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How To Dissect Mutual Fund Returns
By Sam Subramanian
While total and compound annual returns are useful, savvy investors will look deeper, using a variety of metrics, to get a more complete picture on mutual fund performance. On January 1, 2006, a leading financial daily reported the trailing 1-year and 5-year returns of Fidelity Contrafund (Nasdaq: FCNTX), a no-load mutual fund, as 16.23% and 6.21% respectively. While the financial daily’s return information is useful, there is more to mutual fund returns. Is the performance of the fund superior or inferior?
How tax-efficient is the fund in delivering these returns?
Are the returns of the fund commensurate with the risk the fund manager has taken to achieve them?
Savvy investors will seek answers to such questions when evaluating mutual fund returns. Before getting into the nitty-gritty of mutual fund returns, it is good to understand what the data reported in the financial daily really mean.Total Return Fidelity Contra’s reported 16.23% 1-year return is the fund’s total return for the December 31, 2004 to December 31, 2005 period. In practical terms, $10,000 invested in the fund on December 31, 2004 is worth $11,623 on December 31, 2005. The total return includes more than the increase (or decrease) in the fund's share price. It also assumes reinvestment of all dividends as well as short- and long-term capital gain distributions into the fund at the price at which each distribution is made. Compound Annual Return The reported 6.21% 5-year return is the fund’s compound annual return (also called the average annual return). The compound annual return is a calculated number that describes the rate at which the investment has grown assuming uniform year-over-year growth during the 5-year period. A $10,000 investment in the Contrafund on December 31, 2000 has grown to $13,515.34 on December 31, 2005. The ending value of $13,515.34 = $10,000[(1 + 0.0621)^5] where 6.21% is the compound annual return. The investment in the fund grew at an implied annual growth rate of 6.21% over the 5-year period. While total return and compound annual return are useful, they do not tell how a particular mutual fund has performed compared to its peers. They also do not provide information on the return actually earned by investors after accounting for taxes. Finally, they do not offer insight on how well the fund manager has managed risk while achieving the returns. Relative Return Relative return compares the performance of a mutual fund against its peers. It is the difference between the total return of the fund and the total return of an appropriate benchmark over the same period. Fidelity Contra is a large-cap growth fund that primarily invests in U.S.-based companies. It is therefore appropriate to compare its performance with that of an average large-cap growth fund. It is also relevant to benchmark the fund against the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 index, comprising of large U.S.-based companies. While Fidelity Contra has a compound annual return of 6.21% for the 5-year period ending December 31, 2005, Morningstar reports the average large-cap growth fund has an average annual loss of 8.48% over the same period. The S&P 500 index has an average annual return of 0.54% over the same period. Fidelity Contra has outperformed with a relative return of 14.69% over the average large-cap growth fund and with a relative return of 5.67% over an S&P 500 index fund. After-Tax Return Unlike assets held in qualified accounts such as 401k plans or individual retirement accounts (IRA), assets held in regular individual or joint accounts are not tax-deferred. For such non-qualified accounts, after-tax return is the return realized after accounting for taxes. Short-term capital gains and short-term capital gain distributions from a mutual fund are currently taxed at the same rate as earned income. Dividends, long-term capital gain distributions and long-term capital gains realized from the sale of fund shares are currently taxed at a lower rate. Fidelity states the compound annual return for Fidelity Contra before taxes is 6.21% for the 5-year period ending on December 31, 2005. When all distributions are taxed at the respective maximum possible federal income-tax rate, the after-tax return dips to
Forex - Canadian Dollar May Falter On Weakening Global Picture
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<a href="http://www.forextv.com/forex-news-story/forex-canadian-dollar-may-falter-on-weakening-global-picture" style="font-size:1.2em">Forex - Canadian Dollar May Falter On Weakening Global Picture</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">ForexTV.com</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 30, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">RISK DISCLAIMER: By using this web site you agree to its terms and conditions. Before deciding to invest in foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of ...</div>
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Forex: USD/CAD tumbles to 1.0292, 3-day low
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<a href="http://www.fxstreet.com/news/forex-news/article.aspx?storyid=d17c3a7a-e9b4-4400-9cae-1579864a1b97" style="font-size:1.2em">Forex: USD/CAD tumbles to 1.0292, 3-day low</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">FXstreet.com The Forex Market</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 30, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">FXstreet.com (Córdoba) ? The Canadian Dollar erased losses and turned higher against Greenback as stocks recovered in Wall Street. USD/CAD jumped to 1.0375 (daily high) after the release of US and ...</div>
