5 Best-Performing Aggressive Growth Mutual Funds Of Q3 (Revised)

Markets gained traction in the third quarter primarily due to strong quarterly earnings which came in above estimates. This led to benchmarks hitting record highs in the period. Another major push came in the form President Trump’s new tax code which sought to reduce tax rates considerably. Also, the U.S. economy has improved at an astounding rate for the past two quarters and unemployment hit its lowest level since 2000. Under such circumstances, we believe that a relatively risky investment would fetch great returns.

Banking on such positive vibes, the addition of mutual funds with huge growth potential to your portfolio would prove to be lucrative. Aggressive growth funds are considered one of the best investment options for investors with a high risk appetite in search of optimum capital appreciation. Now, let us take a look at some of the encouraging factors that contributed to gains in these mutual funds.

Strong Earnings Powered Dazzling Performances

In the third quarter, the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq gained 4.9%, 3.9% and 5.8%, respectively. It should be noted that the Dow posted its eighth straight quarter of gains — the first time since 1997. Meanwhile, the S&P also gained for the eighth consecutive quarter. The Nasdaq posted its fifth consecutive quarter of gains for the first time since 2015. Such amazing numbers for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were made possible by a stellar rally of more than 8% in the information technology sector, which was also the best-performing sector in 3Q17.

As of Nov 3, 406 S&P 500 companies, which account for 85.4% of the index’s total market capitalization, reported Q3 earnings. Total earnings for these companies are up 7.5% from the same period last year on 6.3% higher revenues, with 73.9% beating EPS estimates and 66.7% beating revenue estimates. 

Economy Growing By Leaps and Bounds

According to the latest report from the Commerce Department, the U.S. economy improved at an impressive annual rate of 3%. This came in above the consensus estimate of 2.6%, but lower than the second-quarter figure of 3.1%. This is also the first time since 2014 that the U.S. economy expanded at a 3% annual pace for two consecutive quarters.