Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Fidelity Emerging Asia Fund (FSEAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Having trouble finding a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Well, Fidelity Emerging Asia Fund (FSEAX - Free Report) would not be a good potential starting point right now. FSEAX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

FSEAX finds itself in the Fidelity family, based out of Boston, MA. Since Fidelity Emerging Asia Fund made its debut in April of 1993, FSEAX has garnered more than $984.44 million in assets. The fund is currently managed by Xiaoting Zhao who has been in charge of the fund since June of 2019.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. FSEAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 3.79% and it sits 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 3.94%, 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. Compared to the category average of 23.97%, the standard deviation of FSEAX over the past three years is 26.43%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 22.69% compared to the category average of 21.03%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.69, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. 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. FSEAX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -2.53, which means 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, FSEAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.13% compared to the category average of 1.29%. From a cost perspective, FSEAX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $0; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity Emerging Asia Fund ( FSEAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Mutual Fund Equity Report 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 FSEAX to its peers as well for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Fidelity Emerging Asia Fund (FSEAX) - free report >>

Published in