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Forex spread betting: EUR CAD in focus
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<a href="http://www.spread-betting.me/forex-spread-betting-00404.html" style="font-size:1.2em">Forex spread betting: EUR CAD in focus</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">Spread Betting for Me</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 30, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">If you don't have the time to concentrate on placing your trades then you are doomed. A few rules to making your way to a successful spread betting strategy. We bring those looking at forex spread ...</div>
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Daily Forex Update: EUR/CAD
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<a href="http://www.actionforex.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=119009:daily-forex-update-eurcad&catid=191:daily-forex-technicals" style="font-size:1.2em">Daily Forex Update: EUR/CAD</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">Action Forex</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 30, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">After a week of hard-fought gains and higher lows in the EUR/CAD, the Euro has weakened slightly against the Canadian Dollar and corrected lower intraday. After exhausting at the resistance of the ...</div>
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Canadian Dollar Wipes Out Intraday Gain
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<a href="http://www.forex-rateit.com/forex-news/canadian-dollar-wipes-out-intraday-gain.html" style="font-size:1.2em">Canadian Dollar Wipes Out Intraday Gain</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">Forex Rate It!</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 29, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">After reaching an intraday high of 1.0302 against the US dollar, Canadian dollar moved back to the 1.0380 area. Canadian dollar lost its strength to wipe out most of its intraday gains. The pair ...</div>
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Canadian Dollar Forecast to Break Below Narrow Range
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<a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/technical/ssi/usd-cad/2010-07-29-1526-Canadian_Dollar_Forecast_to_Break.html" style="font-size:1.2em">Canadian Dollar Forecast to Break Below Narrow Range</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">Daily FX</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 29, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">USDCAD - The ratio of long to short positions in the USDCAD stands at 2.57 as nearly 72% of traders are long. Yesterday, the ratio was at 2.19 as 69% of open positions were long. In detail, long ...</div>
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Drop in Crude Oil Weakens CAD
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<a href="http://www.fxstreet.com/technical/analysis-reports/daily-currencies-report/2010-07-29.html" style="font-size:1.2em">Drop in Crude Oil Weakens CAD</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">FXstreet.com The Forex Market</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 29, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">by UFXBank Research USD Dollar (USD) ? The Dollar was mixed against other major currencies in Forex Trading after worse than expected US data on durable goods orders that came at -0.6% vs. 0.6 ...</div>
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Canadian Dollar (CAD) Technical Major Currencies (2010-07-30)
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<a href="http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/20100730/canadian-dollar-cad-technical-major-currencies-2010-07-30.htm" style="font-size:1.2em">Canadian Dollar (CAD) Technical Major Currencies (2010-07-30)</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">IBTimes</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 29, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">The pair is moving within a very narrow range that has not changed the harmonic pattern expectations suggested yesterday; thus making us hold onto yesterday's expectations intact without any ...</div>
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Westpac Exits Its Bet on the Canadian Dollar Rising Against Swiss Franc
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<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-29/westpac-exits-its-bet-on-the-canadian-dollar-rising-against-swiss-franc.html" style="font-size:1.2em">Westpac Exits Its Bet on the Canadian Dollar Rising Against Swiss Franc</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">Bloomberg</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 29, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">By Lukanyo Mnyanda - Thu Jul 29 13:45:29 UTC 2010 Westpac Banking Corp. exited a bet that the Canadian dollar would rally to its strongest level this month against the Swiss franc after the loonie ...</div>
