Looking for a Global - Equity fund? You may want to consider American Funds New Economy F2 (NEFFX) as a possible option. NEFFX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

NEFFX is classified in the Global - Equity segment by Zacks, an area full of possibilities. Even though Global - Equity mutual funds invest in bigger markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, these kinds of funds aren't limited by geography. Rather, they offer an investment strategy that utilizes the global economy to provide stable returns.

American Funds is responsible for NEFFX, and the company is based out of Los Angeles, CA. Since American Funds New Economy F2 made its debut in August of 2008, NEFFX has garnered more than $3.45 billion in assets. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 12.52%, and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 22.02%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 14.01%, the standard deviation of NEFFX over the past three years is 15.87%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 17.17% compared to the category average of 13.54%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. NEFFX has a 5-year beta of 0.97, which means it is likely to be as volatile as the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. NEFFX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -3.03, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, NEFFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.51% compared to the category average of 0.95%. So, NEFFX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $250, and each subsequent investment should be at least $50.

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Overall, American Funds New Economy F2 ( NEFFX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Funds New Economy F2 ( NEFFX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Global - Equity funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare NEFFX to its peers as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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