VARBX Alternatives & Similar Mutual Funds

Vivaldi Merger Arbitrage Fund Class I (VARBX) belongs to the Event Driven category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with VARBX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to VARBX

VARBX charges 1.81% annually. There are 12 mutual funds in the Event Driven category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.79%.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
GABCX	Gabelli ABC Fund	0.79%	—	May 1993	VARBX vs GABCX
EMAYX	Gabelli Enterprise Mergers and Acquisitions Fund	1.01%	—	Feb 2001	VARBX vs EMAYX
BILPX	BlackRock Event Driven Equity Fund	1.16%	—	Dec 2007	VARBX vs BILPX
MERIX	The Merger Fund Class I	1.32%	—	Aug 2013	VARBX vs MERIX
ARBFX	The Arbitrage Fund	1.43%	—	Sep 2000	VARBX vs ARBFX

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to VARBX

VARBX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 99. No mutual funds in the Event Driven category have higher risk-adjusted ranks; the top alternatives shown here go as high as 99.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
HMEZX	NexPoint Merger Arbitrage Fund	99	—	Aug 2016	VARBX vs HMEZX
MERIX	The Merger Fund Class I	98	—	Aug 2013	VARBX vs MERIX
ARBNX	The Arbitrage Fund Class Institutional	97	—	Oct 2003	VARBX vs ARBNX
ARBFX	The Arbitrage Fund	97	—	Sep 2000	VARBX vs ARBFX
MERFX	The Merger Fund	97	—	Jan 1989	VARBX vs MERFX

Top Performing VARBX Alternatives (YTD)

VARBX is at 2.27% YTD. There are 7 mutual funds in the Event Driven category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 7.89%.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
EMAYX	Gabelli Enterprise Mergers and Acquisitions Fund	7.89%	—	Feb 2001	VARBX vs EMAYX
AEDNX	Water Island Event-Driven Fund	4.22%	—	Sep 2010	VARBX vs AEDNX
GABCX	Gabelli ABC Fund	3.50%	—	May 1993	VARBX vs GABCX
BILPX	BlackRock Event Driven Equity Fund	2.98%	—	Dec 2007	VARBX vs BILPX
BALPX	BlackRock Event Driven Equity Fund Investor Class ...	2.84%	—	Dec 2007	VARBX vs BALPX

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to VARBX

VARBX has 0.99% 1-year volatility. No mutual funds in the Event Driven category have lower 1-year volatility; the lowest-volatility alternatives shown here go as low as 1.25%.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	AUM	Inception
HMEZX	NexPoint Merger Arbitrage Fund	1.25%	—	Aug 2016	VARBX vs HMEZX
MERIX	The Merger Fund Class I	1.54%	—	Aug 2013	VARBX vs MERIX
MERFX	The Merger Fund	1.57%	—	Jan 1989	VARBX vs MERFX
WCFRX	Virtus Westchester Credit Event Fund	1.76%	—	Dec 2017	VARBX vs WCFRX
ARBFX	The Arbitrage Fund	1.86%	—	Sep 2000	VARBX vs ARBFX

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to VARBX

VARBX has a 1-year max drawdown of -0.28%. No mutual funds in the Event Driven category have shallower 1-year drawdowns; the lowest-drawdown alternatives shown here go as shallow as -0.47%.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	AUM	Inception
MERIX	The Merger Fund Class I	-0.47%	—	Aug 2013	VARBX vs MERIX
MERFX	The Merger Fund	-0.52%	—	Jan 1989	VARBX vs MERFX
HMEZX	NexPoint Merger Arbitrage Fund	-0.55%	—	Aug 2016	VARBX vs HMEZX
ARBFX	The Arbitrage Fund	-0.88%	—	Sep 2000	VARBX vs ARBFX
ARBNX	The Arbitrage Fund Class Institutional	-0.92%	—	Oct 2003	VARBX vs ARBNX

Other Mutual Funds from First Trust

The 3 most viewed First Trust mutual funds shown here include FPEIX, FFA, FDHIX and span 3 categories.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
FPEIX	First Trust Preferred Securities and Income Fund	Preferred Stock/Convertible Bonds	64	0.42%	—	Jan 2011	VARBX vs FPEIX
FFA	First Trust Enhanced Equity Income Fund	Derivative Income	38	6.12%	—	Aug 2004	VARBX vs FFA
FDHIX	First Trust Short Duration High Income Fund	Bank Loan	38	0.09%	—	Oct 2012	VARBX vs FDHIX

Often Compared With VARBX

Investors most often compare VARBX with ICMUX, DODLX, DBSCX. These 18 comparison targets span 12 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
ICMUX	Intrepid Income Fund	Multisector Bonds	97	2.85%	—	Jul 2007	VARBX vs ICMUX
DODLX	Dodge & Cox Global Bond Fund Class I	Global Bonds	27	1.07%	—	Apr 2014	VARBX vs DODLX
DBSCX	Doubleline Selective Credit Fund	Multisector Bonds	96	2.05%	—	Aug 2014	VARBX vs DBSCX
MINT	PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ETF	Ultrashort Bond	100	2.21%	16.43B	Nov 2009	VARBX vs MINT
RCTIX	River Canyon Total Return Bond Fund	Short-Term Bond	82	1.32%	—	Dec 2014	VARBX vs RCTIX
PYLD	PIMCO Multisector Bond Active Exchange-Traded Fund	Multisector Bonds	70	1.13%	14.71B	Jun 2023	VARBX vs PYLD
DODIX	Dodge & Cox Income Fund	Intermediate Core-Plus Bond	24	0.18%	—	—	VARBX vs DODIX
QLENX	AQR Long-Short Equity Fund Class N	Long-Short, Actively Managed	58	-1.80%	—	Jul 2013	VARBX vs QLENX
BYLD	iShares Yield Optimized Bond ETF	Intermediate Core-Plus Bond	53	0.96%	450.15M	Apr 2014	VARBX vs BYLD
EVDIX	Camelot Event-Driven Fund Institutional Class	Event Driven	32	2.50%	—	Jun 2010	VARBX vs EVDIX
FMY	First Trust Mortgage Income Fund	Mortgage Backed Securities	5	-0.76%	—	May 2005	VARBX vs FMY
FTHY	First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fun...	High Yield Bonds	8	2.46%	—	Jun 2020	VARBX vs FTHY
FCT	First Trust Senior Floating Rate Income Fund II	Bank Loan	19	2.02%	—	Jan 2013	VARBX vs FCT
EVDAX	Camelot Event Driven Fund Class A	Event Driven	29	2.32%	—	Nov 2003	VARBX vs EVDAX
DAMDX	Dunham Monthly Distribution Fund	Event Driven	96	1.89%	—	Jul 2008	VARBX vs DAMDX
GDL	The GDL Fund	Event Driven	38	2.42%	—	Jan 2007	VARBX vs GDL
FPF	First Trust Intermediate Duration Preferred and In...	Preferred Stock/Convertible Bonds	9	1.06%	—	Apr 2009	VARBX vs FPF
WCEIX	Virtus Westchester Event-Driven Fund	Event Driven	54	1.36%	—	Jan 2014	VARBX vs WCEIX

Compare VARBX with Any Fund or Stock

Compare VARBX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

Symbol name

Diversifiers

Pair VARBX with funds that move differently

Vivaldi Merger Arbitrage Fund Class I alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to VARBX.

Explore VARBX Diversifiers

Vivaldi Merger Arbitrage Fund Class I (VARBX) Alternatives