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Is American Funds New Economy F2 (NEFFX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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On the lookout for a Global - Equity fund? Starting with American Funds New Economy F2 (NEFFX - Free Report) is one possibility. NEFFX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

NEFFX 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

NEFFX is a part of the American Funds family of funds, a company based out of Los Angeles, CA. Since American Funds New Economy F2 made its debut in August of 2008, NEFFX has garnered more than $2.44 billion in assets. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 19.16%, 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 15.99%, 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, NEFFX's standard deviation comes in at 18.26%, compared to the category average of 15.19%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 15.13% compared to the category average of 12.57%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 0.92, the fund is likely to be less 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. NEFFX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 2.99, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Holdings

Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.

The mutual fund currently has 82.66% of its holdings in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $267.90 billion. With turnover at about 38%, this fund makes fewer trades than its comparable peers.

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, NEFFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.52% compared to the category average of 1.13%. NEFFX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $250, and each subsequent investment should be at least $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, American Funds New Economy F2 ( NEFFX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Funds New Economy F2 ( NEFFX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

Want even more information about NEFFX? 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 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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