Gabelli Dividend & Income Fund (GDV)

Gabelli Dividend & Income Fund (GDV) is a popular U.S. stock closed end fund. This fund objective is to seek high total return through capital growth & income. This equity fund utilizes its assets to purchase dividend paying equity and debt securities.

GDV Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 11/28/2003
• Ticker Symbol: GDV
• CUSIP: 36242H104
• Rank in category (YTD): 67%
• Category: US Stock - Equity Tax-Advantaged
• Distribution Rate: 5.55%
• Effective Leverage: 18.50%
• Capital Gains: -
• Base Expense Ratio: 1.33%
• Net Assets: $ 2.44 billion

Best Performing Foreign Large Value Mutual Funds 2015

Foreign large value mutual funds utilize its assets to purchase big international stocks that are less expensive or growing more slowly than other large-cap stocks. It invests in developed countries such as United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Japan, etc.

Value is defined based on low valuations (low price ratios and high dividend yields) and slow growth (low growth rates for earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow). These portfolios typically will have less than 20% of assets invested in U.S. stocks.

Top Mutual Funds

These Foreign Large Value funds are sorted based on its 1 year total return. These mutual funds may be ranked as the best funds in this category. I have provided the fund review information such as yield, management, objective, expense ratio fee, holdings, top sectors, etc.

Best performing foreign large value mutual funds 2015 are:

1. Laudus Mondrian International Equity Fund (LIEQX)
2. Invesco International Core Equity Fund (IBVAX)
3. Henderson Global Equity Income Fund (HFQAX)
4. Delaware Pooled International Equity Fund (DPIEX)
5. Tweedy, Browne Global Value Fund (TBGVX)

Vanguard Explorer Value Fund (VEVFX)

This Vanguard Explorer Value Fund (VEVFX) objective is to provide long term capital growth. This mutual fund invests mainly in the stocks of small and mid-size U.S. companies, choosing stocks considered by an advisor to be undervalued. The funds may invest in stocks that have above average dividend yields.

VEVFX Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 03/30/2010
• Ticker Symbol: VEVFX
• CUSIP: 92206C748
• Beta (3yr): 1.13
• Rank in category (YTD): 46%
• Category: Small Blend
• Distribution Yield: 0.83%
• Capital Gains: -
• Expense Ratio: 0.57%
• Net Assets: $ 308.65 million
• Number of Years Up: 2 years

Another Leg for Bull Stock Market

Is this another leg for bull stock market? Stocks indices close at a new high in week 8, 2015. Top performing industries are industrial textile, gaming activities, foreign regional banks, and biotech.

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, and sector. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of 0.68%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of 1.27%. Dow Jones Industrials Average has a weekly return of 0.72%. The small cap (Russell 2000) has a return of 0.72%.

Top performing stock industries in week 8, 2015 (February 16, 2015 to February 22, 2015) are:

1. Textile Industrial 5.88%
2. Gaming Activities 5.57%
3. Foreign Regional Banks 4.78%
4. Drug Manufacturers – Other 4.58%
5. Biotechnology 4.53%
6. Major Airlines 4.48%
7. Copper 4.32%
8. Aerospace/Defense Products & Services 4.12%
9. Drugs – Generic 4.10%

Top 8 Baron Mutual Funds 2015

Baron Capital Management is one of the asset management firms in New York. Founded by Ron Baron, it offers mutual funds for retail investors, institutional, and non U.S. investors. The firm employs various strategies through its funds offering.

We review rankings from Morningstar, Lipper, Zacks, TheStreet.com, U.S. News, and Standard & Poor’s. You can learn from our methodology from variety of our previous articles.

Popular Baron Funds

You can find these popular Baron funds for different sectors such as U.S. stock fund, international stock fund, municipal bond fund, balanced fund, target date fund, taxable bond fund. Depend on your risk tolerance; you may pick and choose from this best Baron’s funds list.

Top Baron mutual funds 2015 are:

1. Baron Real Estate Fund (BREFX)
2. Baron Emerging Markets Fund (BEXFX)
3. Baron Growth Fund (BGRFX)
4. Baron Small Cap Fund (BSCFX)
5. Baron Partners Fund (BPTRX)
6. Baron Asset Fund (BARAX)

iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD)

iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) is an index stock ETF (Exchange Traded Fund). This equity fund is investing in large U.S. companies that are thought to be undervalued by the market relative to comparable companies.

Its objective is to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics. This stock fund provides low cost access to this index in a single fund for U.S. stocks.

IWF Fund Details

• Fund Inception Date: 05/22/2000
• Ticker Symbol: IWD
• CUSIP: 464287598
• Rank in category (YTD): 38%
• Category: Large Value
• Yield: 2.17%
• Capital Gains: -
• Expense Ratio: 0.20%
• Total Assets: $ 36.85 billion

Top Performing China Region ETFs 2015

China region ETFs have a great year for the past 1 year. These exchange traded funds are investing mainly in stocks of companies located in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Some fund may invest in certain sectors such as financial, industrial, commodity, etc.

