There are, however, some timeless lessons that can be learned from the best mutual funds in 2015.įirst, it's notable that every fund on this list is the least expensive variant of that particular fund. Next year could easily be the year of small cap value stocks, resulting in a completely different list of top performers. Looking at the top-performing funds in 2015, we've learned that 2015 is the year of mid- and large-cap growth stocks. Learning from best-in-class performance Admittedly, nine months is a pretty poor period to judge any fund manager. Its largest investment, a stake in Palo Alto Networks, is up 43% this year. Likewise, Scotia's three largest positions (which constitute 16% of its portfolio) have year-to-date returns in excess of 29%. Brown's fund is more diversified, but it also counts Facebook and Amazon among its six-largest positions.
Morgan Stanley's fund has more than 20% of its assets invested in just two stocks, Facebook and, which have put up incredible 18% and 72% returns in 2015. This year, the top overall fund notched 66% returns using leverage to bet against Latin American stocks! It's currently down nearly 7% in a single trading day, a sign it's not exactly a safe fund to hold for the long haul.)Īfter culling the list for odd and irrelevant funds, I found three funds that have generated the best returns so far in 2015.Īll these funds have something in common: They are all part of the large-cap growth category and have ridden the wave of rising growth stocks to outperform in 2015. (From year to year, some oddballs will always make the list of top performers. I wanted to find funds that are relevant to American investors and diversified. I broadly excluded funds which invest in foreign stocks, bond funds, or funds dedicated to a single sector. I set out to find the top-performing funds by screening for the best U.S. In the first nine months of the year, the best mutual funds have simply generated a positive return in 2015, compared to a total return of negative-2.2% for the S&P 500 Index. Send me an email by clicking here, or tweet me.įollow to the top funds of 20, the best mutual funds in 2015 may not look all that impressive. I think stock investors can benefit by analyzing a company with a credit investors' mentality - rule out the downside and the upside takes care of itself.