What Is A Good Expense Ratio
A good expense ratio will be relative depending on whether the mutual fund and ETF are actively or passively managed.
Active funds tend to involve more rigorous processes, research, and trading therefore, the cost of operation may be higher, which means a higher expense ratio.
For actively managed mutual funds, a decent expense ratio may range from 0.04% to 1.0%, 0.40% for a domestic bond fund, and 1.0% for an international stock fund.
A passive fund will most likely attract minimal management cost, a reasonable expense ratio ranging from 0.05% to 0.20%.
FZFXX has an expense ratio of 0.29%
SPAXX has an expense ratio of 0.15%
Both SPAXX and FZFXX are passively managed funds.
From what a good expense ratio for a passively managed fund should be, FZFXX may be said to have a high expense ratio.
An expense ratio of 0.15% is above average but still meets the standard for a reasonable expense rate.
Money Market Funds In A Low
As the Covid-19 pandemic stretches on, interest rates and yields have continued to fall. Rates on everything from CDs to money market funds have fallen to nearly zero. Today, some money market funds earn a yield of 0.00% while the highest paying funds yield no more than about 0.10%. Low yields have presented challenges to investors looking to earn income from cash.
For those who have cash balances below FDIC insurance limits, online savings accounts and money market accounts pay the highest rates. For those with cash balances well above FDIC limits, a money market fund is a relatively safe option. While yields are at historic lows, money market funds should react quickly when they begin to rise again.
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Are Money Market Funds Safe
Money market funds are investments, and all investments carry a certain degree of risk. Money market funds aim to maintain a price of $1 per share, and even in the most tumultuous of market environments such as the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic-induced sell-off nearly all of them did. However, there is the occasional fund that breaks the buck and returns investors 95 cents or 99 cents for each dollar invested. Large brokerages and mutual fund companies move heaven and earth to preserve the $1 net asset value, as there is massive risk to their reputations if they dont. Keep in mind, though: There is no guarantee of that $1 mark.
Despite the remote possibility of any loss, it is also important to note that money market funds represent some of the most conservative investments available. After the financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, the government implemented new rules to limit the risks of money market funds and make those remote risks even more remote. With a money market fund, you can feel confident you wont deal with any sudden volatility and lose a big chunk of your money.
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Spaxx Fidelity Government Money Market Fund
As the name suggests, SPAXX is whats called a money market fund. This is a fund that holds ultra-short-term instruments that are considered cash equivalents such as CDs, commercial paper, and repo agreements in order to pay what is usually a tiny interest rate. This type of fund usually pays a marginally higher interest rate than that of a plain ol savings account at a bank. The tradeoff, of course, is that a money market fund is not insured.
SPAXX is specifically collateralized by government securities, and would thus be considered safer than a broader money market fund that includes corporate debt. If we look at the holdings of SPAXX, its mostly U.S. government repurchase agreements, followed by U.S. Treasury Bills and U.S. Treasury Coupons.
We would expect a fund like this to have volatility no greater than about 3% in either direction. At the time of writing, with interest rates so low, SPAXX has a yield of 0.01% and a net expense ratio of 0.06%. Its lifetime historical average annualized pre-tax return has been about 2.5%.
Money Market Mutual Funds
The Vanguard Admiral Treasury Money Market Fund is a conservative investment option offered by Vanguard that invests in US Treasury securities. The fund maintains a share price of $1 and the strategic objective is to provide current income to investors. The income received by shareholders depends on the current interest rate environment.
The Vanguard California Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund is designed only for California residents and seeks to provide federal and California State tax-exempt income and preserve shareholders principal investment by maintaining a share price of $1. This fund is considered one of the most conservative investment options offered by Vanguard. Although the fund invests in short-term, high-quality securities, the amount of income that shareholders may receive is largely dependent on the current interest rate environment and the availability of eligible California municipal securities. Investors in a higher tax bracket who have a short-term savings goal and seek a competitive tax-free yield may wish to consider this option.
The Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund and Vanguard New Jersey Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund in US government securities are also conservative Vanguard investment options.
Salih N. Neftci, in, 2008
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Investment Bank Participation In Financial Markets
Investment banks have active participation in the money, bond, mortgage stock, and derivatives markets. Many investment banks through money market mutual funds invest in money market securities. Investment banks also underwrite commercial papers. Investment banks actively participate in the bond market through underwriting bond issues in the primary market and provide advisory services for clients for bond purchases and sales. Investment banks also play a role in the bond market by facilitating the raising of funds for corporate restructuring activities such as mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and other activities. Investment or securities firms also play a role in the mortgage market by underwriting securities that are backed by mortgages for various financial institutions. In stock markets, the investment banks play the major roles of underwriters in the primary market, advisors and brokers in the secondary market. In derivatives markets of futures, options and swaps, investment banks act as financial intermediaries or brokers.
