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After posting losses in September and gains in October, Morningstar’s long/short equity mutual fund category was flat for the month of November – but this doesn’t mean there weren’t standout funds. Indeed, one of the worst performers from October was able to bounce back into the top three for November. In this review of the category, we look not only at the one-month returns of the month’s best and worst funds, but also the composition of their three-year returns in terms of alpha and beta, as well as their three-year Sharpe ratios and standard deviations. A quick refresher: Beta refers to the risk level of a security relative to the market. A beta of 1.0 implies the same risk level as the market, while a beta of more than 1.0 means the security (or fund in this case) is riskier than the market. A beta of less than 1.0 implies a risk less than the market. Alpha is the amount of performance in excess of a security’s beta adjusted benchmark. Sharpe ratio is a measure of return (above the risk free rate) per unit of risk – the higher, the better. (click to enlarge) Top Performers in November The three best-performing long/short equity mutual funds in November were: For the second straight month, a Catalyst fund topped the list. But while October saw the Catalyst Hedged Insider Buying Fund (MUTF: STVIX ) lead all long/short equity mutual funds, in November it was the Catalyst Insider Long/Short Fund that led the pack at +7.21%. For the first eleven months of the year, CIAAX returned an even 2%, and its three-year return through November 30 stood at an annualized 4.42%. The fund had a negative alpha (-0.60) for the three-year period, with a three-year beta of 0.39, and a Sharpe ratio of 0.35. The Burnham Financial Long/Short Fund was November’s second-best-performing long/short equity mutual fund, with returns of +5.53%. While its gains lagged those of the Catalyst Insider fund, BURFX’s longer-term numbers are much more appealing: Its three-year return of 20.31%, and alpha of 11.98%, was accomplished with a relatively low level of volatility (9.17% standard deviation) and a beta of just less than half the market (0.45). The fund’s three-year Sharpe ratio of 2.07 is outstanding. Finally, the Turner Medical Sciences Long/Short Fund was the third-best long/short equity mutual fund to own in November, boasting returns of +5.36%. This was a turnaround for the Turner fund, which was the third-worst performer in October, with losses of 4.99%. Over the past three years, TMSCX has returned an annualized 14.61% with a beta of just 0.19. This has resulted in the fund’s alpha of 11.94% ranking just 4 basis points less than the Burnham fund above, despite a much lower 3-year annualized return. However, with it’s higher standard deviation over the period, the fund’s Sharpe ratio stood came it 0.93 for the three-year period, a bit less than half the Burnham fund’s Sharpe ratio. (click to enlarge) Worst Performers in November The three worst-performing long/short equity mutual funds in November were: The Philadelphia Investment Partners New Generation Fund, the month’s worst performer, lost more than the month’s top-performer gained, with a one-month return of -7.55%. Its dismal three-year returns of -5.45% can be broken down into a 0.80 beta and -17.54 alpha, resulting in a Sharpe ratio of -0.49 for the three years ending November 30. The Clinton Long Short Equity Fund hasn’t been around long enough to have three-year return data, but its one-month losses of 4.84% in November made it the second-worst long/short equity mutual fund to own that month. For the first eleven months of 2015, WKCIX lost 13.49% of its value. The Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund ( WBMIX ) was November’s third-worst long/short equity fund, with returns of -3.58%. For the first eleven months of 2015, WBMIX generated losses of 19.50%, and its three-year returns of -3.17% through November 30. The fund has a low 3-year beta of 0.13 and a -4.90 alpha. The fund’s three-year Sharpe ratio stood at -0.33 as of November 30. (click to enlarge) October’s Best and Worst: Follow-Up The Catalyst Hedged Insider Buying ( STVIX ), Tealeaf Long/Short Deep Value (MUTF: LEFIX ), and Giralda Manager (MUTF: GDAMX ) funds were October’s top three long/short equity mutual funds, with respective one-month returns of 10.71%, 9.05%, and 8.73%. In November, STVIX returned a category-matching 0.00%, while LEFIX and GDAMX posted respective one-month returns of 3.02% and 0.15%. October’s worst performers were the CMG Tactical Futures Strategy Fund (MUTF: SCOIX ) and the Highland Long/Short Healthcare Fund (MUTF: HHCAX ), which lost 6.74% and 5.54%. In November, those funds continued their losing ways with returns of -2.02% and -1.55%, respectively. Past Performance does not necessarily predict future results. Scalper1 News
Scalper1 News