What Is an Aggressive Growth Mutual Fund?

What Is an Aggressive Growth Mutual Fund?

A mutual fund with the investment objective of seeking the high potential for financial gain through the purchase of growth equities is referred to as an aggressive growth mutual fund. In the long run, the larger potential returns more than makeup for the additional risk that is incurred in comparison to alternative techniques. A mutual fund with the investment objective of achieving bigger returns is referred to as an aggressive growth mutual fund. The goal of this strategy is to achieve substantial capital gains by investing in growth stocks. This method does come with a little larger risk, but it also has the potential to yield significantly better returns in the long run. An explanation of what an aggressive growth mutual fund is, along with some examples The market risk associated with an investment strategy known as aggressive growth is higher than the market risk associated with an investment strategy known as diversified investing. When it comes to the stock market in general, assets that carry a higher level of risk typically have the potential to provide larger returns over the long run. An equity investment in a firm that is anticipated to expand at a rate that is higher than the overall rate of growth of the stock market is referred to as a growth stock. The general growth investment strategy is analogous to an intensified and more growth-oriented variant of aggressive growth, which is known as aggressive growth.

How do mutual funds that focus on aggressive growth operate?

In most cases, the operation of an aggressive growth fund is equivalent to that of any other type of mutual fund. The managers of the fund decide which investments to make and how those investments should be distributed among the various portfolios. Because the goal of an aggressive growth fund is to achieve higher growth than that of an index or some other benchmark, the management of the fund selects investments that they believe will achieve the desired rate of growth. For instance, the Spliced U.S. Investable Market Financial 25/50 Index has a beta of 1.0, while the Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX) has a beta of 1.10. (compared to the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index). The variety of many growth funds is lessened in some way in order to generate more gains, which in turn exposes investors to greater levels of risk. It is made up of holdings from financial institutions such as banks, insurance firms, and other providers of financial services from the financial sector. According to the summary of the product, the most significant threat arises from the fact that it only makes investments in businesses related to financial services. 

What It Implies for Those Who Invest on Their Own

Investors who use an aggressive growth strategy might anticipate seeing higher levels of volatility than those who use a general growth approach; the beta of a fund is used to measure this. It gives an indication of how a fund may react to changes in an index, such as the S&P 500 or the general market. In order to provide a point of comparison, an aggressive growth fund is typically judged against another index, which is given a beta value of 1.0. This indicates that an aggressive fund will have a beta that is greater than 1.0, whilst a normal growth fund will have a beta that is lower, for example, 0.85. A beta of.85 indicates that the fund is anticipated to generate returns that are 15 percentage points lower than its benchmark; a beta of 1.1 indicates that the management of the fund anticipates that it will perform 10 percentage points better (or worse) than its benchmark. Investors who are interested in purchasing an aggressive growth fund should search for funds that have a goal of performing up to ten percent better than their respective benchmark. A beta value higher than 1.1 also carries a significant increase in risk. For instance, if the value of your aggressive growth fund drops by 1 percent, you will experience a loss of 1.1 percent when compared to the value of your investment in a growth fund that has a smaller beta (if the two were compared to the same index). Therefore, the bigger the beta, the greater the potential loss you face if the fund's value drops. On the other hand, if your fund grows by 1 percent, you will gain 1.1 percent of your investment. To put this into perspective, the S&P 500 had a loss of 12.7 percent between the dates January 3, 2022, and June 7, 2022. A fund with a beta of 1.1 would have had a loss of 13.97% throughout that time period. You would have seen a loss of $1,397 in six months if you had invested $10,000 in an aggressive growth fund that had a beta of 1.1. A mutual fund with a beta of 0.95, using the same comparison index, would have suffered a loss of $1,206.50.

Varieties of Mutual Funds Focused on Aggressive Growth

The phrases "aggressive growth," "capital appreciation," "capital opportunity," and "strategic equity" can be found in the names of a number of stock mutual funds that focus on rapid economic expansion. You will need to conduct some research in order to identify a fund that specializes in fast development. You may gain a better understanding of the risk associated with a fund by looking at its beta, as well as its Sharpe Ratio and standard deviation. Visiting a website that specializes in mutual fund research is one method for determining the purpose of a mutual fund. Check the Fund Objective to see if it has the phrase "aggressive growth" in it. You can also seek for the stated purpose within the prospectus of the mutual fund, or you can go directly to the website of the mutual fund and locate it there. There is the potential for a high amount of overlap amongst funds, which indicates that a great number of funds could have the same assets. Because of this, if you already have a growth fund in your portfolio, you may not require the addition of an "aggressive" growth fund to your investments. Investments made by aggressive growth funds are frequently made in younger companies, or they may be placed in businesses operating in the hottest economic areas. The following are some examples of mutual funds that are considered aggressive growth: FSPTX, which stands for Fidelity Select Technology, has a beta of 1.13 when compared to the S&P 500 over the past three years. The majority of the fund's holdings are invested in companies that deal in software and semiconductors.  The three-year beta for Vanguard Strategic Equity (VSEQX) is 1.12 when compared to the Dow Jones Total Stock Market Index, and it is 1.02 when compared to the MSCI US Small + Mid Cap 2200 Index. The majority of the fund's holdings are invested in businesses related to finance, information technology, manufacturing, consumer discretionary goods, and healthcare.  

Key Takeaways

The goal of an investment strategy known as aggressive growth is to generate bigger returns by accepting increasing levels of risk. The beta, which compares a mutual fund's level of volatility to that of an index, is higher for aggressive growth mutual funds. Investors with a larger appetite for risk and a more long-term perspective benefit the most from participation in aggressive growth mutual funds. Those who are younger and have more time to invest may be better suited for aggressive growth mutual funds than investors who are older and have less time.

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