Mutual Funds

These tables rank the top-performing stock and bond mutual funds for the first quarter of 2006 for investment categories defined by research firm Morningstar Inc., which provided the data. The tables of top-performing funds are followed by individual performance figures for 5,400 mutual funds, organized by fund company. Stock Funds Most of the mutual funds that invest in the stocks of U.S. companies are sorted by Morningstar into nine broad categories.

Average total return, including dividends, in percent for periods ended Thursday, July 19. TOP 10 Fund Type Notes 12 mos. Yr. to date Week Benham Equities: AU NL +11.91% -10.93% +4.93% Gold Eq. Index Strategic Investments AU L -11.05 -37.62 +4.62 Equity Strategies S NL +61.63 +37.65 +4.49 Enterprise Precious Metals AU L +7.48 -8.07 +4.36 Rushmore: Precious AU NL * -14.08 +4.27 Metals Index Blanchard Precious AU NL -10.75 -18.52 +4.08 Metals Fund Lexington Goldfund AU NL +4.96 -13.46 +3.

Our tables on these pages are designed to help you pick new mutual funds and assess the performance of funds you already own. As with selecting a good diamond, there's a system you can use to find good funds. Instead of the four Cs--cut, carat, color and clarity--fund investors must consider the four Rs: returns, ratings, risk and ratio of expenses to assets. Our lists of funds on these pages are fund tracker Morningstar Inc.'s top-rated funds, according to its proprietary rating system.

With technology stocks gyrating, financial shares hit hard by recent turmoil, global markets fraying nerves and skittish investors searching for safe havens, The Times ran a mutual fund screen seeking to spotlight steady performers. Using Microsoft Investor's database of more than 8,000 funds, we screened for consistently good performers over the last three-month and three-year periods.