Best and worst-performing funds of 2020
By Mike Narouei, Content Producer at Boring Money
21 Sep, 2020
Tracking the top 20 (and bottom 20) investment funds based on their 2020 performance.
Stats from FE fundinfo.
Being an investor in 2020 has felt a bit like being a parent at a fun fair… if the magic roundabout your kids are on had been possessed by a demon. We’ve seen some investments flung from their carousel horses – dizzy, bruised, unsure how to climb back up. But we’ve also seen investments having a great time. “More! More!” yells Apple through giddy tears of excitement. “Faster!” echoes Amazon.
It’s easy to see why tech companies would do well from their customers working at home and ordering in more, and why that would be good news for their investors. (Apple’s market value overtook the combined value of the FTSE 100 index at the start of this month). But which other companies have been raking it in throughout lockdown? Or better yet – which investment funds? We take a look at the stats from FE fundinfo.
Fund – an investment product that splits the money you invest between multiple companies and other assets, so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket.
2020: A good year for…
The top 20 funds of the year so far point to success in North America, gold, technology and e-commerce. Taking the top spot both this year and over 3 years, Baillie Gifford’s American fund includes star investments like Amazon, as well as education supplies and e-commerce companies – both of which have had plenty of business as workers and students take their work home.
6 of the top 20 are focused on gold and precious metals, often thought of as a safe haven during times of uncertainty. Gold recently reached a record high with a 30% higher value in August than at the start of the year. However, while it may seem like a haven when markets struggle, the opposite is said to be true when markets recover.
It’s worth noting that although top fund lists are interesting, just be careful about making decisions off the back off this. 12 months is not really long enough to prove skill over luck. And chasing the best performers means you’re always behind the curve – who knows what the future holds for US and tech stocks? That being said, here is the top 20 table in full:
Top 20 funds by performance - 1 Jan to 1 Sep 2020
Baillie Gifford American
Sector: North America
2020 performance %: 83.3
3-year performance %: 174.2
Morgan Stanley US Growth
Sector: North America
2020 performance %: 79.5
3-year performance %: 141.9
LF Access Long Term Global Growth Investment
Sector: Unclassified
2020 performance %: 72.3
3-year performance %: -
Baillie Gifford Long Term Global Growth Investment
Sector: Global
2020 performance %: 70.5
3-year performance %: 137.3
LF Ruffer Gold
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: 69.2
3-year performance %: 118.5
MFM Junior Gold
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: 63.0
3-year performance %: 32.2
Matthews China Small Companies
Sector: China
2020 performance %: 58.5
3-year performance %: 87.9
ES Gold and Precious Metals
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: 57.1
3-year performance %: 15.3
Morgan Stanley US Advantage
Sector: North America
2020 performance %: 54.2
3-year performance %: 112.3
Baillie Gifford Positive Change
Sector: Global
2020 performance %: 54.0
3-year performance %: 118.5
Baillie Gifford Global Stewardship
Sector: Global
2020 performance %: 49.5
3-year performance %: 87.1
Morgan Stanley US Advantage
Sector: North America
2020 performance %: 49.2
3-year performance %: 103.4
Lord Abbett Innovation Growth
Sector: North America
2020 performance %: 48.7
3-year performance %: 105.4
Aubrey Capital Management Ltd Global Conviction
Sector: Global
2020 performance %: 46.0
3-year performance %: 76.4
T. Rowe Price Global Technology Equity
Sector: Tech & Telecomms
2020 performance %: 45.5
3-year performance %: 81.3
Baillie Gifford Global Discovery
Sector: Global
2020 performance %: 43.7
3-year performance %: 101.3
Ninety One Global Gold
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: 43.2
3-year performance %: 82.0
BlackRock Gold & General
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: 43.1
3-year performance %: 56.2
Polar Capital Global Technology
Sector: Tech & Telecomms
2020 performance %: 42.2
3-year performance %: 113.8
Quilter Investors Precious Metals Equity
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: 42.1
3-year performance %: 52.2
Source: FE fundinfo
2020: A bad year for…
8 of the bottom 20 funds this year are focused on Latin America, which many experts are attributing to the slow response to the Covid-19 outbreak. Energy companies have also taken a hit, due in part to the oil-price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. And closer to home, following a recession announcement in August, 6 of the bottom funds are from UK sectors. What happens next – both in terms of the UK’s slow return to a ‘new normal’ and overall market movements – is anyone’s guess.
Bottom 20 funds by performance – 1 Jan to 1 Sep 2020
LF Equity Income
Sector: Unclassified
2020 performance %: -64.0
3-year performance %: -74.4
Schroder ISF Global Equity
Sector: Global
2020 performance %: -42.7
3-year performance %: -48.6
ASI UK Recovery Equity
Sector: UK All Companies
2020 performance %: -42.6
3-year performance %: -54.9
Guinness Global Energy
Sector: Global
2020 performance %: -41.8
3-year performance %: -40.4
TB Guinness Global Energy
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -40.8
3-year performance %: -29.5
HSBC GIF Brazil Equity
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -40.0
3-year performance %: -27.9
Invesco Latin American (UK)
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -37.9
3-year performance %: -33.4
GVQ UK Focus
Sector: UK All Companies
2020 performance %: -37.8
3-year performance %: -29.2
GVQ Opportunities
Sector: UK All Companies
2020 performance %: -36.4
3-year performance %: -29.6
Brown Advisory Latin American
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -34.8
3-year performance %: -43.9
BlackRock GF Latin American
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -34.5
3-year performance %: -31.9
Alquity Latin America
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -34.3
3-year performance %: -34.8
Liontrust Latin America
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -34.3
3-year performance %: -21.0
BlackRock GF Latin American
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -34.3
3-year performance %: -26.4
UBS UK Equity Income
Sector: UK Equity Income
2020 performance %: -33.8
3-year performance %: -32.2
Aberforth UK Small Companies
Sector: UK Smaller Companies
2020 performance %: -33.7
3-year performance %: -26.6
Quilter Investors Equity 2
Sector: Unclassified
2020 performance %: -33.6
3-year performance %: -24.6
ASI Latin American Equity
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -32.9
3-year performance %: -29.0
MFS Meridian Latin American Equity
Sector: Specialist
2020 performance %: -32.9
3-year performance %: -22.3
UBS UK Opportunities
Sector: UK All Companies
2020 performance %: -32.8
3-year performance %: -29.3
Source: FE fundinfo