25 Largest Closed End Funds (CEFs)

There are two classes of mutual funds: open-end funds and closed-end funds. You can buy these funds for your brokerage or retirement accounts. Open-end funds can sell an unlimited number of shares to investors. Closed-end funds only issue a set number of shares at the fund’s origin that trade on the stock exchange (NYSE, NASDAQ) throughout the day.

As a prospective buyer, you need to ask whether you should invest in the biggest and most popular closed end funds. Are these popular closed end funds really worth your money? The answer isn’t as easy to find as you might think. You can find many companies which provide ratings on closed end funds including Morningstar, CEFConnect, CEFA, Money, Kiplinger, etc.

Popular Closed End Funds for Investment

The 25 largest closed end funds are:

1. Kayne Anderson MLP (KYN) $4.4B
2. Central Fund of Canada (CEF) $3.5B
3. PIMCO Dynamic Credit Income Fund (PCI) $3.2B
4. EV Tax-Managed Global Fund (EXG) $3.1B
5. DNP Select Income Fund (DNP) $2.8B
6. Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Fund (TYG) $2.3B
7. DoubleLine Income Solutions Fund (DSL) $2.2B
8. Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund (UTF) $2.1B
9. ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund (CEM) $2.0B
10. Nuveen Municipal Value Fund (NUV) $1.9B

Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund (VTBIX)

Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund (VTBIX) is a popular bond mutual fund. This vanguard fund invests in US bond markets.

This Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund (VTBIX) objective is to track the performance of a broad, market-weighted bond index. The index benchmark is the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index. This fixed income fund invests mainly in a diversified exposure to investment-grade U.S. bond market. This index fund has an Intermediate-duration portfolio.

VTBIX Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 01/26/2009
• Ticker Symbol: VTBIX
• CUSIP: 92203C105
• Beta (3yr): 0.96
• Rank in category (YTD): 47%
• Category: Intermediate-Term Bond
• Distribution Yield: 2.34%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 0.09%
• Net Assets: $ 126.2 billion
• Fund Manager: Joshua C. Barrickman
• Number of Years Up: 3 years
• Number of Years Down: 1 year
• Annual Turnover Rate: 111%

Updated on May 2017

This Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund is managed by Joshua C. Barrickman since 2010. It has 12-month dividend yield of 2.21%. The total net assets are $84.7 billion. It has an annual holdings turnover of 111%. This index mutual fund has a low expense ratio is 0.12%.

Top Stocks Week 37, 2014: Research Services

Find top industry stocks of week 37 of 2014. Top stock industries are research services, hospitals, other drug manufacturers, etc.

Best Stocks

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, and sector. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of -1.05%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of -0.33%. Dow Jones Industrials Average has a weekly return of -0.81%. The small cap (Russell 2000) has a return of -0.77%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 37, 2014 (September 8, 2014 – September 14, 2014) are:

1. Research Services 7.82%
2. Long Distance Carriers 6.45%
3. Hospitals 4.16%
4. Drug Manufacturers - Other 3.30%
5. Publishing - Books 3.17%
6. Basic Materials Wholesale 3.08%
7. Electronic Equipment 2.45%
8. Drug Delivery 2.41%
9. Processing Systems & Products 2.30%
10. Diversified Investments 2.24%

Kayne Anderson MLP Fund (KYN)

This Kayne Anderson MLP Fund (KYN) objective is to seek a high total return. It invest most of its assets through investment in energy related MLPs (master limited partnerships) and other industrial transport companies. This MLB fund is a leveraged, tax-paying closed end fund.

KYN Fund Details

• Fund Inception Date: 09/28/2004
• Ticker Symbol: KYN
• CUSIP: 486606106
• Rank in category (YTD): 30%
• Category: US Equity-MLP
• Distribution: 6.02%
• Effective Leverage: 32.22%
• Capital Gains: -
• Base Expense Ratio: 2.61%
• Net Assets: $ 6.01 billion
• Annual Turnover Rate: 21%

This US stock fund has a dividend yield of 6.02%. This distribution rate is paid every quarter. The fund managers are J.C. Frey and Kevin S McCarthy since 2004. The current share price is $41.02. Its net asset value is $40.91. The fund sponsor is Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP. The annual expense ratio fee is 2.61%.

30 Largest ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds)

ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are introduced to investors since 1990. The first fund was launched in Canada. Nowadays, there are more than 1,500 ETFs. Most of the ETFs are index funds; they are tracking their index benchmark such as S&P 500, NASDAQ 100, FTSE, MSCI, etc.

More ETFs mean more tools for investors trying to diversify their portfolios and profit from targeted industry trends. Traded like stocks, you can buy or sell ETFs from stock market or exchange like NYSE or NASDAQ.

As a prospective buyer, you need to ask whether you should invest in the biggest and most popular closed end funds. Are these popular closed end funds really worth your money? The answer isn’t as easy to find as you might think. You can find many companies which provide ratings on closed end funds including Morningstar, Money, US News, Kiplinger, Forbes, etc.

Popular ETFs for Investment

The 30 largest ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are:

1. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) $171B
2. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) $61B
3. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) $55B
4. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) $50B
5. PowerShares QQQ (QQQ) $46B
6. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) $46B
7. Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ) $45B
8. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) $44B

Best Stocks Week 36, 2014: Aluminum & Wireless Communication

Find top industry stocks of week 36 of 2014. Top stock industries are aluminum, wireless communication, etc.

Top Stocks

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, and sector. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of 0.24%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of 0.06%. Dow Jones Industrials Average has a weekly return of 0.25%. The small cap (Russell 2000) has a return of -0.35%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 36, 2014 (September 1, 2014 – September 7, 2014) are:

1. Music & Video Stores 10.94%
2. Aluminum 8.32%
3. Toy & Hobby Stores 8.04%
4. Research Services 7.69%
5. Internet Service Providers 5.46%
6. Wireless Communications 4.31%
7. Drug Stores 3.91%
8. Paper & Paper Products 3.86%
9. Recreational Goods, Other 3.73%
10. Healthcare Information Services 3.45%

Ad of Putnam Funds: Alternative Mutual Fund

Find alternative mutual funds offered by Putnam Funds include Putnam Absolute Return Funds, Putnam Diversified Income Trust, etc.

Popular Putnam Mutual Funds

Putnam mutual funds are provided by Putnam Investments. Putnam has $156 billion in assets under management. There are 80 mutual funds and 50 institutional strategies across a range of assets classes and investment styles.

Top 5 popular funds include Putnam Capital Spectrum Fund, Putnam Diversified Income Trust, Putnam Equity Spectrum Fund, Putnam Equity Income Fund, and Putnam Dynamic Asset Allocation Balanced Fund. These mutual funds can be invested in your brokerage account, 401k plan, retirement account (Roth IRA & traditional IRA).

You can find an investment ad by Putnam as follows:

Alternatives@Putnam 

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Discover Putnam’s proactive approach to managing volatility and pursuing superior results. 

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With today’s volatility, simply beating a benchmark may not be enough. Take a targeted approach. Putnam Absolute Return Funds 100 (PARTX), 300 (PTRNX), 500 (PJMDX), 700 (PDMAX) 

When economic factors weigh on an index, individual companies can offer opportunity. Pursue the best ideas, wherever they are. Putnam Capital Spectrum Fund (PVSAX), Putnam Equity Spectrum Fund (PYSAX)