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Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Invesco International Small-Mid Company A (OSMAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
If investors are looking at the Non US - Equity fund category, make sure to pass over Invesco International Small-Mid Company A (OSMAX). OSMAX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. OSMAX is classified in the Non US - Equity area by Zacks, and this segment is full of potential. Non US - Equity funds focus their investments on companies outside of the United States, which is an important distinction since global mutual funds tend to keep a sizable portion of their portfolio based in the United States. Most of these funds will allocate across emerging and developed markets, and can often extend across cap levels too. Invesco is responsible for OSMAX, and the company is based out of Kansas City, MO. Invesco International Small-Mid Company A debuted in November of 1997. Since then, OSMAX has accumulated assets of about $617.61 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, David Nadel, has been in charge of the fund since November of 2019. Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. OSMAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 3.61% and is in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 3.26%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame. It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 14.81%, the standard deviation of OSMAX over the past three years is 21.68%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 20.26% compared to the category average of 14.58%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. OSMAX has a 5-year beta of 1.05, which means it is likely to be more volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. OSMAX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -10.71, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, OSMAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.38% compared to the category average of 1%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, OSMAX is actually more expensive than its peers. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50. Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included. Overall, Invesco International Small-Mid Company A ( OSMAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, Invesco International Small-Mid Company A ( OSMAX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. This could just be the start of your research on OSMAXin the Non US - Equity category. Consider going to for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (OSMAX): Fund Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Chicago Tribune
05-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
EPA holds hearing on fate of contaminated Waukegan site
Citing concerns of asbestos-contaminated material surfacing adjacent to the infamous Johns Manville site due to a freeze and thaw cycle, the EPA held a public meeting in Waukegan on Wednesday sharing proposals to best monitor and clean the 1-acre area. A few dozen residents and local officials gathered at Waukegan City Hall for the presentation by David Nadel, remedial project manager with the EPA. A public comment period on the proposed plan will run until June 27. The Johns Manville site, about 350 acres sitting along Lake Michigan, was once home to a manufacturing facility that contaminated the area with asbestos. Johns-Manville ceased operations on the site in 1998, according to the EPA, and its former manufacturing buildings were demolished in 2000 and 2001. Today, it's one of five Superfund sites in Waukegan, areas that the federal government recognizes as especially hazardous and manages cleanup efforts. The area discussed on Wednesday is a relatively small, roughly 1-acre section that is within the Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, known as Operable Unit 6, or OU6. Representatives of the EPA emphasized during the meeting that the areas in question are not readily accessible to residents, and area neighborhoods are not at risk of exposure. Material contaminated with asbestos was discovered and removed from a road in OU6 in 1998, but more fragments were found the following year. The freeze and thaw cycle of the area was causing the contaminated material to come to the surface, Nadel said. This is especially dangerous because weathering can cause the asbestos to become more 'friable,' he said, meaning it can be more easily broken down and spread. Two potential action plans were presented. The first, estimated to cost $554,000, consisted of 'periodic manual removal' of asbestos contamination and disposal at an approved facility. This would also include visual monitoring, maintaining existing access restrictions, land-use control and maintaining existing fencing at the property line. However, that option doesn't 'provide adequate warning to authorized users or trespassers' of the hazards, according to Nadel, and lacks measures to evaluate effectiveness beyond visual monitoring. The second proposed plan, which is estimated to cost $967,000, would expand on the previous plan, including enhanced monitoring, additional access control and new signage, among various other efforts. The EPA considered the second the 'most effective remedy in the long term.' Residents shared comments and concerns during the meeting. One, pointing to the area's sizable Spanish-speaking community, asked if there would be translations of communications offered going forward. An EPA representative responded positively to the recommendation during the meeting. OU6 is subject to controlled burns, and residents discussed what risks those could pose for the area. While Nadel said they had found asbestos air contamination increased during burns, it remained under what is considered the safe limit. Some were concerned about the future of the site, noting the decades of work already done and questioning when the site will be safe. Lake County Board member Mary Ross-Cunningham, whose district includes the site and who attended the meeting, said she hoped it would one day be determined to be clean sooner rather than later. 'That'll be a big hit for Waukegan residents,' Ross-Cunningham said. She voiced her support for the cleanup proposal and praised the EPA for its continuing work to monitor and clean the site.
