As part of its “brandscape” reports, Cogent Research asked advisors to rate mutual funds based on which ones are best positioned to increase their market share with the advisor. The best-positioned funds were:
• DFA
• PIMCO
• Vanguard
• Franklin Templeton
• T Rowe Price and Ivy Funds (tied)
American Funds, which saw $29 billion flow out in the first six months of 2012, showed signs of recovery, with only $8.9 billion of redemptions during the same period this year. DFA, known for their “smart beta” approach, was one of the very few complexes with positive inflows — even Vanguard saw redemptions for the first time in 20 years, driven by their bond fund. PIMCO suffered even more as the market “overreacted” to comments by the Fed, according to a senior PIMCO employee speaking at a recent advisor conference.
