CashNews.co
Having trouble finding a Japan – Equity fund? Well, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. PRJPX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
The world of Japan – Equity funds is an area filled with choices, and one such option is PRJPX. Japan – Equity mutual funds invest primarily in companies based in Japan, one of the world’s richest and most diversified economies. The country remains somewhat exposed to global economic trends with its export focus, while its lack of natural resources also can impact the nation.
T. Rowe Price is responsible for PRJPX, and the company is based out of Baltimore, MD. T. Rowe Price Japan Fund debuted in December of 1991. Since then, PRJPX has accumulated assets of about $182.25 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund’s current manager, Hiroshi Watanabe, has been in charge of the fund since July of 2024.
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -0.57%, and it sits in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of -10.23%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame.
It is important to note that the product’s returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund’s [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.
When looking at a fund’s performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, PRJPX’s standard deviation comes in at 16.89%, compared to the category average of 14.97%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 17.45% compared to the category average of 15.6%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund’s risk compared to the market as a whole. PRJPX has a 5-year beta of 0.72, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio’s performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -10.63. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.