Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly fund review, in which we scrutinize the past week's notable fund news and tell you what it means for you.
Large-cap stocks hold on in market drop
Whether or not it surprised you, Thursday's market drop was an eye-opening experience. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 300 points on worries of potential housing-market troubles. But certain types of stocks fared better than others during yesterday's carnage. For the most part, larger companies with solid earnings emerged slightly ahead of the market. Smaller companies suffered heavier losses, with the Russell 2000 Index down 2.6% on the day, compared to 2.3% for both the DJIA and the S&P 500 Index. Yesterday's market showing has confirmed many portfolio managers' beliefs that large-cap stocks are ready for a comeback. On average, mutual funds that focus on large-cap growth companies have posted positive returns over the past two months, whereas large-cap value and small-cap value funds have been negative, further supporting the large-growth comeback hypothesis.
There are two things to keep in mind here. First, try not to focus too heavily on one day's market events. Many investors may be tempted to panic and pull their money out of the market, even though the damage has already been done. Although it may be hard to ignore all those news headlines, try to block out the noise and keep your focus on the long term. A one-day drop or surge will not make or break anyone's investment portfolio.
Does yesterday's market performance offer evidence of a large-cap rebound? It's still too early to tell. But odds are excellent that at some point in the near future, large growth stocks will take center stage. These companies have been out of favor with Wall Street for quite a while, and they have a lot of ground to make up. So if you don't already have a healthy slug of large growth stocks in your portfolio, like Celgene
Janus beats expectations
Janus Capital
Kudos to Janus for turning the corner and actually holding on to assets; all the same, this honor seems rather dubious. Marking your investment products' first quarter of positive net flows in six years isn't exactly worth cheering about. Still, Janus does stand to gain from any coming large-cap growth rebound. The firm's funds should continue to do quite well, and inflows are likely to rise.
If you're looking for more growth exposure in your portfolio, consider some Janus mutual funds. Look for a fund with a consistent investment history, a long-tenured manager, and a solid performance history before buying. If things are looking up for Janus, you might want to get on board now.
PowerShares introducing nine more ETFs
Just in case the market didn't have enough exchange-traded funds out there for investors to wade through, PowerShares has recently announced that it will be rolling out nine new bond ETFs, including ones that track high-yield bonds and emerging-markets government bonds. The new ETFs will also feature four laddered Treasury bond funds, based on Ryan/Mergent laddered Treasury indexes.
As with any new investment product, don't rush out to buy these ETFs just because they offer a new way to invest in certain corners of the market. If you have a strategic reason for investing in high-yield bonds or emerging-markets debt, see what these new funds can do for you. But the vast majority of investors should stick to diversified mutual funds or exchange-traded funds. Don't be lured by the prospect of exotic new funds or investment products. When it comes time to choose favorites, old-school, broad-market funds can be your best friend.
Further fund-amental Foolishness:
Now that you know what's happening in the world of mutual funds, find out which funds represent compelling investments with the Fool's Champion Funds newsletter. Start your free 30-day trial today.
Fool contributor Amanda Kish lives in Rochester, N.Y., and does not own shares of any of the companies or funds mentioned herein. The Fool's disclosure policy is fully funded.
