Mid-year review: which Elite Rated funds have performed best in 2019?
While we may have started 2019 optimistically – hoping Brexit would finally be resolved – as we reach the half-way point of the year, it continues to cause economic, political and stock market uncertainty in the UK.
Meanwhile, the major issues for global stock markets also continue to be the US/China trade war and US interest rate policy. The latter is really the only aspect that has changed in the past six months, as the US central bank has moved from implied interest rate rises to interest rate cuts. As a result, however, almost every single asset class and geography has rallied strongly in the first six months of the year.
Best performing Elite Rated and Radar funds
The best performing Elite Rated and Radar funds so far this year are dominated by US, European and global equities. However, top of the pack over the first six months of 2019 is Smith & Williamson Artificial Intelligence, which has returned just under 30%* for investors.
It is closely followed in second place by Jupiter European Opportunities trust, which returned 27.69%*, while AXA Framlington American Growth comes third, with returns of 27.59%*.
The top ten best performers are shown in the table below.
| Rank | Fund or Trust | Mid-year returns |
| 1 | Smith & Williamson Artificial Intelligence | 29.54% |
| 2 | Jupiter European Opportunities | 27.69% |
| 3 | AXA Framlington American Growth | 27.59% |
| 4 | AXA Framlington Global Technology | 27.38% |
| 5 | Baillie Gifford Global Discovery | 25.00% |
| 6 | BlackRock European Dynamic | 23.90% |
| 7 | Threadneedle European Select | 23.45% |
| 8 | Lazard US Equity Concentrated | 23.22% |
| 9 | Rathbone Global Opportunities | 23.17% |
| 10 | T. Rowe Price Global Focused Growth Equity | 21.63% |
Mid-year resolutions
As we head into the second half of the year, ‘new resolutions’ will be key to what asset classes continue to perform well: resolution of trade wars should help Asian and Japanese stock markets rebound, while resolution of Brexit should help British companies, which remain very much out of favour. Whether we get those resolutions, especially in that time scale, remains to be seen.
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.