Best Equity Funds

These top performing China region funds are selected based on its 1 year total return in 2014. Unlike mutual fund, these exchange traded funds don’t have a sales load or a transaction fee. You can find the fund review and other fund information below such as the yield, expense ratio, top holdings, top sectors, etc.

Top performing China region ETFs 2015 are:

1. PowerShares China A-Share ETF (CHNA)
2. Market Vectors ChinaAMC A-Share ETF (PEK)
3. Deutsche X-trackers Harvest CSI300 CHN A (ASHR)
4. Global X China Financials ETF (CHIX)
5. iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI)

Stock Indices Close at a New High

Stocks indices close at a new high in week 7, 2015. Top performing industries are gaming activities, semiconductor, lodging, etc.

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, and sector. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of 2.10%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of 3.15%. Dow Jones Industrials Average has a weekly return of 1.26%. The small cap (Russell 2000) has a return of 1.50%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 6, 2015 (February 9, 2015 – February 15, 2015) are:

1. Gaming Activities 12.78%
2. Semiconductor- Memory Chips 9.30%
3. Networking & Communication Devices 7.26%
4. Lodging 7.04%
5. Electronic Equipment 6.48%
6. Computer Peripherals 6.28%
7. Industrial Metals & Minerals 6.17%
8. Copper 6.04%
9. Movie Production, Theaters 5.73%
10. Semiconductor - Integrated Circuits 5.70%

Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS)

Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS) is a popular gold closed end fund with $1.6 billion of assets. It invests in physical gold bullion. The fund objective is to provide an exchange traded alternative for investors interested in gold commodities.

PHYS Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 02/26/2010
• Ticker Symbol: PHYS
• CUSIP: 85207H104 
• Rank in category (YTD): 50%
• Category: US Equity-Commodities
• Distribution Rate: 0%
• Effective Leverage: -
• Capital Gains: -
• Base Expense Ratio: 0.35%
• Net Assets: $ 1.62 billion

Best Performing High Yield Bond Closed End Funds 2015

Find best performing high yield bond closed end funds 2015. Top funds are Babson Capital Corporate Investors Fund, Deutsche High Income Trust Fund, etc.

High Yield Debt Funds

These top performing closed end funds are selected based on its 1 year total return up to February 8, 2015. Most of these high yield bond funds may also be rated among the best in their category. I have also provided some details about its management, performance, expense ratio, initial investment requirement, risk, top holdings, etc.

Best performing high yield bond closed end funds 2015 are:

1. Babson Capital Corporate Investors Fund (MCI)
2. Deutsche High Income Opportunities Fund (DHG)
3. Deutsche High Income Trust Fund (KHI)
4. Putnam High Income Securities Fund (PCF)
5. Wells Fargo Advantage Income Opportunities Fund (EAD)
6. New America High Income Fund (HYB)

Top Guggenheim ETFs for 2015

Finding best ETFs for 2015 is important for investors. The following will look into top Guggenheim exchange traded funds. There are several branches of ETFs including U.S. stock ETF, index ETF, bond fund, international stock fund, etc.

Guggenheim ETFs are offered by Guggenheim Investments. They also provide products such as mutual funds, closed end funds, currencyshares, variable insurance funds, and unit investment trusts. Guggenheim ETFs are popular due to its offerings are different from regular index funds. These ETFs are distributed by Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC.

Popular Guggenheim Funds

We review rankings from Morningstar, Lipper, Zacks, TheStreet.com, U.S. News, and Standard & Poor’s. You can learn from our methodology from variety of our previous articles. You can also find the 1 year average returns of these best exchange traded funds from this list.

Top Guggenheim ETFs for 2015 are:

• Guggenheim China Technology ETF (CQQQ)
• Guggenheim Defensive Equity ETF (DEF)
• Guggenheim Mid-Cap Core ETF (CZA)
• Guggenheim Raymond James SB-1 Equity ETF (RYJ)
• Guggenheim Russell 1000 Equal Weight ETF (EWRI)
• Guggenheim Russell MidCap Equal Weight ETF (EWRM)
• Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Financial ETF (RYF)
• Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF (RHS)
• Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Materials ETF (RTM)

Oil & Bank Stocks Are Roaring Back

Oil & bank stocks are roaring back in week 6, 2015. Top performing industries are banks, oil & gas exploration, cement, copper, etc. All indices are having big returns.

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, and sector. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of 3.12%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of 2.36%. Dow Jones Industrials Average has a weekly return of 3.93%. The small cap (Russell 2000) has a return of 3.46%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 6, 2015 (February 2, 2015 – February 8, 2015) are:

1. Tobacco Products, Other 15.90%
2. Regional - Southwest Banks 10.57%
3. Oil & Gas Drilling & Exploration 9.41%
4. Cement 9.23%
5. Copper 9.06%
6. Regional - Southeast Banks 8.44%
7. Mortgage Investment 8.39%
8. General Contractors 7.52%
9. Investment Brokerage – National 7.52%
10. Regional - Pacific Banks 7.22%

Vanguard Capital Opportunity Fund (VHCOX)

Vanguard Capital Opportunity Fund (VHCOX) is a popular actively managed mutual fund. This investment fund focuses in US stock mutual funds with growth.

