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Is MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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There are plenty of choices in the Mutual Fund Equity Report category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that may not be worth investigating is MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX - Free Report) . MIOPX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
MIOPX finds itself in the MorgStanley family, based out of New York, NY. Since MSIF International Opportunities A made its debut in March of 2010, MIOPX has garnered more than $268.93 million in assets. The fund's current manager, Kristian Heugh, has been in charge of the fund since May of 2010.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -1.71%, and it sits in the bottom 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 -6.32%, which places it in the bottom 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. The standard deviation of MIOPX over the past three years is 25.43% compared to the category average of 16.37%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 22.2% compared to the category average of 14.53%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.98, the fund is likely to be as volatile as the market average. 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 negative alpha of -9.14, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick 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 1.35% compared to the category average of 1.10%. Looking at the fund 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 low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, MSIF International Opportunities A ( MIOPX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Mutual Fund Equity Report, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.
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Is MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
There are plenty of choices in the Mutual Fund Equity Report category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that may not be worth investigating is MSIF International Opportunities A (MIOPX - Free Report) . MIOPX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
MIOPX finds itself in the MorgStanley family, based out of New York, NY. Since MSIF International Opportunities A made its debut in March of 2010, MIOPX has garnered more than $268.93 million in assets. The fund's current manager, Kristian Heugh, has been in charge of the fund since May of 2010.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -1.71%, and it sits in the bottom 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 -6.32%, which places it in the bottom 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. The standard deviation of MIOPX over the past three years is 25.43% compared to the category average of 16.37%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 22.2% compared to the category average of 14.53%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.98, the fund is likely to be as volatile as the market average. 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 negative alpha of -9.14, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick 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 1.35% compared to the category average of 1.10%. Looking at the fund 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 low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, MSIF International Opportunities A ( MIOPX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Mutual Fund Equity Report, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.