The First Asset Balanced Fund stands out as the largest balanced fund in Nigeria by Net Asset Value (NAV), holding ₦20.99B across 5,793 unitholders and ranking #1 of 29 in its category, placing it #40 of 222 across all fund types. Despite that strong size position, the fund has hit a rough patch in recent weeks. Its most recent Week-to-Date (WTD) yield is -1.74%, which is notably weaker than the median WTD yield of -0.43% among balanced funds, meaning it lost more ground this week than most of its peers. That said, zooming out tells a more positive story: the fund's Year-to-Date (YTD) yield of 36.48% shows it has delivered strong overall growth so far this year.
Looking at the recent history, the fund's NAV has been on a steady downward slide from ₦21.61B on 5 June 2026 to ₦20.99B on 3 July 2026, a drop of roughly ₦620M over four weeks. The WTD yield has also worsened consistently over that period, moving from -0.07% to -1.20%, then -1.46%, -1.42%, and now -1.74%. A balanced fund typically holds a mix of stocks and fixed-income assets like bonds, meaning its value can shift with both equity markets and interest rate movements. The consecutive negative weekly yields suggest short-term pressure on one or both of those asset types, even as the longer-term YTD performance remains well above zero.
Key insight: While this fund leads its entire category in size and has gained 36.48% year-to-date, its NAV has declined for four straight weeks with this week's -1.74% WTD yield falling well below the peer median of -0.43%, making the short-term trend worth watching closely.
