Most Mutual Fund Categories in the Red Again in September, Morningstar Canada Data Show

TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2015 /CNW/ -- Morningstar Research Inc., a Canadian subsidiary of Chicago-based independent investment research provider Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN), today released preliminary September 2015 performance data for its 42 Morningstar Canada Fund Indices, which measure the aggregate returns of funds in various standard categories. Thirty-six of the 42 Fund Indices decreased during the month, and 38 were in the red for the third quarter of 2015, including 14 indices that decreased by 5% or more.

Highlights from Morningstar's September 2015 preliminary performance report include:

• Funds that focus on natural resources equities were the worst performers, for both the month and the quarter. The Morningstar Natural Resources Equity Fund Index decreased by 8.6% in September—its fifth consecutive monthly loss—and by 21.1% in the quarter. The second-worst performer for both periods was the Morningstar Energy Equity Fund Index, which dropped 8.3% for the month and 19.1% in the quarter.
• Funds in the Greater China Equity category were flat for the month; the category's fund index posted a modest 0.1% decrease as market losses on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges were offset by the appreciation of Chinese currencies against the Canadian dollar. For the quarter, the Morningstar Greater China Equity Fund Index was the third-worst performer with a 16.4% decrease, with the bulk of the losses occurring in August.
• The best-performing equity fund index for the quarter was European Equity, which decreased by 0.2%. While funds in the category had middle-of-the-pack losses of 2.0% in September and 4.7% in August, their 6.9% increase in July made them the top-performing fund category in Canada that month.
• The best-performing fund index overall for the quarter—and the only category other than those comprised of money market funds to post a positive result for that period—was Global Fixed Income with a 0.5% increase. In September, the only long-term fund indices to avoid losses were Real Estate Equity, Canadian Inflation-Protected Fixed Income, and Asia Pacific ex-Japan Equity, with increases of 1.6%, 0.5%, and 0.1%, respectively.
• Among sector-diversified equity fund categories, domestic equity funds generally lagged their foreign counterparts. The best-performing fund index in that group was Canadian Dividend & Income Equity, which decreased by 2.0% in the month and 5.2% in the quarter, while the Canadian Small/Mid Cap Equity fund index was the worst performer among domestic equity fund categories, decreasing 4.2% and 10.7% in the same periods, respectively. Funds in the U.S. Equity and Global Equity categories did relatively well in comparison, decreasing by 2.3% and 3.4%, respectively, for the quarter.

To view the complete report about Morningstar's preliminary September 2015 performance data for Canadian funds, please visit http://bit.ly/1FL7qze.

Morningstar Canada's preliminary fund performance figures are based on change in funds' net asset values per share during the month, and do not necessarily include end-of-month income distributions. Final performance figures will be published on www.morningstar.ca next week.

About Morningstar Research Inc. and Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar Research Inc. is a Canadian subsidiary of Chicago-based Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on more than 500,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 16 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than US$180 billion in assets under advisement or management as of June 30, 2015. The company has operations in 27 countries.

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SOURCE Morningstar Research Inc.