It uses its assets to purchase stocks of companies that will grow in time, but may be volatile in the short-term. This Vanguard fund may focus in certain market sectors, including information technology and health care, helps differentiate the fund from its benchmark and peer funds.

VHCOX Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 08/14/1995
• Ticker Symbol: VHCOX
• CUSIP: 922038302
• Beta (3yr): 1.01
• Rank in category (YTD): 2%
• Category: Large Growth
• Distribution Yield: 0.60%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 0.45%
• Net Assets: $ 15.4 billion
• Number of Years Up: 13 year
• Number of Years Down: 5 year

Best SPDR ETFs for 2015

Finding best ETFs for 2015 is important. The following will look into best SPDR exchange traded funds. There are several branches of ETFs including U.S. stock ETF, index ETF, bond fund, international stock fund, etc.

SPDR ETF is part State Street Global Advisors offering. It has been licensed for use by State Street Corporation. The ETF distributor is State Street Global Markets, LLC, member of FINRA & SIPC. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation.

Popular SPDR Funds

We review rankings from Morningstar, Lipper, Zacks, TheStreet.com, U.S. News, and Standard & Poor’s. You can learn from our methodology from variety of our previous articles. You can also find the 1 year average returns of these best mutual funds from this list.

Best SPDR ETFs for 2015 are:

• SPDR Barclays Long Term Corporate Bond ETF (LWC)
• SPDR Barclays Long Term Treasury ETF (TLO)
• SPDR Barclays TIPS ETF (IPE)
• SPDR Dow Jones Global Real Estate ETF (RWO)
• SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA)
• SPDR Nuveen Barclays Build America Bond ETF (BABS)
• SPDR Nuveen S&P High Yield Muni Bond ETF (HYMB)
• SPDR Russell 1000 ETF (ONEK)
• SPDR Russell 3000 ETF (THRK)
• SPDR Russell Small Cap Completeness ETF (RSCO)

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF)

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) is an index stock ETF (Exchange Traded Fund). This iShares  fund is investing in large U.S. companies with higher growth potential than the market. Its objective is to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit growth characteristics. This stock fund provides low cost access to this index in a single fund.

IWF Fund Details

• Fund Inception Date: 05/22/2000
• Ticker Symbol: IWF
• CUSIP: 464287614
• Rank in category (YTD): 71%
• Category: Large Growth
• Yield: 1.26%
• Capital Gains: -
• Expense Ratio: 0.20%
• Total Assets: $ 35.48 billion
• Annual Turnover Rate: -

Updated May 2017

This stock ETF has a dividend yield of 1.26%. The total assets are $28 billion. As one of popular ETFs, this large growth fund has an expense fee of 0.20%. Its current share price is $97.00. This fund price has 52 week range between $165.44 and $202.90.

Best Performing Mortgage Bond Closed End Funds 2015

Mortgage bond closed end funds are investing mainly in mortgage backed securities in U.S. These securities may include debts issued by government backed institutions Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also may invest in non-agency debts that are not backed by government.

US Mortgage Debt Funds

These best performing closed end funds are sorted based on its 1 year total return up to January 27, 2014. You may find other fund review information: expense ratio, fund’s NAV, management, objective, yield, top holdings, etc.

Best performing mortgage bond closed end funds 2015 are:

1. Western Asset Mortgage Defined Opportunity Fund (DMO)
2. Brookfield Total Return Fund (HTR)
3. Nuveen Multi-Market Income Fund (JMM)
4. Brookfield Mortgage Opportunity Income Fund (BOI)
5. BlackRock Income Trust (BKT)
6. BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund (EGF)

Best American Beacon Mutual Funds 2015

American Beacon Advisors Inc is previously part of AMR Corporation (i.e. American Airlines). It is now part of Lighthouse Holdings, Inc., an Affiliate of Pharos Capital Group, LLC and TPG Capital, L.P. American Beacon provides mainly mutual funds. It offers alternative mutual fund, equity funds, index funds, fixed income funds, money market funds, balanced funds, etc.

Note: The lighthouse holding Inc will be acquired by Private equity firms Kelso & Company and Estancia Capital Management in a deal set to be completed in the second quarter of 2015.

We review rankings from Morningstar, Lipper, Zacks, TheStreet.com, U.S. News, and Standard & Poor’s. You can learn from our methodology from variety of our previous articles.

Popular American Beacon Funds

You can find these popular American Beacon funds for different sectors such as U.S. stock fund, international stock fund, municipal bond fund, balanced fund, target date fund, taxable bond fund. Depend on your risk tolerance; you may pick and choose from this best mutual funds list.

Best American Beacon mutual funds 2015 are:

• American Beacon Bridgeway Large Cap Value Fund (BWLIX)
• American Beacon SiM High Yield Opportunities Fund (SHYPX)
• American Beacon International Equity Fund (AAIPX)
• American Beacon Mid Cap Value Fund (AMPAX)
• American Beacon Balanced Fund (AABPX)
• American Beacon Zebra Global Equity Fund (AZLPX)
• American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund (AFXPX)