Foreign Stock Funds Follow the U.S.' Lead

This is the last in a series of stories examining the outlook for international funds. Check out our previous articles on Asia funds, emerging market funds and European funds.

They say that when markets in the U.S. sneeze, foreign markets catch a cold, and that's certainly been the case this year with foreign stock mutual funds.

As in the U.S., what's performing well so far in the foreign stock category, which is defined by Morningstar as a fund that invests only in non-U.S. companies, are funds that focus on finding values among the small- and medium-cap sectors of the market. While Morningstar's foreign stock category is down 7.5% on the year as of Friday, funds like the value-oriented (LLINX Quote)Longleaf Partners International and (OAKEX Quote)Oakmark International Small Cap are leading the category with returns of 9.54% and 8.44%, respectively.

Leading Foreign Funds Year-to-Date*
Fund Name	Year-to-Date	One-Year	Three-Year	Five-Year
(LLINX Quote)Longleaf Partners International	9.54%	40.99%	N/A	N/A
(OAKEX Quote)Oakmark International Small Cap I	8.44	9.14	13.67	7.98
(QFVOX Quote)Quant Foreign Value Ord	6.49	5.07	N/A	N/A
(SGOVX Quote)First Eagle SoGen Overseas A	4.47	11.43	11.88	11.14
Delaware International Small Cap A	3.77	5.38	5.07	N/A
(TIVFX Quote)Tocqueville International Value	1.78	-13.49	-2.68	-2.46
(OAKIX Quote)Oakmark International I	1.16	18.49	10.55	12.23
(DEWGX Quote)Delaware Overseas Equity A	0.89	-2.53	1.46	3.61
(FINEX Quote)Templeton Foreign Smaller Companies A	0.77	-4.07	2.40	5.99
*As of March 2, 2001 Source: Morningstar

Following the U.S.' Lead

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