Portfolio managers at America First tend not to invest alongside their shareholders, detracting from the overall stewardship assessment. None of the firm’s assets are covered by an invested manager. Open-end and exchange-traded fund fees are a weakness at the firm, contributing negatively to the rating. On average, the firm charges fees on its funds that are in the most expensive quintile of category peers. With the current market environment of fee compression, this is cause for concern, as investors may flock to alternate asset managers over time to get a better deal. America First strategies have failed to have lengthy success. In particular, the firm's five-year risk-adjusted success ratio demonstrates that only 0% have both survived and beaten their respective category median on a risk-adjusted basis. A low success ratio indicates poor performance and raises questions about a firm’s discipline around investment strategy and product development.
Bank of America Earnings: Investment Banking and Asset Management Keep Fees Strong, but Charge-Offs Rise
Lower short-term interest rates should assuage concerns about the bank’s unrealized losses on bond holdings.