In the world of equity funds, the ultra-short and short funds are still topping the charts, according to Lipper data.
The top funds have produced returns of between 50 percent and 128 percent in the 52-week period ending March 12. On a year-to-date basis, some of the top funds have improved from 34.5 percent to as much as 65 percent.
As for the largest mutual funds, Pimco's Total Return Fund-institutional shares have risen nearly 2 percent in the past year, but are down about 0.5 percent in the first 10 weeks of the year. Most of the largest equity-focused funds are down about 15 percent in early 2009 and about 40 percent for the past 52 weeks.
Lipper's latest research also shows that returns on tax-exempt funds in 2009 are producing positive returns that average about 4.1 percent. For the past 52 weeks, though, the funds are down an average of 2.9 percent.
