The Daily Screen: The Best Pacific/Asia Funds
And you thought Japan funds were the worst this year.
They're down 16.3% since Jan. 1, but that's peanuts compared with Pacific/Asia funds, the troubled fund dustbin the Daily Screen is picking through today, which are getting crushed to the tune of a 31% loss since Jan. 1. On average, they're down more than any other foreign or domestic fund category. These funds tend to spread their money around Asia, including stocks in Japan, Korea, India, Hong Kong, China and Australia. Many of these markets have been a haven for tech and telecom companies, so they rode those sectors to a 93% average gain last year and fell with them this year. This kind of mercurial performance is status quo for these funds. In the 1990s, the average Pacific/Asia fund lost money half the time, with the biggest tank coming in 1997 when the category lost 27.9%, on average.| Pacific Blues Any way you slice it, it's been hard times for Pacific/Asia funds. | ||
| Avg. Pacific/Asia Fund | S&P 500 | |
| YTD | -31% | -4.8% |
| 1-Year | -6.3 | 8.1 |
| 5-Year | -1 | 20.9 |
| 10-Year | 7.1 | 18.9 |
| Source: Morningstar. Annualized performance figures through Oct. 24. | ||
| Best of the . . . Among Pacific/Asia funds that topped their peers over the past one- and three-year periods, these have the highest one- year returns. | ||
| Pacific/Asia fund | 1-Year Return | 3-Year Return |
| (MAPCX)Merrill Lynch Pacific | 3.2 | 11.6 |
| (JHWPX)Hancock Pacific Basin Equities | 2.6 | 6.2 |
| (FNPEX)59 Wall St. Pacific Basin | 2.4 | 17.3 |
| (GAPCX)GAM Pacific Basin | 1.4 | 2.9 |
| (AALAX)Alliance All-Asia Investment | -0.8 | 7.7 |
| (FPBFX)Fidelity Pacific Basin | -0.9 | 16.3 |
| (TGRAX)MSDW Pacific Growth | -3 | 1.9 |
| (SAAFX)Schroder All- Asia | -4.6 | 2 |
| Avg. Pacific/Asia fund | -6.3 | -1.7 |
| S&P 500 | 7.2 | 15 |
| Source: Morningstar. Annualized performance figures through Oct. 23 | ||
TheStreet Premium Services For Personal Service: 877-471-2967
Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS:
Trade right alongside a Wall Street pro — enjoy access to his Charitable Trust portfolio and be sent trade alerts BEFORE he makes a move. Learn MoreETF Profits:
Get money-making ideas from the hottest investment vehicle on the planet. Our experts show you how to play various ETF sectors to help pump-up your portfolio. Learn MoreOptionsProfits:
Get 50+ trade ideas a week from the industry's top options experts. Plus — exclusive commentary on market trends and essential trading tools. Learn MoreReal Money:
Our team of professional Wall Street Pros — including Jim Cramer, Doug Kass, and Nicholas Vardy — delivers intelligent analysis, timely trade ideas, and colorful commentary. Learn MoreStocks Under $10:
Break into the market with small- and mid-cap stocks... all $10 or less! David Peltier tells you exactly which low-priced stocks he's buying and selling. Learn MoreTo begin commenting right away, you can log in below using your Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, OpenID or Yahoo login credentials. Alternatively, you can post a comment as a "guest" just by entering an email address. Your use of the commenting tool is subject to multiple terms of service/use and privacy policies - see here for more details.
blog comments powered by Disqus
| Dow Jones | S&P 500 | NASDAQ | 10-Year Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12,890.46 | 1,351.95 | 2,927.23 | 20.47 |
Oil *
118.75
|
|
UP
6.51 |
UP
1.99 |
UP
11.37 |
UP
0.72 |
10 Yr
2.05%
SPDR Gold
168.02
|
|
+0.05%
|
+0.15%
|
+0.39%
|
+3.65%
|
Data delayed 20 minutes |

Connect with TheStreet