The current economic turbulence across the globe has resulted in
an increase in volatility across all asset classes. The equity
markets are witnessing massive sell offs because of the risk averse
climate among investors whereas the fixed income securities sport
extremely low yields with sky rocketing prices. Moreover commodity
prices have also corrected massively due to the reduced industrial
consumption especially by the export oriented nations and have the
room for further correction. Thus investing has become a cumbersome
process, especially for retail investors. At a time like this,
balanced funds can go a long way in providing a steady returns in
the form of dividends and substantial capital appreciation when the
markets head north.
Below we will share with you 5 top rated balanced mutual funds.
Each has earned a
Zacks #1
Rank
(Strong Buy) as we expect the fund to outperform its peers in the
future. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all
balanced funds, investors can
click here to see the complete list of funds
.
MEMBERS Diversified Income A
(
MBLAX
) seeks both income and capital growth. The fund purchases a wide
range of securities such as common stocks, real estate securities,
domestic and foreign bonds, foreign stocks and money market
securities. The balanced mutual fund has a three year annualized
return of 11.06%.
The Fund Manager is John H. Brown and he has managed this
balanced mutual fund since 1998.
Ivy Balanced A
(
IBNAX
) invests in a diversified portfolio of equity, debt and short term
instruments, the composition of which depends on current market
conditions. The fund focuses on investing in large and mid-cap
companies which pay regular dividends. A minimum of 25% of its
assets is utilized to purchase fixed-income securities. The
balanced mutual fund has a three year annualized return of
13.08%.
The balanced mutual fund has a minimum initial investment of
$500 and an expense ratio of 1.23% compared to a category average
of 0.99%.
Villere Balanced
(
VILLX
) seeks capital appreciation over the long term. The fund purchases
domestic common stocks as well as fixed income securities of high
quality. These common stocks must have been issued by companies
with market capitalizations of $150 million or more. The balanced
mutual fund has a three year annualized return of 19.94%.
As of June 2012, this balanced mutual fund held 58 issues, with
11.52% of its total assets invested in Invesco Short Term inv
Treasury Instl.
Virtus Balanced A
(
PHBLX
) utilizes at least 65% of its assets to purchase domestic and
foreign common stocks and fixed income securities. The fund invests
in companies regardless of their size and purchases emerging market
securities. The dollar weighted average maturity period of its
portfolio varies between two to eight years. The balanced mutual
fund has a three year annualized return of 11.94%.
The Fund Manager is Kaushik Saha and he has managed this
balanced mutual fund since 2009.
American Century Balanced
(
TWBIX
) seeks both capital growth and current income. Around 60% of the
fund's assets are utilized to purchase equity securities and the
balance is used to acquire fixed income instruments. The balanced
mutual fund has a three year annualized return of 12.61%.
The balanced mutual fund has a minimum initial investment of
$2,500 and an expense ratio of 0.90% compared to a category average
of 1.00% %.
To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all balanced
mutual funds, investors can
click here to see the complete list of funds
.
About Zacks Mutual Fund Rank
By applying the Zacks Rank to mutual funds, investors can find
funds that not only outpaced the market in the past but are also
expected to outperform going forward. Learn more about the Zacks
Mutual Fund Rank at
http://www.zacks.com/funds
.
View All Zacks #1 Ranked Mutual Funds
(IBNAX): ETF Research Reports
(MBLAX): ETF Research Reports
(PHBLX): ETF Research Reports
(TWBIX): ETF Research Reports
(VILLX): ETF Research Reports
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