.

These retirement funds may all look alike, but can be very different when it comes to returns, asset allocation and expenses.

Are the recent declines in tech just some high-flying stocks coming back to earth, or a turning point for the sector?

While outpacing the S&P 500, the price tag is higher — the average expense ratio is more than 1%.

The S&P 500 has been on a tear, but there are always outperformers — see who bested the competition.

Trump’s call for tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and subsequent worries of a trade war, have recently taken a toll on emerging markets investments.

Commodities, which boomed before the crash, weighed heavily on returns the past 10 years.

Growth funds have performed best over the past decade, outpacing value funds.

Both long and short investments focused on volatility were mostly crushed lately.

The top 20 funds are from just three asset managers: Fidelity, Vanguard and American Funds.

The strategy draws investor interest again, mostly on the strength of fixed income.

In an industry that’s all relative, sometimes a 14% return puts you near the bottom of the pile.

Many U.S. stock funds posted double-digit percentage gains, but international equities fared even better. Which were the biggest winners?

The funds with the biggest AUM declines didn’t badly underperform, but investors often found cheaper alternatives.

It paid in 2017 to be a penny-pinching retiree because target-date funds dominate the cross-section of profitable and cheap.

Passive funds are the decisive victor in attracting cash.

To add insult to injury, these returns didn’t even come cheap. The average expense ratio was more than 1%.

These eye-popping returns didn’t come cheap. Expense ratios averaged more than 1% and went as high as 158 basis points.

Emerging markets, value and small-cap funds dominate the list, but other factors need to be considered, as well.

The average fund posted a 12.6% annual gain compared to 7.6% for the S&P 500.

The funds gained an average of 13.3% a year over the past decade, which began before the financial crisis.

Various measures of what constitutes cash can produce different analyses. This list uses net cash positions at the largest funds.

Frequent buying and selling increases expenses and taxes — are these solid three-year returns worth it?

These investments offered better returns than the broader fixed-income world in recent years, but the risk/reward equation leans heavier on risk.

All posted positive returns over five years, but active saw the largest outflows.

With damage from hurricanes Harvey and Irma clocking in at more than $150 billion, will funds with high exposure to property and casualty insurance take a hit?

These funds have the smallest beta scores, either positive or negative, indicating the least variability from market returns.

No performance chasers here; these investors buy on the downside.

Investors may be shifting to cheaper options, or simply taking profits while markets are high.

To add insult to injury, these losers charge high fees – 12 of the 20 have expense ratios over 1%.

There wasn’t a lot of diversification among the top funds as technology has dominated the market gains in recent years.

For clients looking for investment income, these funds excelled in the first half of 2017.

If these ratios increase along with stock prices, how high is too high?

Active management gets a black eye when funds can’t keep pace with indexes, especially when the shortfalls aren’t short-term.

You pick a fund for your client and it returns 20%. You're a genius – until you realize the benchmark returned 23%. Here are the top overachievers.

For clients who crave consistency and aren’t trying to blow the doors off, these funds are worth a look.

Actively managed funds saw the majority of the largest outflows this year as investors flocked to less expensive passive alternatives.

Passive investments garnered most of the investor cash so far in 2017, but beyond that it was a wide net: S&P 500, small cap, emerging markets, fixed income — anything that could be structured as an ETF.

Small-caps carry risk, but they don’t have to be expensive too. Here are 20 with the best returns over the past five years and the lowest expense ratios.

When markets are high, everyone feels like genius, but they still have to pay expenses. Help clients keep them low.

For clients who can’t stand being in the red, there are investment options. There are also caveats to consider, such as relatively high costs and lower returns.

Clients may become mesmerized by dazzling short-term returns, so consider pushing solid growth on the cheap.

Clients focus on returns, but advisers need to add “risk-adjusted” to their thinking.

Amid the ups and downs of the bond markets, these funds attracted new investors.

If your clients pay the alternative minimum tax, these funds can help lower their tax liability.

These 20 funds didn't just rise with the tide, their returns topped their benchmarks.

In one of the biggest bull markets in recent history, some mutual funds are still cheap by historical measures.

After eye-popping gains in the stock market over the past three quarters, price-to-earnings ratios have soared.

Long-only equity mutual funds report the first positive week in nearly a year.

Recent advances may mean that category is, actually, overvalued.

Some have already seen strong returns, with the top five posting more than 20% over the past year.

The sector covering aerospace, defense and transportation has seen strong returns. Will Trump campaign pledges boost future performance?

The health care industry is in the spotlight, creating uncertainty in a sector that’s been posting double-digit gains.

If your investment time frame has been seriously long term, these are the funds that posted the best returns over the long haul.

The fund manager reported $277 billion in new money to its U.S. mutual funds and ETFs last year, while Fidelity and Franklin reported some of the largest outflows.

These popular choices for asset allocation also have a history of solid performance.

Check out the list of the biggest falls from grace in 2016.

Recent news and short term performance is good; longer term questions linger.

The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF's $4.9 billion of inflows, the most it has amassed over one week in last three years, is one sign of "Trump-inspired bullishness," an analyst says.

The search for low-touch mutual funds has shifted "disproportionate" client money into fixed income, an analyst says.

The high cost of stock picking has made clients more passive, an analyst says.

Fifteen of the 20 biggest open-end funds report net outflows over the last five years.

Clients may be less anxious if they know their portfolios include funds built for stability.

Punished by the plunge in the energy sector, some advisers await a rebound that can take advantage of master limited partnerships’ tax status.

The argument for this investment approach looked weak in the first half of 2016.

