January 12, 2014

Best Performing U.S. Stock Mutual Funds 2013

Find best performing U.S. stock mutual funds 2013. The top funds are Legg Mason Opportunity Fund, Buffalo Emerging Opportunities Fund, PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth, etc.

Top Performing Funds

Best Performing U.S. Stock Mutual Funds 2013Any recent financial news will show a great year for stocks or stock funds in 2013. If you choose the right stocks or funds, you will harvest a great return by end of 2013. Stock markets around the world surged in 2013 with 20-60% return. U.S. stock markets are among the top performing class in 2013.

U.S. stock mutual funds are among winner investment funds in 2013. These mutual funds invest in stocks of companies with any market capitalization. Depending on fund’s objective, it may invest in small cap companies, mid cap companies, or large cap companies. Some may provide high dividend for income, some may provide high capital growth.

Find the right mutual funds for your investment or brokerage account. Whether it is for your 401k plan, or IRA (individual retirement account), you need to do research including fund’s management, expense fee, sales load, etc.

The 10 best performing U.S. stock mutual funds in 2013 are:
  1. Legg Mason Opportunity A
  2. Essex Small/Micro Cap Growth Investor
  3. Buffalo Emerging Opportunities
  4. Hodges Fund Retail
  5. Oberweis Micro-Cap
  6. PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth
  7. Bridgeway Ultra-Small Company
  8. Skyline Special Equities

January 10, 2014

Best Performing International Stock Closed End Funds 2013

Find best performing international stock closed end funds 2013. The top CEF funds are Gabelli Multimedia fund, New Germany Fund, etc.

Top Foreign Equity CEF Funds

Most of International stocks managed to perform well for the past 2 years. The non-U.S. stock performance can also be tracked through various investment funds such as closed end funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds. You can find the top performing international stock closed end funds in 2013 below.

These best performing closed end funds are sorted based on its 1 year total return up to December, 31 2013. You may find other fund review information: expense ratio, fund’s NAV, management, objective, yield, top holdings, etc. Some of the top performing sectors are world stock, Asia stock, growth & income, emerging markets, etc.

The 10 best performing international stock closed end funds 2013 are:
    Best Performing International Stock Closed End Funds 2013 | Top CEFs
  1. Gabelli Multimedia
  2. New Germany Fund
  3. New Ireland Fund
  4. Thai Fund Inc
  5. Swiss Helvetia Fund
  6. Clough Global Equity
  7. Aberdeen Israel
  8. European Equity Fund
  9. Japan Smaller Capitalization
  10. Japan Equity Fund
Updated on 12/31/2013

January 8, 2014

Federated Ultrashort Bond Fund (FULAX)

Find Federated Ultrashort Bond Fund (FULAX) review. This debt mutual fund invests in various bonds including investment grade and non-investment grade.

Bond Fund

The investment aim of Federated Ultrashort Bond Fund is to provide total return consistent with current income. This mutual fund utilizes its assets to purchase more than 50%, in investment-grade, fixed-income securities, but may invest up to 35% of its assets in noninvestment-grade, fixed-income securities. Its dollar-weighted average effective maturity is expected to be 18 months or less.

This taxable bond fund may invest in hybrid instruments and derivative contracts. It may also invest in government securities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, such as those issued by the Government National Mortgage Association.

Fund Details
    Federated Ultrashort Bond Fund - FULAX
  • Fund Inception Date: October 10, 2002
  • Ticker Symbol: FULAX
  • CUSIP:
  • Beta (3yr): 0.11
  • Rank in category (YTD): N/A
  • Category: Ultrashort Bond
  • Yield: 1.13%
  • Capital Gains: 0%
  • Expense Ratio: 0.90%
  • Net Assets: $ 2.4 billion
  • Number of Years Up: 9 years
  • Number of Years Down: 1 year
  • Average Duration: 0.9 years
  • Average Maturity: 1.3 years
  • Annual Turnover Rate: 31%
updated on 1/3/2014

January 6, 2014

Powershares Commodity ETFs: Gold, Oil

Find Powershares Commodity ETFs for your investment. There are 8 commodity exchange traded funds below including oil, gold, agriculture fund, etc.

Investing in Commodity ETFs

Powershares Commodity ETFsInvesting in commodities has become popular and easier as various commodity investment funds being introduced. There are variety of commodity funds such as mutual funds, exchange traded funds, or closed end funds. This article will look into recent ads by Invesco Powershares about commodity ETF funds. You may be able to invest in them for asset allocation or diversification.

Whether the commodity is oil, gold, silver, corn or soyabeans; you can invest in any commodity through exchange trade funds. You can find 8 different commodity ETFs offered by Invesco Powershares. Find the fund review below.

