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Top Bear Market Funds

Nervous about the markets? Looking for possible investments for the next market decline? Here are the top 10 funds based on how they performed during the last sustained bear market; specifically from October 2007 to March 2009. In those harrowing months, everything was declining at once (which was not supposed to happen) and everything from Modern Portfolio Theory to Wall Street itself was being reconsidered. Meanwhile, these funds powered along with major gains.

We limited this list to funds with at least $10 million in assets.

Source: Morningstar
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10. ProFunds Bear Inv

Ticker: BRPIX
Fund assets: $25.8 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 48.0%
YTD returns: -8.2%
Past 36-month returns: -18.5%
Past 60-month returns: -16.5%
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9. Rydex Inverse S&P 500® Strategy Inv

Ticker: RYURX
Fund assets: $137.4 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 49.6%
YTD returns: -8.0%
Past 36-month returns: -18.1%
Past 60-month returns: -16.1%
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8. PIMCO StocksPLUS AR Short Strat Instl

Ticker: PSTIX
Fund assets: $5.1 billion
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 58.4%
YTD returns: -5.7%
Past 36-month returns: -13.0%
Past 60-month returns: -11.0%
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7. Rydex Dyn Inverse NASDAQ-100 2X Strat H

Ticker: RYVNX
Fund assets: $27.9 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 61.6%
YTD returns: -24.0%
Past 36-month returns: -37.0%
Past 60-month returns: -36.7%
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6. ProFunds UltraShort Small-Cap Inv

Ticker: UCPIX
Fund assets: $22.1 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 66.4%
YTD returns: -2%
Past 36-month returns: -36.8%
Past 60-month returns: -37.1%
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5. Direxion Mthly Small Cap Bear 2X

Ticker: DXRSX
Fund assets: $15.6 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 67.2%
YTD returns: -0.6%
Past 36-month returns: -34.8%
Past 60-month returns: -33.8%
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4. Rydex Inverse Russell 2000 2x Strategy A

Ticker: RYIUX
Fund assets: $25.0 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 69.3%
YTD returns: -2.2%
Past 36-month returns: -37%.0%
Past 60-month returns: -36.5%

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3. Leuthold Weeden Grizzly Short

Ticker: GRZZX
Fund assets: $87.1 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 74.4%
YTD returns: -6.5%
Past 36-month returns: -20%
Past 60-month returns: -17.2%
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2. ProFunds UltraBear Inv

Ticker: URPIX
Fund assets: $22.8 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 88.7%
YTD returns: -15.7%
Past 36-month returns: -34.3%
Past 60-month returns: -31.6%
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1. Rydex Inverse S&P 500 2x Strategy H

Ticker: RYTPX
Fund assets: $59.5 million
Returns from Oct. 1, 2007 to March 10, 2009: 90.5%
YTD returns: -15.7%
Past 36-month returns: -33.7%
Past 60-month returns: -31.0%

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