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Is Oppenheimer Global Opportunities A (OPGIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Global - Equity fund seekers should not consider taking a look at Oppenheimer Global Opportunities A (OPGIX - Free Report) at this time. OPGIX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

We note that OPGIX is a Global - Equity option, an investment area loaded with different options. While Global - Equity mutual funds invest their assets in large markets--think the U.S., Europe, and Japan--they aren't limited by geography. Their investment technique is one that leverages the global economy in order to offer stable returns.

History of Fund/Manager

Oppenheimer is based in Denver, CO, and is the manager of OPGIX. Oppenheimer Global Opportunities A made its debut in October of 1990, and since then, OPGIX has accumulated about $2.91 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Frank Jennings is the fund's current manager and has held that role since October of 1995.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. OPGIX has a 5-year annualized total return of 8.75% 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 11.41%, 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 9.6%, the standard deviation of OPGIX over the past three years is 21.48%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 19.06% compared to the category average of 9.53%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In OPGIX's case, the fund lost 54.49% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 1.92%. This means that the fund could possibly be a worse choice than its peers during a down market environment.

Nevertheless, with a 5-year beta of 1.3, the fund is likely to be more 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. OPGIX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -0.93, which means 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, OPGIX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.12% compared to the category average of 1.16%. From a cost perspective, OPGIX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $1,000, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Oppenheimer Global Opportunities A ( OPGIX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees compared to its peers.

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. 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.


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