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Is MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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If you have been looking for Global - Equity funds, a place to start could be MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX - Free Report) . MIOPX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
Zacks categorizes MIOPX as Global - Equity, which is a segment packed with options. Global - Equity mutual funds invest in large markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and operate with very few geographical limitations. They also provide an investment technique that leverages the diverse nature of the global economy in the hopes of providing a stable return.
History of Fund/Manager
MorgStanley is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of MIOPX. MSIF International Opportunities A made its debut in March of 2010, and since then, MIOPX has accumulated about $336.11 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Kristian Heugh who has been in charge of the fund since May of 2010.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 9.51%, 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 9.7%, 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. Over the past three years, MIOPX's standard deviation comes in at 16.36%, compared to the category average of 10.66%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 15.41% compared to the category average of 10.51%. 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, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.87, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. 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's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 3.71, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, MIOPX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.29% compared to the category average of 1.18%. From a cost perspective, MIOPX is actually more expensive than its peers.
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.
For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Global - Equity, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds 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 MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
If you have been looking for Global - Equity funds, a place to start could be MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX - Free Report) . MIOPX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
Zacks categorizes MIOPX as Global - Equity, which is a segment packed with options. Global - Equity mutual funds invest in large markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and operate with very few geographical limitations. They also provide an investment technique that leverages the diverse nature of the global economy in the hopes of providing a stable return.
History of Fund/Manager
MorgStanley is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of MIOPX. MSIF International Opportunities A made its debut in March of 2010, and since then, MIOPX has accumulated about $336.11 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Kristian Heugh who has been in charge of the fund since May of 2010.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 9.51%, 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 9.7%, 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. Over the past three years, MIOPX's standard deviation comes in at 16.36%, compared to the category average of 10.66%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 15.41% compared to the category average of 10.51%. 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, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.87, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. 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's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 3.71, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, MIOPX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.29% compared to the category average of 1.18%. From a cost perspective, MIOPX is actually more expensive than its peers.
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.
For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Global - Equity, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds 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.