BofA: 44% of large cap active funds beat benchmarks in September

October 5, 2026 6:31 AM EDT

Investing.com -- Bank of America reported that 44% of large cap active funds outperformed their Russell benchmarks in September, slightly below the average monthly rate of 46%.

The bank said market leadership shifted back toward mega cap stocks during the month, with the cap-weighted S&P 500 beating the equal-weighted index by nearly 5 percentage points. Narrow market breadth created challenges for active managers.

Growth funds recorded the weakest performance across large cap styles, with just 37% outperforming compared to roughly 50% for both Core and Value funds. Bank of America noted that Meta and Advanced Micro Devices, which both rose nearly 30%, accounted for 70% of the Russell 1000 Growth index's total gain in September.

Despite the weak September showing, 67% of Growth funds still outperformed in the third quarter and 64% remain ahead year-to-date. In comparison, just 27% of Core funds and 8% of Value funds are leading their benchmarks year-to-date.

Small cap active funds posted the strongest results in September, with nearly 60% beating their benchmarks. The Russell 2000 fell 5.3%, compared to a 4.2% decline for the Russell Midcap and a 0.6% drop for the Russell 1000.

Mid cap active funds saw only 40% beat their benchmark during the month.

Year-to-date, 41% of large cap funds are outperforming, slightly ahead of the historical average of 37%. The average large cap fund ended the third quarter roughly in line with its benchmark.



Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

You May Also Be Interested In





Related Categories

General News

Related Entities

Standard & Poor's, Maynard Um, Mark Zuckerberg, BofA/Merrill Lynch, ARK