U.S. investors ducked for cover—pushing equity funds to their first quarterly loss in three—while evaluating the implications of a government shutdown, tighter U.S. monetary policy, declining global growth, and uncertain U.S./China trade relations during the quarter. For Q4 2018, the average equity fund posted a 13.39% loss, with Lipper’s Mixed-Asset Funds macro-classification (-7.93%) mitigating losses better than the other three major equity groups for the first quarter in 13. In this segment I highlight the Q4 and December 2018 performance results for equity mutual funds and ETFs.
Summary:
- For Q4 2018, equity funds (-13.39% on average) posted their first quarterly loss in three. Lipper’s Mixed-Asset Funds macro-classification (-7.93%) jumped to the top of the leader board for the first quarter in 13.
- The Sector Equity Funds macro-classification housed three of the five best performing classifications in the equity universe for Q4, with Commodities Specialty Funds (+8.59%) leading the macro-group.
- The World Equity Funds macro-classification was dragged down by International Small/Mid-Cap Growth Funds (-16.76%) and Global Small-/Mid-Cap Funds (-16.76%).
- Large-cap (-13.99%) and value-oriented (-15.37%) domestic equity funds mitigated losses better than the other style groups.
Click here or the Download Full Report link in the upper right hand column of this page to download the Fourth Quarter 2018 FundMarket Insight Report: Equity Funds Suffer Their Worst Quarterly Return Since Q2 2011.
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