U.S. investors pushed equity funds to their strongest quarterly performance since Q4 1999 in Q2 2020 as they cheered economic reopenings, the Federal Reserve Board’s “whatever it takes” mantra, and improvements in the U.S. unemployment rate. For Q2 2020, the average equity fund posted a 20.22% return, with Lipper’s U.S. Diversified Equity Funds macro-classification (+23.52%) outpacing the other six major equity groups for the first quarter in four. In this segment, I highlight the Q2 and June 2020 performance results for equity mutual funds and ETFs.
Summary:
- For Q2 2020, equity funds (+20.22% on average) posted their best quarterly returns since Q4 1999. Lipper’s U.S. Diversified Equity Funds (USDE) macro-classification (+23.52%) outperformed the other six broad-based equity groups, followed by Sector Equity Funds (+23.27%) and World Sector Equity Funds (+22.51%).
- The Domestic Sector Equity Funds and Global Sector Equity Funds macro-classifications housed six of the seven best performing classifications in the equity universe for Q2, with Precious Metals Equity Funds (+57.80%) posting the strongest return in the equity universe.
- The USDE Funds macro-classification was propped up by strong quarterly performance from Equity Leverage Funds (+43.33%) and Small-Cap Growth Funds (+32.54%).
- USDE Funds and Sector Equity Funds posted their strongest quarterly returns since at least Q3 1979.
Click here or the Download Full Report link in the upper right-hand column of this page to download the Second Quarter 2020 FundMarket Insight Report: What a Short Strange Trip It’s Been: Equity Funds Post Best Quarterly Returns Since Q4 1999.
