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Is WHIAX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

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On the lookout for a Mutual Fund Bond fund? Starting with Ivy High Income A (WHIAX - Free Report) should not be a possibility at this time. WHIAX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

Delaware Investments is based in Philadelphia, PA, and is the manager of WHIAX. Since Ivy High Income A made its debut in September of 2003, WHIAX has garnered more than $1.15 billion in assets. The fund's current manager, John McCarthy, has been in charge of the fund since November of 2021.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 0.93%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 2.89%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame.

It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.

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. Over the past three years, WHIAX's standard deviation comes in at 9.22%, compared to the category average of 13.32%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 10.58% compared to the category average of 14.13%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

WHIAX carries a beta of 0.09, meaning that the fund is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. With this in mind, it has a positive alpha of 0.4, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

Expenses

As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, WHIAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.01% compared to the category average of 0.98%. From a cost perspective, WHIAX is actually more expensive than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

Overall, Ivy High Income A ( WHIAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Ivy High Income A ( WHIAX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Mutual Fund Bond funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare WHIAX to its peers as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.


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