Rowe Price Latin America Fund (PRLAX) with a 12.8% average annual total return over the past three years. The fund, which Morningstar has rated four stars, gravitates toward the region’s bigger blue-chip stocks, including Telmex (Nasdaq: TFONY), Mexico’s respected telephone company, and Petrobras (NYSE: PBR), Brazil’s huge oil producer. A newer portfolio to consider is the Evergreen Latin America Fund (EKLAX), which finished second on our list with a three-year average annual total return of 11.4%. Management also tends to stick to bigger, less-volatile blue chips such as Telmex.
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Top Latin American Funds |
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Fund Name (Ticker) |
Year-to-Date |
1-Year Ann. |
3-Year Ann. |
5-Year Ann. |
Toll-Free |
Minimum |
| T. Rowe Price Latin America (PRLAX) | 10.91% | 13.98% | 12.75 | 3.11 | 800-638-5660 | $2,500 |
| Evergreen Latin America A (EKLAX) | 7.14 | 9.30 | 11.42 | 0.43 | 800-343-2898 | 1,000 |
| Templeton Latin America A (TELAX) | 10.12 | 14.92 | 11.42 | –0.96 | 800-342-5236 | 1,000 |
| Merrill Lynch Latin Amer D (MDLTX) | 9.83 | 6.51 | 11.16 | 0.63 | 800-995-6526 | 1,000 |
| Excelsior Latin America (UMEAX) | 9.14 | 16.12 | 9.86 | –4.36 | 800-446-1012 | 500 |
| Van Kampen Latin Amer A (MSLAX) | 9.47 | 9.62 | 9.38 | 3.14 | 800-421-5666 | 1,000 |
| Morgan Stanley Latin Am Gr A (LATAX) | 10.11 | 11.22 | 6.45 | N/A | 800-869-3863 | 1,000 |
| Fidelity Latin America (FLATX) | 9.08 | 10.34 | 5.38 | –1.19 | 800-544-8888 | 2,500 |
| Fidelity Adv Latin America (FLTAX) | 8.73 | 7.63 | 3.93 | N/A | 800-522-7297 | 2,500 |
| *AS OF MARCH 31, 2002 SOURCE: MORNINGSTAR INC. |
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