Equity Funds Turned in Respectable Q305

An S&P news release said that the average third-quarter 2005 return for the domestic equity funds was 4.6% while the equity funds boasted a 4.3% year-to-date showing through September.

Standard & Poor’s data shows that all fund categories finished the July to September period in positive territory. Mid-cap growth funds were ahead the most, returning 6.1% for the quarter while large-cap value portfolios had the weakest showing, rising 3.6%. The S&P 500 was up 3.6% during this period.

Meanwhile, growth-oriented funds outperformed their value counterparts over the past three months. The average growth fund advanced 5.6% during Q3 versus a 4.5%-gain for the average value fund.  However, value funds still reign supreme so far this year, gaining 5.4% versus a gain of 4.5% for the average growth fund.  All fund styles in Standard & Poor’s database are in the black year-to-date, with mid-cap blend funds showing the strongest year-to-date return with a 6.8% gain, according to the S&P data.