Beyond the Numbers: Tech Fund Losers in Good Times and Bad

Some tech funds fly highest in go-go years and some top their peers when times are tough. And then, some do neither. Surprisingly, a few of these laggards might still be worth a look.

Tech funds had the wind at their backs in 1999 when they rang up an average 136% gain and it blew hard in their face last year when they lost a third of their value. The average tech fund is down a stunning 63% over the last 12 months, according to Morningstar. The steep and recent tumble has been so severe that tech funds now lag the S&P 500 over the past five years, despite their consistent and outsized gains in the late 1990s.

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