FILE PHOTO: The day’s numbers are reflected above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly before the closing bell in New York, U.S., March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A tiny mutual fund that invests in companies that produce products and services for parents is the only fund among the $4.3 trillion actively managed U.S. equity fund industry to post a positive return for the year to date through Monday, according to Morningstar data.
The economic shock from the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has pushed the benchmark S&P 500 down more than 21% since the start of the year, the deepest decline for the index since the 2008 financial crisis. [.N] Despite those broad market losses, the $139,000 Second Nature Thematic Growth Fund was up 2.6% for the year through March 16, a performance more than 4 percentage points greater than its closet competitor.
Among its largest holdings are consumer defensive companies such as paper product maker…
