The best and worst fund performers in 2009
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Almost 95 per cent of funds have produced a positive performance in 2009, according to figures from Morningstar.
Just 102 of 1,914 funds available in the UK failed to produce a positive return, with specialist funds and UK smaller companies topping the list of best-performing funds at December 10.
The £11.8m Close special situations fund, managed by Deryck Noble-Nesbitt, is the best performer, with a return of 240 per cent, followed by Close Beacon investment, with 181 per cent. Close Beacon was one of the biggest underperformers in 2008 when it fell by 59 per cent.
Specialist funds made up 12 of the top 20, with Neptune Russia & Greater Russia, JP Morgan New Europe and CF Ruffer Baker Steel gold some of the better-known outperformers.
SVM UK opportunities is the best performer in the IMA UK all companies sector, with a return of 95 per cent.
New Star international property is the worst underperformer, according to Morningstar, falling by 29 per cent. Aviva Investors Asia Pacific property and TRI European residential property are both down by almost 26 per cent, completing a bottom three for the asset class.
Japan also continued to struggle as a sector, accounting for 14 of the bottom 20 funds.
Global emerging markets is the best-performing sector with a return of 53 per cent, Asia Pacific ex Japan and UK smaller companies are second and third with returns of 48 and 47 per cent respectively. UK gilts, the best-performing sector in 2008, and Japan, are the only two sectors to produce negative returns.
Hargreaves Lansdown investment manager Ben Yearsley says: “The Close special situations fund manager did extremely well in tapping into lots of undervalued companies at the right time in the market.”
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