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May Brings More Upgrades Than Downgrades

We had 11 upgrades, 10 downgrades, and 143 affirmed ratings of funds and target-date series.

Jun 11, 2018

In May, Morningstar manager research analysts affirmed the Morningstar Analyst Ratings of 141 funds and two target-date series, upgraded the ratings of 11 funds, downgraded the ratings of 10 funds, placed six funds’ ratings under review, and assigned new ratings to five funds. Below are some of May’s highlights, followed by the full list of ratings changes.

Upgrades

Increased confidence in

AOFIX management team drove an upgrade in its ratings to Silver from Bronze. Manager Amy Zhang helped to amass one of the small-growth category’s best risk-adjusted records at Gold-rated

Downgrades

Increasingly uncompetitive fees have taken some of the shine off

Concerns about

New Ratings

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Hartford Equity Income Y HQIYX	— —
MFS Value A MEIAX	— —
AB Global Bond A ANAGX	— —
Morgan Stanley Inst Advantage I MPAIX	— —
Alger Small Cap Focus I AOFIX	— —
BlackRock Dynamic High Income Instl BDHIX	— —
Fidelity Limited Term Municipal Income FSTFX	— —
Brown Capital Mgmt Small Co Inv BCSIX	— —
Invesco Global A OPPAX	— —
BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Instl BIICX	— —

A Falling Parent Rating May Be Reason for Caution

A Falling Parent Rating May Be Reason for Caution

These funds may be affected by issues at their parent firms.

Greg Carlson

US Funds See Highest Inflows Since August 2021

US Funds See Highest Inflows Since August 2021

The ‘new nine’ spot bitcoin ETFs have made a splash.

Adam Sabban

A Solid Holding From American Funds

A Solid Holding From American Funds

Recent and upcoming manager departures are offset by this fund’s deep resources and prudent approach.

Greg Carlson

Why Vanguard Dividend Growth Is a Great Portfolio Anchor

This low-volatility portfolio does a fine job for investors, but its strengths are hidden in its total returns.

Todd Trubey

Is Now the Time for Munis?

Here are three municipal-bond funds we like.

Thomas Murphy, CFA

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