FundCalibre’s most viewed funds of 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, we take a look at which funds and trusts were most popular among FundCalibre’s visitors and which areas piqued their interest the most.
Most popular investment funds and trusts
Top of the pops this year was abrdn Global Smaller Companies, which entered our popularity table last year at number three, knocking City of London Investment Trust off top spot.
abrdn Global Smaller Companies is a textbook fund from the abrdn equities team. Based around their powerful screening tool ‘Matrix’, it identifies smaller companies from all around the globe – including emerging markets – that they believe to have the best growth prospects.
As we saw last year, growth names continue to make up the most popular searches, however this year we see four newcomers join our popularity table: M&G Global Dividend, The Global Smaller Companies Trust, Guinness Global Equity Income and Janus Henderson UK Responsible Income.
Ten most popular Elite Rated funds and trusts in 2023*
- abrdn Global Smaller Companies
- City of London Investment Trust
- Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust
- Baillie Gifford American
- Murray International Trust
- Fidelity Global Dividend
- M&G Global Dividend
- The Global Smaller Companies Trust
- Guinness Global Equity Income
- Janus Henderson UK Responsible Income
Find out which popular funds also topped the best performing funds table
Most popular investment sectors
Global equity funds top the charts for the third year running but we see European ex UK funds move up six spots to number two and most surprisingly, UK All Company funds enter the top ten for the first time since 2019.
Ten most popular sectors in 2023*
- Global
- European ex UK
- Global Equity Income
- UK Equity Income
- Sterling Strategic Bond
- UK Smaller Companies
- Sterling Corporate Bond
- Infrastructure
- UK All Companies
- Japan
The UK market is out of favour on most measures. The UK All Companies sector has been the worst-selling net retail sector in 11 out of the past 12 months**. By all the laws of investment, this should be a good moment to re-examine UK equities. Valuations are low, the sector is deeply unfashionable, selling pressure has been relentless. But is the UK poised for a fightback?
On a recent podcast, Alexandra Jackson, manager of Rathbone UK Opportunities, fund discusses the challenges faced by the UK equities market and why investors should keep a keen eye on the market in 2024.
*Source: FundCalibre Analytics, 1 January to 12 December 2023
**Source: Investment Association, November 2023
This article is provided for information only. The views of the author and any people quoted are their own and do not constitute financial advice. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any fund or trust, or to adopt a particular investment strategy. However, the knowledge that professional analysts have analysed a fund or trust in depth before assigning them a rating can be a valuable additional filter for anyone looking to make their own decisions.Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. Market and exchange-rate movements may cause the value of investments to go down as well as up. Yields will fluctuate and so income from investments is variable and not guaranteed. You may not get back the amount originally invested. Tax treatment depends of your individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future. If you are unsure about the suitability of any investment you should seek professional advice.Whilst FundCalibre provides product information, guidance and fund research we cannot know which of these products or funds, if any, are suitable for your particular circumstances and must leave that judgement to you. Before you make any investment decision, make sure you’re comfortable and fully understand the risks. Further information can be found on Elite Rated funds by simply clicking on the name highlighted in the article.
