BNY Mellon Growth Fund Beat Its Benchmark in Q1 2026

The BNY Mellon Research Growth Fund (Class A at NAV) outperformed the Russell 1000 Growth Index during the first quarter of 2026. That is the headline from the fund’s latest commentary, though the full report is currently behind a Javascript gate and not accessible without enabling cookies.

For an active large-cap growth fund to beat a cap-weighted benchmark in any quarter is a notable outcome. The lack of detail in the source leaves investors with more questions than answers. The outperformance itself is the catalyst. The mechanism behind it matters far more than the raw result.

The Outperformance vs. the Russell 1000 Growth Index

The fund’s commentary confirms a positive active return relative to the Russell 1000 Growth Index for Q1 2026. No specific magnitude is provided in the available summary. The fact of outperformance is stated. This is the kind of headline that can shift attention to the fund’s holdings and sector bets. In a quarter where the growth index was heavily influenced by a handful of mega-cap names, any active outperformance is worth examining.

Active managers in the growth space have struggled to consistently beat the index in recent years. A quarter of outperformance could signal that the fund’s stock selection or sector allocation worked in its favor. Without the full commentary, investors cannot yet attribute the result to a specific factor.

Why This Quarter’s Result Matters for Active Growth Investing

The Russell 1000 Growth Index is dominated by a small number of large-cap technology and consumer discretionary stocks. Beating it requires either overweighting those names at the right time or finding smaller positions that deliver disproportionate returns. The BNY Mellon Research Growth Fund’s outperformance suggests its portfolio construction deviated from the index in a way that added value.