Dr.Jeffrey R. Bohn, in, 2011
In , 2019
Their Holdings May Include Debt Issued By The Likes Of Bear Stearns Freddie Mac And Some Other Less
In stressful times, you may hear advisers and strategists recommend that investors raise their allocations to cash. There are two reasons for doing so. First, cash, which is presumably risk free, protects your portfolio from losses. Second, raising cash builds reserves you can use to buy stocks, junk bonds or other assets at lower prices once the backdrop brightens.
But just what is cash? And is it as safe as it appears to be?
In finance, cash is more than the green paper you carry in your wallet. The financial worlds definition of cash sometimes its referred to as cash equivalents is any investment with a fixed value that is easy to buy and sell.
This includes Lincolns and Hamiltons as well as savings and checking deposits and shares of money-market mutual funds. Short-term certificates of deposit and U.S. Treasury bills also count. The bedrock assumption is that if you invest $1 in any of these forms, your investment is worth $1 anytime, no questions asked.
But financial engineers have also invented all sorts of other cash equivalents. These are short-term interest-earning investments that are designed to maintain a stable value thats behind the comparison to cash but that are not necessarily liquid and not guaranteed by the government.
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The State Of Money Market Yields Following Fed Action
Wells Fargo Investment Institute July 26, 2021
Key takeaways
- The Federal Reserves actions taken in June 2021 served toslightly increase the yield of certain securities held in money marketfunds. Money market fund yields remain positive, and the slight increase in yield has been supportive of fund net asset values, whichhave generally remained slightly above $1.
- Money market yields have declined notably since the Fed reduced thefederal funds rate in early 2020. Current expectations are that the Fedwill keep rates at low levels with the first rate hike coming in early 2023.
What it may mean for investors
- We believe that the economy appears solid, and that this is not the end of the cycle or the bull market. We believe that long-term investors should focus on implementing their investment plans, which should include asset allocation, diversification, and rebalancing.
- With the Feds zero interest rate policy still in place, fund yields are verylow and we expect them to stay relatively low over the next few years.For investors looking to invest new assets in the money market space,we favor Treasury and government money funds.
In early 2020, the flight to quality during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic had investors keenly focused on liquidity and potential risks in money market funds. The Feds actions taken during that turbulent time in the markets served to enhance liquidity in the broader markets and in money markets more specifically.
Risk Considerations
Fidelity Select Funds: Choosing The Best Fidelity Sector Fund Consistently
Few investment products have as many fanatics as Fidelity Select funds do. Why? The Fidelity Select fund aficionados know that they can beat the market by judiciously selecting such funds. Here are the facts: The average Fidelity Select fund has outperformed the S& P 500 by 4.7% per year over the past 20 years. The stats get even better.
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Fidelity Government Money Market Fund
Fidelity launched the Fidelity Government Money Market Fund in 1990, and boasts $219.95 billion in total assets as of May 2021, making it one of the most widely held funds in this category. Similar to the American Century Capital Preservation Fund, SPAXX strives to usher in high-yield returns, with high liquidity, and an emphasis on capital preservation.
The fund is typically 99.5% or more invested in cash or cash equivalents in the form of short-term U.S. government securities or repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by cash or such securities. Some U.S. government securities are issued by duly authorized government agencies but are not directly issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.
In selecting the fund’s investments, the funds management team focuses on maintaining a stable $1 net asset value share price. The weighted average maturity of the portfolio holdings is 54 days.
As of May 2021, the funds top holdings included the following:
- U.S. Treasury Bills
- Agency Fixed-Rate Securities
- U.S. Treasury Coupons
The fund has an annual expense ratio of 0.42% and a dividend yield of 0.01%. Its one-year total return is 0.00%. This fund is well suited for investors who prefer its broad range of investments.
Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund
Vanguard launched the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund in 1981. Total AUM as of May 2021 is $193.8 billion. This fund has the same investment aims of providing capital preservation and current income through investing in high-quality, short-term U.S. government securities.
Vanguard bills this fund as one of the most conservative offerings in this category, making it an ideal choice for conservative seeking risk avoidance and capital preservation.
As of May 2021, the funds top allocation was to U.S. Treasury Bills at 75.4%, followed by U.S. Government Obligations at 23.6% and Repurchase Agreements at 1.0%. The average maturity of the portfolio holdings was 55 days. The expense ratio for the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund is 0.11% the dividend yield is 0.02%, and the one-year total return is 0.45%.
