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Is Fidelity Japan Fund (FJPNX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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There are plenty of choices in the Japan - Equity category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Fidelity Japan Fund (FJPNX - Free Report) . FJPNX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
FJPNX is part of the Japan - Equity section, which is a segment that boasts many possible selections. Japan - Equity mutual funds mostly invest in Japan-based companies, which is one of the world's richest and most diversified economies. Japan's focus on exports allows them to be somewhat exposed to global economic trends, but investors should note that the country's lack of natural resources can also have an impact.
History of Fund/Manager
FJPNX is a part of the Fidelity family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity Japan Fund made its debut in September of 1992, and since then, FJPNX has accumulated about $164.12 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Kirk Neureiter is the fund's current manager and has held that role since March of 2014.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.93%, and is in the top 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 -2.45%, 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. Compared to the category average of 14.5%, the standard deviation of FJPNX over the past three years is 17.4%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 17.34% compared to the category average of 15.55%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. FJPNX has a 5-year beta of 0.78, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -4, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, FJPNX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.95% compared to the category average of 0.98%. FJPNX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity Japan Fund ( FJPNX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Japan Fund ( FJPNX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
Don't stop here for your research on Japan - Equity 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 FJPNX to its peers as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.
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Is Fidelity Japan Fund (FJPNX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
There are plenty of choices in the Japan - Equity category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Fidelity Japan Fund (FJPNX - Free Report) . FJPNX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
FJPNX is part of the Japan - Equity section, which is a segment that boasts many possible selections. Japan - Equity mutual funds mostly invest in Japan-based companies, which is one of the world's richest and most diversified economies. Japan's focus on exports allows them to be somewhat exposed to global economic trends, but investors should note that the country's lack of natural resources can also have an impact.
History of Fund/Manager
FJPNX is a part of the Fidelity family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity Japan Fund made its debut in September of 1992, and since then, FJPNX has accumulated about $164.12 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Kirk Neureiter is the fund's current manager and has held that role since March of 2014.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.93%, and is in the top 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 -2.45%, 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. Compared to the category average of 14.5%, the standard deviation of FJPNX over the past three years is 17.4%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 17.34% compared to the category average of 15.55%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. FJPNX has a 5-year beta of 0.78, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -4, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, FJPNX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.95% compared to the category average of 0.98%. FJPNX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity Japan Fund ( FJPNX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Japan Fund ( FJPNX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
Don't stop here for your research on Japan - Equity 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 FJPNX to its peers as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.