On the lookout for a Diversified Bonds fund? Starting with BlackRock Floating Rate Income A (BFRAX) is one possibility. BFRAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

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We classify BFRAX in the Diversified Bonds category, an area that is rife with potential choices. Diversified Bonds funds offer exposure to a wide variety of fixed income types, stretching across various issuers, credit levels, and maturities. Generally speaking, bond funds here will have sizable exposure to government debt, as well as modest holdings in the corporate bond market too.

BlackRock is responsible for BFRAX, and the company is based out of New York, NY. Since BlackRock Floating Rate Income A made its debut in July of 2010, BFRAX has garnered more than $329.97 million in assets. A team of investment professionals is the fund’s current manager.

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 5.12%, and is in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.39%, which places it in the top 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.

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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. Over the past three years, BFRAX’s standard deviation comes in at 3.78%, compared to the category average of 11.64%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 6.27% compared to the category average of 13.11%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

BFRAX carries a beta of -0.15, meaning that the fund is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. With this in mind, it has a positive alpha of 3.44, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, BFRAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.92% compared to the category average of 0.98%. BFRAX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

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