Top 6 Best Currency Mutual Funds 2012

Investing in local (USD) or foreign currencies can be done not only through forex account. Investors can also choose various investment funds such as mutual funds and exchange traded funds to invest in this sector. Some of the best currency mutual funds are: Merk Hard Currency Investor, Franklin Templeton Hard Currency A, PIMCO Emerging Markets Currency A, etc.

Intro

As we know, the currency market is the largest and the most liquid market in the world. If you have always wanted to invest in the Forex, or the currency market, forex account is not the only place for investment. There are various alternatives available through investment funds.

Foreign currency mutual funds are appropriate for any investors who wish to venture on a currency and who would like to hedge a currency. If you know about mutual funds, you may be surprise to learn that there are various foreign currency mutual funds. Investors are also taking on the added risk on the currency’s exchange rate by investing in currency mutual funds.

Currency mutual funds objective is to track the value of a currency against another currency, minus the management fees or expense ratio fees. Most currency mutual funds track a currency against the US Dollar (US$ or USD). If you are an American and decide to invest in the emerging markets, you could invest in an emerging markets local currency mutual fund. You may also invest in other currency mutual funds.

WHV International Equity A Fund (WHVAX)

WHV International Equity fund is one of top ranked foreign large blend stock mutual funds. Considered as international stock mutual funds, this WHVAX fund invests mainly in non US companies with growth potential. More review can be found below.

WHV International Equity A (WHVAX)

The WHV International Equity fund seeks to achieve long-term capital growth. This mutual fund generally invests in a combination of equity securities of foreign companies with a potential for earnings growth. This stock fund may focus its investments in specific sectors or industries and may not have exposure to all economic sectors.

Fund Profile

• Inception Date: 07/31/2009
• Ticker Symbol: WHVAX
• CUSIP: 360873871
• Beta (3yr): 1.09
• Rank in category (YTD): 14%
• Category: Foreign Large Blend
• Yield: 0.18%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 1.50%
• Net Assets: $ 274.86 million
• Number of Years Up: 1 year
• Number of Years Down: 1 year
• Annual Turnover Rate: 2.2%

Updated on 3/23/2012

Top 8 Best Energy Sector Equity Mutual Funds 2012

Mutual funds investing in energy sector have shown tremendous long term prospects and should be part of any diversified portfolios. Some of the best energy equity mutual funds are: Invesco Energy Investor, Waddell & Reed Energy A, Ivy Energy A, Vanguard Energy Inv, etc.

Intro

The last five years, energy sector equity mutual funds have outperformed the next closest US domestic equity fund category by a huge margin. Most of this success is attributable to the oil and natural gas sectors. As part of non-renewable energy, the fast depleting reserves coupled with rising demand have headed to a solid increase in both commodity and stock prices. By investing in Energy mutual funds, investor can greatly reduce the risk involved in investing in this sector because they hold widely diversified portfolios.

Top Energy Stock Mutual Funds

These best equity energy funds are ranked based on its long term performance. You will find some of the fund review from this article: Other information about these energy sector stock funds are: management, sales load, yield, annual holding turnover, initial investment, total net assets, fund objective, top stocks, etc.

Best Global Real Estate Equity Mutual Funds 2012

As part of diversified portfolio component, real estate plays an important role in investment world. Investing in global real estate mutual funds is one of the smart ideas for investor to achieve better goals. The best global REIT mutual funds include: Invesco Global Real Estate Income A, Prudential Global Real Estate A, Cohen & Steers Emerging Markets Real Estate, etc.

Global Real Estate Funds

Investing in real estate sector can be done through several vehicles. Investor can buy real estate asset by purchasing a house or rental house. The other alternative is by purchasing investment funds such as mutual funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and closed end funds (CEFs). Using these investment funds, investor can easily diversify his/her portfolio. This article will focus on real estate mutual funds especially global real estate mutual funds.

There are two types of real estate mutual funds or REIT funds such as US real estate mutual funds and global real estate mutual funds. Global real estate mutual funds invest mainly in non-U.S. real estate securities, however it may also invest in U.S. real estate stocks / bonds. This global REIT funds may purchase debt and equity securities, convertible securities, and other real estate investment trusts (REITs) entities.

Vanguard Small Cap Index Fund (NAESX)

Vanguard index mutual funds are very popular among investors. It offers low cost option for investment purposes. One of the top Vanguard index mutual funds are Vanguard Small Cap Index fund. More review can be found below.

Vanguard Small Cap Index Investor (NAESX)

The Vanguard Small Cap Index fund objective is to track the performance of the MSCI US Small Cap 1750 Index that measures the investment return of small-capitalization stocks. The fund utilizes its asset to purchase a broadly diversified index of stocks of smaller U.S. companies.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 10/03/1960
• Ticker Symbol: NAESX
• CUSIP: 922908702
• Beta (3yr): 1.28
• Rank in category (YTD): 42%
• Category: Small Blend
• Distribution: 1.19%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 0.26%  
• Net Assets: $ 22.94 billion
• Number of Years Up: 27 years
• Number of Years Down: 11 years
• Annual Turnover Rate: 12%

Updated on 3/17/2012

Best World Bond Mutual Funds 2012

In global economy, investors need to invest with global perspective as well. For fixed income, investing in US bond only may not be enough. Investing in global bond mutual funds is seen as better diversification. Some of the best world bond mutual funds are: Dreyfus International Bond, PIMCO Foreign Bond, Templeton Global Bond, etc.

Intro

A world bond mutual fund or global bond mutual fund is a fixed income mutual fund which put its assets in foreign debt markets. Typically, its asset consists of >40% of foreign bonds. Some of the countries include United States, Canada, United Kingdom, German, France, Brazil, China, Japan, etc. It may include either government bond or corporate bond.

Investing in world bond funds is one of the best ways to balance losses incurred from US markets. With fluctuation in interest rate from country to country, investor can avoid high volatility of bond market from single country. This international bond mutual fund has showed little correlation with domestic equities and only moderate correlation with investment grade domestic debt. This fund also helps in diversifying currency exposure and protecting assets against a long-term secular decline in the U.S. dollar currency. Choosing mutual funds offer a safe route to invest in the international bond market hence they have widely diversified holdings.

Top 8 Best European Stock Mutual Funds 2012

Investing European market is essential for investor portfolio diversification. Using Europe stock mutual funds, investors can achieve their investment goal over the long run. Some of the best Europe stock mutual funds are: Henderson European Focus A, Eastern European Equity A, Royce European Smaller Companies Service, etc.

Top Europe Stock Mutual Funds

Intro

European Union has 27 member states and 23 official languages. This union represents about 20% of global GDP. Major European markets include Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Netherland, Switzerland, etc. The Eurozone also has an official currency which is known as Euro. This Euro currency is used by 17 of the 27 member states of European Union.

For investment, investors can choose either investing in individual country bond or stocks from this European region. Using mutual funds, you can expect to achieve instant diversification and reduce your investment risk. You can invest in either Europe bond mutual funds or Europe stock mutual funds. This article will focus on European equity mutual funds.