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Investors Who Might Consider Money Market Funds
Money market funds may be appropriate for customers who:
- Have an investment goal with a short time horizon
- Have a low tolerance for volatility, or are looking to diversify with a more conservative investment
- Need the investment to be extremely liquid
While the returns on money market funds are generally not as high as those of other types of fixed income funds, such as bond funds, they do seek to provide stability, and can therefore play an important role in your portfolio. Investors can use money market funds in a few ways:
- To offset the typically greater volatility of bond and equity investments
- As short-duration investments for assets that may be needed in the near term
- As a holding place for assets while waiting for other investment opportunities to arise
Introduction What Is The Fidelity Core Position
Your core position at Fidelity simply refers to where your uninvested cash goes inside your account. For example, if you have 75% in an S& P 500 index fund like VOO and 25% uninvested cash, that 25% cash will automatically go into whatever fund or vehicle you select as your core position. You have several options for how exactly that cash is held, which is why youre on this page in the first place.
First, lets get the obligatory reminder out of the way that is usually more harmful than helpful, and DCA is inferior to investing a lump sum on average, so you probably shouldnt be holding much actual cash in the first place. But note that Im not referring to something like T-bills or short-term government bonds, which are considered a cash equivalent, and which may be a perfectly sensible investment depending on your personal goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. While several of these funds do indeed have allocations to T-bills, none of these options were discussing here for the core position would be considered a dedicated T-bills fund.
Now that thats out of the way, lets compare SPAXX, FDIC, FDRXX, and FZFXX.
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Why Invest In Money Market Funds
Money market funds are considered a good place to park cash, because they’re much less volatile than the stock or bond markets.
Money market funds are used by investors who want to protect rather than grow their retirement savings, but still earn some interest somewhere between 1% and 3% a year. Thats about on par or slightly higher than bank savings or money market accounts.
Money market funds are used by investors who want to protect rather than grow their retirement savings, but still earn some interest
They are cost effective because, unlike many mutual funds, they have no fees when your cash joins or leaves the fund. There also can be tax benefits, as some money market funds hold municipal securities that are exempt from federal and state taxes.
List Of Fidelity Prime Money Market Funds
Retail investors can choose from the following Fidelity prime money market funds. Among them Fidelity Prime Money Market Fund is popular and has no minimum investment requirement.
| Fidelity Money Market Funds | ||
| Fidelity Money Market Fund Premium Class | FZDXX | |
| Fidelity Money Market Money Market Portfolio Class I | FMPXX | |
| Fidelity Money Market Money Market Portfolio Institutional Class | FNSXX | 1.77% |
*Net expense ratio and 7-day yield as of December 14, 2019
Additionally, the following Fidelity Prime Money Market funds are available to institutional investors: Fidelity Money Market Prime Money Market Portfolio CL I , Fidelity Money Market Prime Reserves Portfolio Class I , Fidelity Money Market Prime Money Market Portfolio Institutional CL , and Fidelity Money Market Prime Reserves Portfolio Institutional Class .
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American Century Capital Preservation Fund
The American Century Investments Capital Preservation Fund Investor Class was launched by American Century in 1972, and has over $2.22 billion in total assets under management , as of June 2021. The fund is primarily known for maximizing safety and liquidity. The fund aims to achieve the highest possible yield return consistent with its asset mix, which consists of Treasury bills, bonds, and notes. The fund ordinarily invests solely in short-term U.S. Treasury money market securities. The weighted average maturity of its portfolio holdings is 58.55 days.
The gross annual expense ratio for the Capital Preservation Fund was 0.48% as of May 2021. Its one-year total return as of December 2020 was 0.01%. This mutual fund is appropriate for investors whose current investment goals align with those of the strategy and who seek a pure-play government money market fund that invests exclusively in U.S. Treasury securities.
Spaxx Vs Fzfxx Net Asset Value
In the world of investing, net asset or net asset value is one of the indicators of a good investment. Generally, it is the value of a funds assets minus the value of its liabilities.
However, most often, the term is used in connection to mutual funds or ETFs. It is a measure of the value of the assets/holdings in the fund.
In a mutual fund or ETF, the value of assets will be the value of the securities in the portfolio. On the other hand, the value of liabilities will be the value of all of the funds liabilities and expenses.
This includes operational fees, management expenses, audit fees, and salaries.
Investors consider the net asset of a fund because it shows the difference between what the entity owns and what it owes.
This helps determine the exact value of the fund.
Apositive NAV may be an indication of good financial health.
If the fund has a negative NAV, the possibility that it will soon face serious financial difficulties is high.
SPAXX Net Asset Value is $214.74B
FZFXX Net Asset Value is $30.71B
These figures show that both funds are at an all-time high with high net asset values.
However, SPAXX is beating FZFRXX with $184.03B more in net assets.
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What Are Money Market Mutual Funds
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Money market mutual funds, also known as money market funds, are fixed-income mutual funds that invest in high-quality, short-term debt. They are considered one of the safest investments you can make.
Similar to how other mutual funds work, money market investors buy shares in a fund, which in turn buys short-term government, bank or corporate debt, such as U.S. Treasuries, certificates of deposit or commercial paper. Money market funds are popular because they can quickly be turned into cash or used to fund a new investment opportunity.
