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Is Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX) 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 might be worth investigating is Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX - Free Report) . FJSCX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
We note that FJSCX is a Japan - Equity option, an area loaded with different choices. Primarily invest in companies in one of the world's richest and most diversified economies, Japan. While the country remains partially exposed to global economic trends due to its export focus, its lack of natural resources can also impact the nation.
History of Fund/Manager
FJSCX is a part of the Fidelity family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies debuted in November of 1995. Since then, FJSCX has accumulated assets of about $463.24 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Masaki Nakamura who has been in charge of the fund since February of 2022.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.63%, and is in the middle 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 1.34%, 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. The standard deviation of FJSCX over the past three years is 15.59% compared to the category average of 15.66%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 15.1% compared to the category average of 16.34%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.62, so it is likely going to be less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. FJSCX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -5.47, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, FJSCX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.91% compared to the category average of 1.06%. From a cost perspective, FJSCX is actually cheaper than its peers.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while 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 Smaller Companies ( FJSCX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies ( FJSCX ) looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.
Want even more information about FJSCX? Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis 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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Is Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX) 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 might be worth investigating is Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX - Free Report) . FJSCX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
We note that FJSCX is a Japan - Equity option, an area loaded with different choices. Primarily invest in companies in one of the world's richest and most diversified economies, Japan. While the country remains partially exposed to global economic trends due to its export focus, its lack of natural resources can also impact the nation.
History of Fund/Manager
FJSCX is a part of the Fidelity family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies debuted in November of 1995. Since then, FJSCX has accumulated assets of about $463.24 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Masaki Nakamura who has been in charge of the fund since February of 2022.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.63%, and is in the middle 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 1.34%, 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. The standard deviation of FJSCX over the past three years is 15.59% compared to the category average of 15.66%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 15.1% compared to the category average of 16.34%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.62, so it is likely going to be less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. FJSCX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -5.47, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, FJSCX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.91% compared to the category average of 1.06%. From a cost perspective, FJSCX is actually cheaper than its peers.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while 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 Smaller Companies ( FJSCX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies ( FJSCX ) looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.
Want even more information about FJSCX? Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis 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.