Fund Evaluator:
Rydex Basic Materials C (RYBCX)
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Best Performing in Natural Resources Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Rydex Basic Materials C Overview
Rydex Basic Materials C (RYBCX) is an actively managed Sector Equity Natural Resources fund. Rydex Funds launched the fund in 2001.
The investment seeks capital appreciation. The fund invests substantially all (at least 80%) of its net assets in equity securities of Basic Materials Companies that are traded in the United States and in derivatives. It may invest to a significant extent in the securities of Basic Materials Companies that have small to mid-sized capitalizations. Basic Materials Companies are engaged in the manufacture, mining, processing, or distribution of raw materials and intermediate goods used in the industrials sector, and may be involved in the production and transportation of metals, textiles, and wood products.
About Rydex Basic Materials C (RYBCX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.93 years: Adrian Bachman (2022), Brendan Cain (2022), Spencer Crane (2022), Scott Miller (2022), Michael Byrum (1998). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and S&P 500 Sec/Materials TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Rydex Basic Materials C has 106 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 23.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Rydex Basic Materials C is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity fund group. Rydex Basic Materials C has 30.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 69.4%. There is 30.3% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Rydex Basic Materials C has 0.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 million in total assets, which is below the $233 million average for the Natural Resources category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
RYBCX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Rydex Basic Materials C expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Natural Resources category. Rydex Basic Materials C has an expense ratio of 2.38%, which is 107% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Rydex Basic Materials C has a portfolio turnover rate of 136%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 61% for the Natural Resources category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Rydex Basic Materials C returned -2.8%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Natural Resources category had an average return of 1.9%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Rydex Basic Materials C has a trailing yield of 0.80%, which is below the 2.18% category average. The fund normally distributes its income none and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Rydex Basic Materials C Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 3.9%, 9.8 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 25.1% over the past year (grade of D), 9.8% over the past three years (grade of D) and 6.3% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 8.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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RYBCX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| RYBCX Return (NAV) | -2.8% | -7.3% | 25.1% | 9.8% | 6.3% | 8.6% |
| RYBCX Grade | F | F | D | D | D | C |
| +/- Category | -4.8% | -2.3% | -8.5% | -1.6% | -5.3% | -0.9% |
| Natural Resources Avg | 1.9% | -5.0% | 33.6% | 11.4% | 11.6% | 9.5% |
| RYBCX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.0% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 1.3% |
RYBCX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| RYBCX Return (NAV) | 3.9% | 32.2% | -2.9% | 8.4% | -10.0% | 22.2% | 19.3% | 20.6% | -18.1% | 20.6% | 29.9% |
| RYBCX Grade | F | B | D | B | D | F | B | B | C | B | C |
| +/- Category | -9.8% | 3.6% | -2.4% | 5.1% | -18.1% | -8.6% | 9.8% | 5.8% | 2.4% | 7.5% | 1.3% |
| Natural Resources Avg | 13.7% | 28.6% | -0.5% | 3.4% | 8.0% | 30.8% | 9.6% | 14.8% | -20.5% | 13.1% | 28.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 19.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.62 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.12 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (86% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.00 |
| R-Squared: | 41% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.8% |
| Dividend Distribution: | None |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $35 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 1 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | C |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 136% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 28.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Byrum Michael (1998), Bachman Adrian (2022), Cain Brendan (2022), Crane Spencer (2022), Miller Scott (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 106 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 23.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 30.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 69.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 30.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.3% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Rydex Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-820-0888 |
| Website: | www.rydex-sgi.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | May 3, 2001 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 1.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 2.38% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.15% |
| Share Class: | Rydex Basic Materials Inv |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
