AWARD WINNING RESEARCH
RESEARCH AREAS
Equity Research
Fixed Income Analysis
For clients who appreciate knowing what their monthly investment income will be, the Raymond James Fixed Income Group offers an extensive range of fixed income securities.
Mutual Fund Research
Having in-depth, unbiased research on which to base your buy and sell decisions is important.
This type of research is readily available for individual stocks. However, with the majority of stocks and bonds currently owned by institutions and an ever-increasing acceptance of 401(k) investing through mutual funds, the average investor’s portfolio may now have more mutual fund positions than stocks and bonds.
Yet the availability of sound mutual fund research – research that offers a professional opinion of what may lie ahead for a mutual fund investment in the future – has been lacking. Until now.
Specific Recommendations
At Raymond James, we believe that individual investors must be provided with personalized solutions from their advisors. What’s more, we appreciate that both our advisors and their clients should have the tools and support they need to make the best decisions possible. That is why we developed unbiased, easy-to-understand research on a wide range of mutual funds. In fact, we have the distinction of being among the first firms in the nation to publish mutual fund research reports recommending individual funds to investors.
While, today, some firms issue reviews of mutual funds and others create rankings based on the past performance of funds, our research remains distinctive in that it offers investors our opinion of what may lie ahead for an individual fund. Our reports were among the first to offer “Highly Recommended,” “Hold – Under Review” or “Not Recommended” ratings.
Experience
The Raymond James Mutual Fund Research department has been producing load and no-load open-end mutual fund research reports for use by our financial advisors for more than 15 years. Now, that information is available to our advisors’ clients.
As a result of the popularity mutual funds now enjoy, we believe investors need impartial research and objective analysis, structured along the lines of what they are accustomed to reading for equity research, in order to make more informed decisions about their mutual fund portfolios.
Looking Back Isn’t Enough
In the past, investors had to rely primarily on rating services that analyzed what a fund had done, but not necessarily what it could be expected to do. It just doesn’t make good sense to only look back when making decisions about your financial future.
Each Raymond James mutual fund research report not only includes our recommendation for the fund, but features easy-to-understand performance data, top holdings, general data and a hypothetical illustration of a $10,000 investment with dividends and capital gains reinvested, if applicable.
In addition, the report reviews the fund’s objectives and management style, then offers the analyst’s conclusion about future performance potential.
In-Depth Analysis
Raymond James’ mutual fund research reports blend insight from the past and present with an eye toward the future. Computer databases provide the quantitative information to help analysts gauge performance and risk factors over both the short and long term.
Raymond James’ mutual fund research reports blend insight from the past and present with an eye toward the future.
Our main emphasis, however, is on qualitative research. To gather the information we need, our analysts travel throughout the country and participate in conference calls to get the inside story directly from fund portfolio managers and administrators.
This in-depth research process helps us keep our eye toward the future of the mutual fund industry instead of on the past.
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of mutual funds before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about mutual funds. The prospectus is available from your financial advisor and should be read carefully before investing.
A Long-Term View
We are advocates of investing in mutual funds for the long term and our research strives for maximum objectivity and relevance, looking out three to five years.
Your financial advisor can provide you with our research, work with you to design and implement your investment plan, and introduce you to the investment alternatives we offer.
Raymond James’ Mutual Fund Research department follows the same stringent guidelines used by the firm’s nationally ranked Equity Research department in the generation of its reports. And, as with equity research reports, mutual fund research reports are available via e-mail from your Raymond James advisor.
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of any investment company before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about an investment company. The prospectus is available from your financial advisor and should be read carefully before investing.
When purchasing shares in mutual funds, you may be entitled to a discounted transaction charge based on the total number of shares of a specific mutual fund and/or family of funds you hold in your own and/or relatied accounts. It is, therefore, important that you tell your financial advisor of positions you already hold that he or she may not be aware of so that you can benefit from the lowest transaction charge possible on this and subsequent trades.
Closed-End Fund Research
Raymond James offers full-service Closed-End Fund and Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs) Research departments. Investors get detailed information and recommendations on the entire universe of closed-end funds from our closed-end fund research analysts, and receive detailed information and product fit guidelines from our ETP analysts.
