Investment funds in Canada gave encouraging signs that better days may lie ahead, with all 43 Morningstar Canada fund indices posting positive returns in March.

In sharp contrast to the two previous months that were beset by deep and widespread losses, 20 of the 24 fund indices that track equity categories gained 5% or more last month, and five of them had double-digit returns, according to preliminary performance data released Thursday by Morningstar Canada.

“Equities rose for the month as U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner provided more detail on his government’s proposal to get toxic assets off the balance sheets of large banks, and described plans for new, tougher regulation of capital markets,” says Al Kellett, fund analyst for Morningstar Canada.

While the effects of this renewed confidence were felt worldwide, the North-American financial services sector was one of the more immediate beneficiaries. In Canada, the S&P/TSX capped financial index rose 12.9%, while in the United States the financials sub-index of the S&P500 did even better with a 17.7% gain. As a result, the financial services equity fund index had its best monthly performance in nearly a decade with a gain of 11.1%, tied for second-best with the precious metals equity fund index.

The top performer among all fund indices in March was greater China equity with a 13.8% gain. Other emerging markets such as Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico also posted double-digit gains, leading to strong returns for the emerging markets equity (10.9%) and Asia/Pacific ex-Japan equity (10.2%) fund indices. “The fact that emerging markets gained more than developed countries is a sign that investors were willing to take on risk again,” Kellett says.

The past month marks the first time since January 2007 that all equity fund indices were in positive territory. Among the larger categories, Canadian equity was up 7.9%, while U.S. equity, global equity, and international equity gained 7.2%, 6.2% and 5.9%, respectively. The worst-performing equity fund index was Japanese equity, which gained 1.8%.

The fund indices that measure fixed-income categories had modestly positive returns that for the most part ranked at the bottom of the performance table. The lone exception was the Canadian inflation-protected fixed income fund index, which gained 8.8%-its best month ever. “Investors appeared to become increasingly concerned that massive stimulus packages would spark a devaluation of paper-based currencies, leading to gains for real-return bond funds,” Kellett says. “The same issue also benefited precious metals funds, as gold is often considered an inflation hedge.”

Final performance figures will be published next week.

IE