Is FCBFX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Bond funds, consider Fidelity Corporate Bond Fund (FCBFX) as a possibility. FCBFX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

Fidelity is responsible for FCBFX, and the company is based out of Boston, MA. The Fidelity Corporate Bond Fund made its debut in May of 2010 and FCBFX has managed to accumulate roughly $1.43 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 5.02%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 8.27%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of FCBFX over the past three years is 7.14% compared to the category average of 13.78%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 6% compared to the category average of 11.39%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

With a beta of 1.6, this fund is more volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, FCBFX has a positive alpha of 1.09, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

Expenses

Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, FCBFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.45% compared to the category average of 0.79%. From a cost perspective, FCBFX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $0 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity Corporate Bond Fund ( FCBFX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, better downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Corporate Bond Fund ( FCBFX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

Your research on the Mutual Fund Bond segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.