Mutual Fund Newspaper Listings Symbols

Don't become too confused by the fund listings. They are not that puzzling, but instead they are easily understandable and can be extremely useful since they provide a great deal of information in a very compact form.

In order to calculate the value of your portfolio, you can use the provided in the fund listing NAV and multiply it by the number of shares you possess. Additionally, in order to determine the amount of money you should pay fro the purchase of the shares you possess, you should use the provided in the fund listing Offer Price by the number of shares.

Some basic facts and terms you should know include:

• The Net Asset Value (commonly referred to as NAV) is calculated by dividing the value of the stocks of the fund's portfolio by the number of the shares held by the fund and its shareholders. As a result you get the value of the each share in the fund's portfolio.
• In a fund listing, fund companies are arranged in an alphabetical order. Under each fund company the corresponding funds offered by the company are listed.
• Offer Price represents the price of the shares you want to buy and has the same value as the NAV, but also includes any sales charges.
• NL stays for no-load mutual funds. The price you will pay for the purchase of a fund with this symbol is the same as the one you would receive in case you decide to sell it.
• "+", "-" signs present the change on the net asset value of the mutual fund with respect to the past trading day. "+" signifies an increase, whereas "-" signifies a decrease.
• On a fund listing you will also find information on the amount of change of the NAV of each share as regards the past trading day.

You will also notice different symbols after the mutual fund's name. These present information about the fund itself, such as the associated charges. Some of the symbols you will most frequently encounter include:

• "r" - these funds will charge you with a redemption fee.
• "p" - these funds will charge you with a 12b-1 fee.
• "t" - these funds will charge you both a 12b-1 fee and a deferred sales charge/redemption fee.
• "f" - this symbol is placed after the fund in case the most recent trading day's numbers are not presented. In such a case, the prices from the previous trading day will be written.
• "e" - this symbol signifies that the quoted prices are after capital gains distributions deduction.
• "x" - this symbol signifies that the quoted prices are based on ex-dividend values.

In case you want to find information on the performance of a particular mutual fund, mutual fund newspaper listings can be a valuable source. They provide you with detailed information on the daily activities of the mutual funds and their corresponding objectives. However, they are not detailed enough so you should make an additional research in order to find the information missing that interests you.

Other sources that provide information on the performance of the mutual fund you are a shareholder of include the mutual fund company itself, online databases and websites. However, if you are a long-term investor you will not need the daily examination of the value of the shares you possess.

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