<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-29/canadian-dollar-rises-first-time-in-3-days-as-commodities-gain.html">Canadian Dollar Rises First Time in 3 Days as Commodities Gain</a> - <span style="color:#888888">BusinessWeek</span><br>
<a href="http://www.rttnews.com/Content/CanadianNews.aspx?Node=B1&Id=1377435">Canadian Dollar Advances Further Against Major Rivals</a> - <span style="color:#888888">RTT News</span><br>
<a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/cad/2010/07/30/TOF730cad.html" style="color:#009900">Daily FX</a>
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| EXCHANGE RATE
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<a href="http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/07/29/ExchangeRate.asp" style="font-size:1.2em">| EXCHANGE RATE</a>
<br> <span style="color:#888888;">Ceylon Daily News</span> - <span style="white-space:nowrap">Jul 28, 2010 </span>
<div style="width:80%;">Exchange Rates on 28.07.2010 (1) The average rates of the following currencies quoted by commercial banks in Colombo for Telegraphic Transfers (TT) at 9.30 am are as follow: Currency Buying Rate ...</div>
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6.10%. The after-tax return drops further to 5.33% after accounting for the long-term capital gain tax due on sale of the fund shares. Risk-Adjusted Return Some fund managers take more risk than others. It is important to assess a fund’s return in light of the amount of risk the fund manager takes to deliver that return. Risk-Adjusted Return is commonly measured using the Sharpe Ratio. The ratio is calculated using the formula (mutual fund return - risk free return)/standard deviation of mutual fund return. The higher the Sharpe ratio, the better is the fund’s return per unit risk. Based on returns for the 3-year period ending on November 30, 2005, Morningstar reports Fidelity Contra’s Sharpe ratio as 1.74. The fund’s Sharpe Ratio may be compared with those of similar funds to determine how the fund’s risk-adjusted return compares with those of its peers. Beyond Mutual Funds Return concepts such as relative return, after-tax return, and risk-adjusted return may also be used for evaluating separately-managed accounts, hedge funds and investment newsletter model portfolios. The AlphaProfit Sector Investors’ Newsletter, for example, tracks the total return and compounded annual return of its Core and Focus model portfolios. To provide Subscribers with a more complete picture of model portfolio returns, this newsletter also tracks the relative and risk-adjusted returns of the model portfolios. The newsletter’s model portfolios are constructed and repositioned with a view to maximizing after-tax returns. Summary While total return and compound annual return are useful, they do not provide a complete picture of a mutual fund’s performance. Metrics such as relative return and after-tax return offer insights on the fund’s relative performance and tax-efficiency. Risk-adjusted returns enable investors to assess how a fund’s returns stack up when risk is factored in. Notes: This report is for information purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give individual investment advice. This report does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs of any specific person who may receive this report. The information contained in this report is obtained from various sources believed to be accurate and is provided without warranties of any kind. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC does not represent that this information, including any third party information, is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC is not responsible for any errors or omissions herein. Opinions expressed herein reflect the opinion of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC and are subject to change without notice. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC disclaims any liability for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information in this report. The third-party trademarks or service marks appearing within this report are the property of their respective owners. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Owners and employees of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC for their own accounts invest in the Fidelity Mutual Funds included in the AlphaProfit Core and Focus model portfolios. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC neither is associated with nor receives any compensation from Fidelity Investments or other mutual fund companies mentioned in this report. Past performance is neither an indication of nor a guarantee for future results. No part of this document may be reproduced in any manner without written permission of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Copyright © 2006 AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. All rights reserved. Sam Subramanian, Ph.D, MBA is Managing Principal of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. He edits the AlphaProfit Sector Investors’ Newsletter™. The investment newsletter is ranked #1 by Hulbert Financial Digest. As of December 31, 2005, the investment newsletter’s model portfolios have gained up to 87.8% since start of publication on September 30, 2003. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 index has gained 34.6% during the same period. To learn more about the newsletter, visit http://www.alphaprofit.com
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