For value-minded clients, here are the cheapest funds (10 basis points or less) with the best 3-year performances.

If your clients are looking for income, these funds have the highest expected dividend payments compared to current prices.

The volatility can be painful, but these funds are often used to diversify portfolios and generate alpha.

These funds are by definition heavily volatile, but if you were well-timed you might be deep in the money. For those who’ve played the sector for a few years, the pain runs deep.

Over $14 billion flowed into the low-risk ETF category in the first half of 2016.

The broad market is rising, but so are the worries. See which cyclical funds have rewarded investors.

Fixed income has posted steady returns in these markets, while once high-flying equities have come crashing down.

Post-Brexit, many clients may want to sell, but others could see the volatility as a boon.

Fixed-income yields may feel low, but foreign investors facing negative yields at home are making the U.S. markets popular.

Funds built with these tax-advantaged bonds resulted in strong returns in recent years – and even no fees in a few cases.

Funds targeting the industry's youngest retirement investors often take the most aggressive allocation strategies – which had the best five-year returns?

These funds have the luxury of time to be more aggressive – which had the best five-year returns?

When retirement is still nearly two decades off, which funds posted the best five-year returns?

Which funds that are approaching their target year have had the best five-year returns?

Which funds that already reached their target year have had the best five-year returns?

This asset class has faced an uphill battle in a sector defined by low-cost, index-hugging funds, but there are some true standouts.

When average performances are analyzed rather than just the top funds, a passive strategy prevailed over the past five years.

Retirement investors have done well over the past three years; energy fans are still waiting for the bounce back.

These seven mutual funds have had the most up years since the mid-1990s.

While the sector has been in a slump, advisors who go beyond the recent returns can show clients how these funds have bested the S&P 500 over time.

Active funds may be winning the ongoing debate at the moment, but that comes with a few caveats.

Your clients' money is no good to these portfolio managers, but investors who already own these funds can still reap the rewards.

A fund may close its doors to new investors for a number of reasons, but they can still turn out profits for their investors.

Looking for income? These funds have the highest expected dividend payments based on current stock prices.

Some of the best market segments last year were overlooked by investors, as clients often bought when they should have sold. Were your clients part of the herd?

These funds have the lowest 12-month price-to-earnings ratios. Does that present an opportunity for value-oriented investors, or does the risk-reward ratio lean too much toward risk?

These funds have the highest 12-month price-to-earnings ratios. Nice investments, if you bought 12 months ago, but now they may be richly priced.

There's little on the performance side, but some funds manage to pay out more than others while keeping costs low.

Years of losses can take a toll on a client's psyche; they can also create buying opportunities.

Investing in health funds in recent years would have kept your clients healthy, wealthy and wise.

In the midst of global turmoil, these funds have turned in the best performances over three years.

These ETPs are extreme outliers. As measured by one-year returns, one set of funds and notes has experienced amazing rebounds, while another group has painfully stumbled.

Three of the top five winners were in the technology sector. Among the biggest losers through November are companies with commodity products.

If you want to know where others are investing, click through to see the mutual funds that have added the most money from investors so far in 2015.

Companies can use extra cash in their coffers in a number of ways to benefit clients. But if dividends are the goal, these companies aren’t likely to find a place in the mix.

For clients looking for income, here are the large-cap companies that boosted their dividends the most in the past three years.

Bank stocks are generating buzz among investors and if rates rise, the outlook is even better. Here are the best-performing funds with a concentration in banking.

Despite high volatility and the Great Recession of 2008, these funds never turned in a bum year.

These funds are only for true long-term planners. Nervous Nellies need not apply.

You load up on a mutual fund and it returns 15%. You're a genius--until you learn the benchmark in that industry returned 18%. Here are the top outperforming mutual funds for the past 3 years.

Here are the best-performing mutual funds over the past three years with the lowest expense ratios.

These 20 funds didn't just rise with the tide; they exceeded expectations and generated genuine gains.

Your clients are probably interested in ETFs, and understandably so. But sometimes the indexes are no better than real portfolio managers.

The market has seen 200 ETF launches this year, more than ever before, Bloomberg reports. But only 20 new funds have managed to gather at least $50 million in assets.

Which firms on the S&P 500 have the most cash on hand?

The ETF industry is on a tear. Here's a rundown of the most important market statistics from the first half of the year.

There are benefits and drawbacks to using smaller, standalone ETFs. Here are seven that advisors may not know about.

In separate lists, these are the five biggest consumer funds as well as the best-performing funds over the past year.

In separate lists, these are the five biggest international funds as well as the best performing funds over the past year.

The biggest emerging markets funds have seen losses over the past year, while some of the smaller, more nimble funds have posted double-digit gains. Here's a look at the biggest funds and the top-performers over the past year.

Top equity market investments in real estate over the past five years.

Growth and value funds both have generated profits for the past years, but which is higher? Take a look at the five top-performing funds in each broad category.

See the returns, expense ratios and other data for the available domestic dividend growth ETFs -- including three new ETFs based on new indexes from Morningstar, Russell, and S&P Dow Jones.

Lipper granted its awards to the best mutual funds and best overall fund families this week. Here are performance stats on the winning funds of the winning companies.

High-yield funds are losing cash, yet still earning a profit. For clients willing to take on extra risk, here are the 10 largest funds in this category, along with performance metrics for each.

Where should advisors look for dividends in the stock market? Here's a closer look at what S&P 500 sectors yield, how dividends have been growing (or shrinking) in relation to the overall market, and what percentage of stocks in the sector provide a dividend.