In addition to ongoing due diligence and research on closed-end funds, the department compiles weekly lists of undervalued and overvalued funds as well as a monthly Idea List that highlights the most attractive funds on both a fundamental and technical basis over a variety of sectors. On a quarterly basis, the department publishes the Closed-End Fund Research Guide, a comprehensive report which provides information including current fund news, performance statistics, and portfolio breakdowns on each domestically-traded closed-end fund.
The department also offers three Model portfolios. The High Income Model focuses on closed-end funds that provide attractive taxable income and invest primarily in income-producing securities. The Municipal Model consists entirely of municipal closed-end funds which provide tax-free income on a Federal level. And our Total Return Model has an objective of combining long-term capital appreciation with modest income and may include both closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The ETP Research department covers the more than 1300 publicly-traded exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes. Each quarter, the department publishes the Quarterly ETP Report, which provides new fund listings, highlights within the ETP marketplace, and fund-specific performance data and portfolio compositions. The ETP Market Review is published periodically with new details related to the industry as well.
Additionally, ETP Research maintains four ETP Model Portfolios on a quarterly basis to reflect the asset allocation and sector weightings recommended by Raymond James’ Investment Policy Committee. ETP Research also provides Sector Spotlight ETFs (exchange-traded funds) to best match the recommendations in the bi-monthly Sector Spotlight published by our Equity Research department, and continually updates the ETP Quick Guide with all new product listings.
For more information about closed-end funds, exchange-traded products, or to receive a sample copy of our research reports, please contact your financial advisor or use the convenient Office Locator today to find a Raymond James office near you.
RAYMOND JAMES CEFR DOMESTIC EQUITY INDEX
Raymond James Closed-End Fund Research (CEFR) Domestic Equity Index – This proprietary index is composed of closed-end funds recommended by Raymond James’s Closed-End Fund Research group as part of our investment analysis and stock research services. The rules for constructing and rebalancing the Index were developed based on the Closed-End Fund Research group’s recommendation methodologies. The Index is composed of closed-end funds selected from a universe of approximately 560 U.S. closed-end funds that are included in either the Morningstar U.S. Sector Equity category or the Morningstar U.S. Equity category. Raymond James has licensed the Raymond James Closed-End Fund Research (CEFR) Domestic Equity Index to Scotia Capital as the basis for the Bank of Nova Scotia Equity Linked Index Notes, Series A Linked to the Raymond James CEFR Domestic Equity Total Return Index, and other similar securities. From time to time in the future, Raymond James may license the Index to investment firms other than Scotia Bank as the basis for other Index-linked notes or securities.
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of exchange-traded funds before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the funds. The prospectus is available from your financial advisor and should be read carefully before investing.
This description of the Raymond James Closed-End Fund Research (CEFR) Domestic Equity Index is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security.
Investing involves risk and investors may incur a profit or a loss.
Municipal bond interest is not subject to federal income tax but may be subject to AMT, state or local taxes. Income from taxable municipal bonds is subject to federal income taxation; and it may be subject to state and local taxes. Municipal securities typically provide a lower yield than comparably rated taxable investments in consideration of their tax-advantaged status. Investments in municipal securities may not be appropriate for all investors, particularly those who do not stand to benefit from the tax status of the investment. Please consult an income tax professional to assess the impact of holding such securities on your tax liability.
Asset Management Research
In order to offer a selection of asset managers designed to meet investors’ diverse needs, we employ one of the most highly regarded due diligence groups in the nation to review managers before their services are offered through Raymond James. This group closely scrutinizes the philosophies, investment selection processes, specific investment selections, performance, personnel and progress of more than 100 domestic and international asset managers, then provides comprehensive due diligence reports, which are updated at least annually and feature in-depth evaluations of the specific managers.
CONTACT US
Independence. It sounds, great but is it really that easy? Whether you’re an employee advisor or you have been running your business for years, there is a lot of responsibility. We are here to provide solutions to reduce the time and energy that is required of today’s business owners.