Mutual Fund News
A golden year for Sentry resource fund
swon@globeandmail.comWhat are we looking for?Leaders and laggards among natural resource equity funds in 2010.The searchWe screened natural resource equity funds for the best and worst eight performers this year until Aug. 27. U.S. dollar, segregated, pooled and duplicate versions of the funds were excluded.
It's a big world - you should own a piece of it
rcarrick@globeandmail.comIt's back to business for global equity funds in 2010, which is to say they're losing money again.Mackenzie Cundill Value C, the largest fund in the category, lost 4 per cent for the year to Sept. 1. Mackenzie Ivy Foreign Equity, as conservative as they come, was down 1.9 per cent. Templeton Growth, one of oldest funds in the business, was down 6.7 per cent.
The end of the 'equity cult'
dparkinson@globeandmail.comThe disconnect between bond yields and stock prices this summer has caused more than a bit of head-scratching. Conventional wisdom says the two should move hand-in-hand, yet bond yields have tumbled while equity prices have drifted sideways.
HOW MUTUAL FUNDS FARED IN AUGUST
Group average for all asset classes as of Aug. 31, 2010TOP 5Group average 1-mo. returnGroup average year-to-date Precious Metals Equity13.7%20.6%Canadian Long Term Fixed Income3.7%13.3%Global Fixed Income3.4%6.6%Canadian Inflation Protected Fixed Income2.9%5.2%Canadian Income Trust Equity2.5%8.4%BOTTOM 5Financial Services Equity-4.7%-8.4%U.S. Small or Mid Cap Equity-3.7%-3.3%U.S. Equity-2.4%-5.5%Retail Venture Capital-2.2%-4.2%Science and Technology Equity-2.0%-5.8%Average for all funds regardless of asset class 0.0% -0.5% SandP 500 Composite ($ Cdn)-1.5%-4.3%SandP/TSX Small Cap3.4%5.9%SandP/TSX Total Return1.9%3.2%Source: Globe Investor
Running with the crowd - again
jheinzl@globeandmail.comInvestors are reminded all the time that past performance is not indicative of future returns. But it's a lesson that apparently hasn't sunk in yet, much to the detriment of investors who are shunning stocks and piling into bonds.
Blackstein-run fund leaves struggling S&P in dust
swon@globeandmail.comWhat are we looking for?Index beaters among U.S. stock funds this year. The benchmark SandP 500 index is slightly in the red after almost eight months.
Huddling for safety comes with a price
There has never been a worse time to own balanced funds, and yet nothing is more popular in the mutual fund world right now.Oh, those thickheaded investors? No way. Balanced funds make sense for nervous types, even if they too often demonstrate the fund industry at its most exploitative.
Value fund stacked with resource stocks
swon@globeandmail.comWhat are we looking for?What the pros are buying.This is our last look this week at stocks on money managers' radar screens. Today, we look at the top 10 equity holdings in Dynamic Value Fund of Canada (dynamic.ca).
One step at a time
Bargain shopping on a whim can be hazardous. Remember the time you bought those tie-dyed green pants just before it started to rain? David Taylor has been keeping investors in the $1.7-billion Dynamic Value Fund of Canada dry and warm. As of June 30, he had carefully sniffed out enough quality, cheap stocks to post a five-year average annual return of 8.8%, versus 1.3% for the fund's rivals. Taylor told Andrew Bell how he saves a buck or two.
Gold plays dominate Caldwell's top picks
swon@globeandmail.comWhat are we looking for?What the pros are buying.Checking the stocks they buy can be a source of tips for further research, or a way of gaining some insight into an investment fund. Today, we will look at the top 10 equity holdings in the Caldwell Meisels Canada Fund at caldwellinvestment.com.