The investment ad is as follows:
PowerShares
Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management 
PowerShares DB – Commodity ETFs
  • DBC – Commodity Index Tracking Fund
  • DBO – Oil Fund
  • DBA – Agriculture Fund
  • DGL – Gold Fund
  • DBS – Silver Fund
  • DBP – Precious Metals Fund
  • DBB – Base Metals Fund
  • DBE – Energy Fund

January 4, 2014

Top Performing U.S. Stock Closed End Funds 2013

Find top performing U.S. stock closed end funds 2013. Best CEF funds are H&Q Healthcare Investors, Gabelli Equity Trust, Liberty All-Star Growth, etc.

U.S. Stock Funds

U.S. stock markets have performed very well in 2013. Looking into indices such as S&P 500, Dow, or NASDAQ; you will notice YTD returns of 25%-40%. Investing in individual stocks has been challenging as well. Using investment fund such as closed end fund can minimize your risk and increase your return. The following is the top performing U.S. stock closed end funds in 2013.

From the list you may find variety of fund’s sectors. Most of the top performer sectors include Health/Biotech sector, general equity, tax managed equity, finance, energy MLP, etc. Find whether these top funds are suitable for your 2014 investment plan in your brokerage or retirement accounts. Check the fund review and performance below.

The 10 top performing US stock closed end funds 2013 are:
    Top Performing U.S. Stock Closed End Funds 2013
  1. H&Q Healthcare Investors
  2. Gabelli Equity Trust
  3. H&Q Life Sciences Investors
  4. Liberty All-Star Growth
  5. Royce Micro Cap Trust
  6. Gabelli Dividend & Income
  7. Kayne Anderson MLP
  8. Nuveen Tax-Adv Total Return
  9. JH Financial Opportunities
  10. Nuveen Core Equity Alpha
Updated on 12/31/2013

January 2, 2014

Best Exchange Traded Funds for 2014

Find best exchange traded funds for 2014. The top ETF funds are PIMCO Total Return Exchange-Traded Fund, Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF, Vanguard Total World Stock ETF, etc.

Top ETF Funds

Best Exchange Traded Funds for 2014 | Top ETF FundsIn 2013, investor who invests in stock funds has seen a huge return. Investing in bond funds has seen a challenging performance in 2013. Investing in exchange traded funds is easy and popular because of its low cost. In 2014, I still think we need to diversify our assets in bond fund. Whether it is an up year or a down year, bond fund can provide a buffer through income.

For 2014, I also simplify my best ETFs list. You will find 4 funds to invest. It consists of 3 main funds for core investment and 1 fund for alternative asset. You will find 2 bond ETF funds and 2 stock ETF funds. If you invest in brokerage or retirement account, please check the fund review below. You may find the expense fee, fund’s return, holdings, yield, etc. If you want to find best mutual fund, you can check my previous article as well.

The 4 best exchange traded funds for 2014 are:
  • Schwab Large-Cap Core (SCHX)
  • Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF (VEU)
  • PIMCO Total Return Exchange-Traded Fund (BOND)
  • Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB)
Updated on 12/31/2013

December 31, 2013

Best Performing Taxable Bond Closed End Funds 2013

Find best performing taxable bond closed end funds 2013. The top CEF funds are NexPoint Credit Strategies Fund, PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income, and more.

Top Bond CEF Funds

Best Performing Taxable Bond Closed End Funds 2013Bond funds have not performed very well for the past year. In 2013, any investors are either loss capital or gain very little. No one would expect a big gain for bond funds. However, some of the bond closed end funds managed to achieve just that a big return in 2013. Most of the top performing funds are senior loan fund, multi sector, convertible debt, high yield debt, etc.

Will these top funds stay on top in 2014? Find the fund review below. Whether you are investing for your brokerage fund or retirement fund, you need to be sure you are making the right choice. You may find the fund yield, performance return, expense ratio, total assets, and rating. You can also find my previous top performer municipal bond CEFs article.

The 10 best performing taxable bond closed end funds 2013 are:
  1. NexPoint Credit Strategies Fund
  2. PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income
  3. PIMCO High Income Fund
  4. Oxford Lane Capital Corp
  5. AGIC Convertible & Income II
  6. AGIC Convertible & Income
  7. Advent Claymore Conv & Income
  8. Advent Claymore Cnvt Secs&Inc
  9. Calamos Convertible Opps & Inc
  10. Pioneer High Income Trust
Updated on 12/29/2013

The Importance of Diversification in Investing

Diversification is a key principle in investing, and it's especially important in today's uncertain economic climate. By spreading y...