Are Large Cap Mutual Funds a Good Investment?


Large-cap mutual funds are mutual funds made up of large-cap stocks. As mutual funds gain popularity in the investment market, you may be wondering if large mutual cap mutual funds are a good investment. Are large-cap mutual funds usually considered a good investment, or should you look elsewhere to invest?

Large-cap mutual funds are a good investment because they give small investors a chance to invest in the largest, most popular stocks with less risk. These funds offer high expected returns. They often pay out dividends and are easy to monitor since they usually mirror the economy.

This article will explain what large-cap stocks and mutual funds are, why large-cap mutual funds are a good investment, and the downsides of investing in them. There are also resources that you can use to learn more about large-cap mutual funds and stocks. 

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What Are Large-Cap Stocks?

Large-cap stocks have the largest market capitalization relative to all the stocks in the market. These stocks have a market capitalization value of ten billion dollars or more. Some examples of companies with large-cap stocks are Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Market capitalization is a valuation of a company’s stocks calculated by multiplying the total number of shares outstanding by the current value of one share, giving you the total dollar value of a company’s outstanding shares.

For example, let’s say that a company has 75 million shares of stock outstanding, and each share currently has a value of $200. When you multiply the 75 million shares by the share value of $200, you get the market capitalization of $15 billion. 

A company with a market capitalization of $15 billion would be a large-cap stock.

There are two other types of capped stocks: small-cap stocks and mid-cap stocks. Small-cap stocks have a market capitalization value of $2 billion or less. Mid-cap stocks have a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion between small-cap and large-cap stocks.

Large-Cap Mutual Funds Defined

Large-cap mutual funds are mutual funds that are made up of large-cap stocks and allow you to buy a small share of a fund of many large-cap stocks that a professional investor or brokerage manages. 

According to the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index, more than 90% of the total equity market in the United States consists of large-cap stocks. 

So, there are many large-cap stocks that you can find in various large-cap mutual funds. If you want to invest in them, they are a good investment, and there are many options to choose from.

Why Are Large Cap Mutual Funds a Good Investment?

Large-cap mutual funds are a good investment because you can invest in many large-cap stocks simultaneously with much less risk. If one of the large-cap stocks loses value, your loss in the mutual fund is lower than if you just owned the single stock.

Large-cap stocks can be difficult to invest in as a single investor because their prices are generally high. If you put money into one of these stocks and lose value, your loss can be high. 

Since large-cap stocks are some of the most popular, it is easy to find information about them and their performance. You can easily track the stocks in your large-cap mutual fund, including their current performance, their predicted values, and any other information about them.

Another benefit of large-cap mutual funds is that the stocks in these funds often pay dividends. 

When your mutual fund’s stocks pay dividends, you will receive a share of them based on your mutual fund share. You will need to pay annual taxes on these dividends. But the dividends are a great way to benefit from your investment before you sell your shares of the fund and withdraw your money.

You will earn a profit while your money is invested in the mutual fund, instead of waiting until you take your money out to benefit from the return on your investment. 

Large-cap mutual funds and stocks perform consistently with the performance of the economy’s growth. When the stock market as a whole and the economy are seeing significant growth, your mutual fund will likely do the same. 

Although your mutual fund may also lose value when the economy is not doing well, your fund will bounce back with the economy, so your losses will not be significant in the overall investment.

Downsides of Investing in Large Cap Mutual Funds

While large-cap mutual funds are a great investment, there are some downsides to investing in them. 

Since they are a safer investment with low risk, there is not as much opportunity for huge growth. If you are looking for large growth and do not mind a riskier investment, you may want to consider small-cap mutual funds instead.

Another downside is that mutual funds, in general, like any investment, do not offer guaranteed returns. While mutual funds can have higher returns than other investments, there is also the risk of losing the money you invest. 

Any investment can lead to a complete loss, so any money you invest in large-cap mutual funds can also be lost in an instant with no chance to recover them. You will also need to pay fees and taxes on top of your returns or losses. 

You need to consider these taxes and fees in your estimated return.

Furthermore, if you are going to invest in large-cap mutual funds, you need to have a basic understanding of mutual funds, and you need to know how to choose the right one for your financial goals. 

If you do not invest in a good fund for you, your risk of losing money or not meeting your goals is higher. 

Large Cap Mutual Funds Resources

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced investor, learning about mutual funds and large-cap stocks will help you make a smart investment decision. These resources are great for helping you learn more about large-cap investments.

  • Common Sense on Mutual Funds was written in easy to understand language, so even beginners can read it without difficulty, and comes from Amazon.com. It will help you understand how to invest in mutual funds, the fundamentals of mutual funds, and how the mutual fund industry has changed over time. 
  • The Large-Cap Portfolio: Value Investing and the Hidden Opportunity in Big Company Stocks from Amazon.com will help you understand large-cap stocks and mutual funds. You will learn how to value big companies through their stocks, how to benefit from large-cap investments, and what common issues people face when investing in large-cap stocks.
  • The Motley Fool Investment Guide from Amazon.com is good for individual investors who want to learn more about choosing the right investments like mutual funds. No matter your skill level or how much time and money you have to invest, you will learn how to find the best stocks and how to use the internet effectively to aid your investing.

Finally, if you are between small and large-cap investments, you can learn about the differences in this YouTube video from Learn to Invest:

Author’s Recommendations: Top Trading and Investment Resources To Consider

Before concluding this article, I wanted to share few trading and investment resources that I have vetted, with the help of 50+ consistently profitable traders, for you. I am confident that you will greatly benefit in your trading journey by considering one or more of these resources.

Conclusion

Large-cap mutual funds are a good investment because of their low risk, high returns and dividend payouts, and similarity to the economy. If you are going to invest in large-cap mutual funds, make sure you learn about them to choose the best mutual fund for you and your investment needs. 

Mutual funds can have high fees and taxes, so you need to consider them in your investment decisions. 

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    1. The basics of investing in mutual funds. (n.d.). Washington State Department of Financial Institutions. https://dfi.wa.gov/financial-education/information/basics-investing-mutual-funds
    2. Beginner’s guide to mutual funds. (2009, April 21). SEC.gov. https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsbeginmutualhtm.html
    3. Chen, J. (2020, November 30). Large cap (Big cap). Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/large-cap.asp
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    Navdeep Singh

    Navdeep has been an avid trader/investor for the last 10 years and loves to share what he has learned about trading and investments here on TradeVeda. When not managing his personal portfolio or writing for TradeVeda, Navdeep loves to go outdoors on long hikes.

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