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Diversified Bonds fund seekers should not consider taking a look at AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I (IOFIX - Free Report) at this time. IOFIX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
IOFIX is one of many Diversified Bonds funds to choose from.Diversified Bonds funds give investors exposure to a variety of fixed income types that span across different issuers, maturities, and credit levels. Usually, these funds will have a good amount of exposure to government debt, in addition to modest holdings in the corporate bond market.
History of Fund/Manager
AlphaCentric is based in San Juan, PR, and is the manager of IOFIX. AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I made its debut in May of 2015, and since then, IOFIX has accumulated about $168.49 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Garrett Smith who has been in charge of the fund since May of 2015.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. IOFIX has a 5-year annualized total return of -2.55%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 1.82%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame.
It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.
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 8.31%, the standard deviation of IOFIX over the past three years is 5.99%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 7.54% compared to the category average of 10.03%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Income
We must remember to consider the fund's average coupon, as income is traditionally a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security. A fund's average coupon is simply its average payout in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 4.02% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $402.
If you are looking for a strong level of current income, a higher coupon is a good choice, though it could pose a reinvestment risk; these risks can occur if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Investors also need to consider risk relative to broad benchmarks, as income is only one part of the bond picture.
This fund has a beta of 0.8, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, IOFIX has a negative alpha of -4.31, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.
Expenses
For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, IOFIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.56% compared to the category average of 0.92%. So, IOFIX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I ( IOFIX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I ( IOFIX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Diversified Bonds 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 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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Is IOFIX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
Diversified Bonds fund seekers should not consider taking a look at AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I (IOFIX - Free Report) at this time. IOFIX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
IOFIX is one of many Diversified Bonds funds to choose from.Diversified Bonds funds give investors exposure to a variety of fixed income types that span across different issuers, maturities, and credit levels. Usually, these funds will have a good amount of exposure to government debt, in addition to modest holdings in the corporate bond market.
History of Fund/Manager
AlphaCentric is based in San Juan, PR, and is the manager of IOFIX. AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I made its debut in May of 2015, and since then, IOFIX has accumulated about $168.49 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Garrett Smith who has been in charge of the fund since May of 2015.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. IOFIX has a 5-year annualized total return of -2.55%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 1.82%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame.
It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.
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 8.31%, the standard deviation of IOFIX over the past three years is 5.99%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 7.54% compared to the category average of 10.03%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Income
We must remember to consider the fund's average coupon, as income is traditionally a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security. A fund's average coupon is simply its average payout in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 4.02% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $402.
If you are looking for a strong level of current income, a higher coupon is a good choice, though it could pose a reinvestment risk; these risks can occur if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Investors also need to consider risk relative to broad benchmarks, as income is only one part of the bond picture.
This fund has a beta of 0.8, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, IOFIX has a negative alpha of -4.31, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.Expenses
For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, IOFIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.56% compared to the category average of 0.92%. So, IOFIX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I ( IOFIX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, AlphaCentric Income Opportunities I ( IOFIX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Diversified Bonds 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 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.