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Is MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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Any investors hoping to find a Global - Equity fund could think about starting with MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX - Free Report) . MIOPX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
MIOPX is classified in the Global - Equity segment by Zacks, an area full of possibilities. Even though Global - Equity mutual funds invest in bigger markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, these kinds of funds aren't limited by geography. Rather, they offer an investment strategy that utilizes the global economy to provide stable returns.
History of Fund/Manager
MorgStanley is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of MIOPX. MSIF International Opportunities A debuted in March of 2010. Since then, MIOPX has accumulated assets of about $322.52 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Kristian Heugh, has been in charge of the fund since May of 2010.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. MIOPX has a 5-year annualized total return of 14.12% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 19.11%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.
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 MIOPX over the past three years is 13.04% compared to the category average of 9.3%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.37% compared to the category average of 9.06%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
One cannot ignore the volatility of this segment, however, as it is always important for investors to remember the downside to any potential investment.
Nevertheless, with a 5-year beta of 0.84, the fund is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. MIOPX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 2.57, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, MIOPX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.25% compared to the category average of 1.19%. So, MIOPX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.
Bottom Line
Overall, MSIF International Opportunities A ( MIOPX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, MSIF International Opportunities A ( MIOPX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Global - Equity segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer 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 MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Any investors hoping to find a Global - Equity fund could think about starting with MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX - Free Report) . MIOPX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
MIOPX is classified in the Global - Equity segment by Zacks, an area full of possibilities. Even though Global - Equity mutual funds invest in bigger markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, these kinds of funds aren't limited by geography. Rather, they offer an investment strategy that utilizes the global economy to provide stable returns.
History of Fund/Manager
MorgStanley is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of MIOPX. MSIF International Opportunities A debuted in March of 2010. Since then, MIOPX has accumulated assets of about $322.52 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Kristian Heugh, has been in charge of the fund since May of 2010.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. MIOPX has a 5-year annualized total return of 14.12% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 19.11%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.
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 MIOPX over the past three years is 13.04% compared to the category average of 9.3%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.37% compared to the category average of 9.06%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
One cannot ignore the volatility of this segment, however, as it is always important for investors to remember the downside to any potential investment.
Nevertheless, with a 5-year beta of 0.84, the fund is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. MIOPX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 2.57, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, MIOPX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.25% compared to the category average of 1.19%. So, MIOPX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.
Bottom Line
Overall, MSIF International Opportunities A ( MIOPX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, MSIF International Opportunities A ( MIOPX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Global - Equity segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer 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.