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Is Kinetics Paradigm Fund No Load (WWNPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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If investors are looking at the Global - Equity fund category, make sure to pass over Kinetics Paradigm Fund No Load (WWNPX - Free Report) . WWNPX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

We note that WWNPX 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

WWNPX is a part of the Kinetics family of funds, a company based out of Sleepy Hollow, NY. Kinetics Paradigm Fund No Load made its debut in February of 2003, and since then, WWNPX has accumulated about $443.83 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 24.14%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 23.34%, 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, WWNPX's standard deviation comes in at 34.28%, compared to the category average of 16.91%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 27.06% compared to the category average of 13.92%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 1.34, the fund is likely to be more volatile than the market average. 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. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 2.7, which shows 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, WWNPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.64% compared to the category average of 1.14%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, WWNPX is actually more expensive than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, Kinetics Paradigm Fund No Load ( WWNPX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, Kinetics Paradigm Fund No Load ( WWNPX ) looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now.

Want even more information about WWNPX? 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. If you want to check out our stock reports as well, make sure to go to Zacks.com to see all of the great tools we have to offer, including our time-tested Zacks Rank.


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