Fund I-Q No.2: Favorable Risk-Return Profile
By Richard Loth (Contact | Biography)
As mentioned previously, a mutual fund's risk-return profile is important for a number of reasons:
As is always the case with any financial indicator, fund risk-return ratings should not be looked at in isolation. It would be prudent to correlate these findings with the long-term (five to 10 years) total returns and the management costs of the fund. For example, in comparing two funds with equal performance records, the one with less risk would warrant a higher investment quality rating than the other.
It is worthwhile to look at the risk-return relationship of some mutual funds to see this fund criterion in action. Morningstar's fund report provides an easy-to-use rating, which is the one we will apply here to a selection of stock and bond funds.
After perusing the following fund information, which fund do you think goes to the head of the class for the best positive risk-return spread?
If you chose the Davis Appreciation & Income Fund, you have grasped the concept behind fund investment quality. In general, most mutual funds will have but one positive "notch," or spread, between their return and risk rating spread. The Marsico and Fidelity Intermediate funds are examples of this status, while the stellar Fidelity Contrafund has a two "notch" positive spread. The Janus, White Oak, and Pioneer funds all show negative spreads, which is a circumstance that should raise some serious concern for fund investors.
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As mentioned previously, a mutual fund's risk-return profile is important for a number of reasons:
- Common sense tells us that a fund investor should get a return equal to or better than the fund's risk rating.
- A risk-return profile helps an investor to make individual fund choices that are consistent with the over all risk profile of his or her portfolio.
- A risk profile is a handy screening device to determine whether a fund's investment advisor is chasing risky investments to boost fund performance.
As is always the case with any financial indicator, fund risk-return ratings should not be looked at in isolation. It would be prudent to correlate these findings with the long-term (five to 10 years) total returns and the management costs of the fund. For example, in comparing two funds with equal performance records, the one with less risk would warrant a higher investment quality rating than the other.
It is worthwhile to look at the risk-return relationship of some mutual funds to see this fund criterion in action. Morningstar's fund report provides an easy-to-use rating, which is the one we will apply here to a selection of stock and bond funds.
After perusing the following fund information, which fund do you think goes to the head of the class for the best positive risk-return spread?
| Large-Cap Stock | Return | Risk |
| Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX) | High | Below-Average |
| Janus (JANSX) | Average | Above-Average |
| Vanguard U.S, Growth (VWUSX) | Average | Average |
| Marsico Focus (MFOCX) | Above-Average | Average |
| White Oak Select Growth (WOGSX) | Average | High |
| Bond | Return | Risk |
| Pioneer High-Yield (TAHYX) | Average | Above-Average |
| Fidelity Intermediate (FTHRX) | Average | Below-Average |
| High | Low |
If you chose the Davis Appreciation & Income Fund, you have grasped the concept behind fund investment quality. In general, most mutual funds will have but one positive "notch," or spread, between their return and risk rating spread. The Marsico and Fidelity Intermediate funds are examples of this status, while the stellar Fidelity Contrafund has a two "notch" positive spread. The Janus, White Oak, and Pioneer funds all show negative spreads, which is a circumstance that should raise some serious concern for fund investors.
Return to the Main Menu.
Next: Scoring Risk-Return Data »
Table of Contents
- Perspectives on the Risk-Return Relationship
- Understanding Mutual Fund Returns
- Fund I-Q No.2: Favorable Risk-Return Profile
- Scoring Risk-Return Data
by
Richard Loth
Richard Loth has more than three decades of international experience in banking (Citibank, Industrial National Bank, and Bank of Montreal), corporate financial consulting, and non-profit development assistance programs. During the past 12 years, he has been a registered investment adviser and a published author of books and publications on investing. Currently, he devotes his professional activities to educational endeavors, writing and lecturing, aimed at helping individual investors improve their investing know-how (see www.lothinvest.com)
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