All IFC Test Inside CISI Questions

Standard equity funds focus on capital gains and may include dividend income, but unlike dividend funds, they do not prioritize capital preservation. The feedback from the document states:

"A standard equity fund seeks to earn some combination of dividend income and capital gains from investment in Canadian common stocks. This objective appears to be similar to that of a preferred dividend fund. The difference between the two is that an equity fund usually has a much stronger capital gains focus. Note as well that equity funds make no specific attempt to preserve capital; in other words, equity funds are willing to put capital at substantially greater risk than preferred dividend funds."

The correct answer is D. More risk than a dividend fund, but less risk than an equity fund. The Investment Funds in Canada curriculum explains that mortgage funds invest primarily in residential and commercial mortgages, generating income from interest payments.

Mortgage funds carry credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk, making them riskier than traditional dividend or fixed-income funds, which often hold publicly traded securities. However, they are generally less volatile than equity funds, which are subject to broader market fluctuations and business risk.

Dividend funds typically invest in established companies with stable cash flows and are therefore less risky than mortgage funds. Equity funds expose investors to full market risk and price volatility, placing them at a higher risk level than mortgage funds.

The CIFC course places mortgage funds in the mid-risk spectrum, between income-oriented equity funds and growth-oriented equity funds. Therefore, Option D is the correct and fully CIFC-verified answer.