What’s Hot? What’s Not? Tech trending up, Gold and property falling

Posted by: Sam Lees

 

Technology and North America are the big winners for the month of February.  Gold and property prop up the rest of the funds.  Japan sits in both camps, again showing the importance of fund selection as part of your investing plan.  All in all, a bit of a turnaround from the end of 2017.

What’s Hot?

• Absolute return funds made up most of the bottom list at the end of 2017.  Now, one fund hits the top spot for this month.  Again, many of targeted absolute return funds take more risk than investors might expect.  This doesn’t mean they are bad funds but buyer must beware.
• Technology companies have done well of late and three funds feature in the top table…
• …along with an American fund with big weightings to tech.
• One Russia fund is back, along with an emerging Europe fund that also has nearly 13% in Russia.
• Both UK and US Smaller Companies make an appearance, with one fund apiece…
• …while Japan makes up the rest of the top table.  The latter is interesting because there is also a Japan fund in the Not Hot table, showing how important fund selection is to investors.

What’s Not?

• Commodities bounced at the end of 2017.  Now, three gold funds feature in the bottom table.
• Property shares funds were topping tables at the end of 2017.  Now, four funds feature in the Not Hot table (remember that these are equities, rather than bricks-and-mortar).
• A Japan fund also makes it into the bottom table, along with one European and a UK fund.

FURTHER READING

• Trying to know the unknowable
  
• Buying back: reversing your stop-loss
  
• The liquidity crisis to come - how to prepare
  

 

What's Hot

Name	Sector	Last Month Performance
City Financial Absolute Equity	Targeted Absolute Return	5.8
Baillie Gifford American	North America	4.85
AXA Framlington Global Technology	Technology & Telecommunications	4.68
L&G Global Technology Index Trust	Technology & Telecommunications	4.01
Fidelity Emerging Europe Middle East and Africa	Specialist	3.94
Neptune Russia & Greater Russia	Specialist	3.53
Legg Mason IF Japan Equity	Japan	3.06
JPM US Smaller Companies	North American Smaller Companies	2.77
TM Cavendish AIM	UK Smaller Companies	2.76
Janus Henderson Global Technology	Technology & Telecommunications	2.55

What's Not

Name	Sector	Last Month Performance
BlackRock Gold & General	Specialist	-7.78
Old Mutual Blackrock Gold & General	Specialist	-7.68
Neptune Japan Opportunities	Japan	-6.39
Investec Global Gold	Specialist	-5.23
Aberdeen Property Share	Property	-5.09
Standard Life Investments Global REIT	Property	-5.08
Aberdeen European Property Share	Property	-5.04
Premier Pan European Property Share	Property	-4.93
Neptune European Opportunities	Europe Excluding UK	-4.49
Baillie Gifford UK Equity Alpha	UK All Companies	-4.44