Spring 2021: the funds gaining and losing their Elite Ratings

Following FundCalibre’s Spring investment committee, two new funds have gained an Elite Rating and two have gained an Elite Radar badge. Two previously Radar funds that now have a three year track record have also been moved to a full Rating. Two funds have lost their ratings due to fund manager changes.

Two new funds gain an Elite Rating

Murray Income Trust

Backed by a strong UK equities team, Murray Income Trust is a dependable, diversified and differentiated trust, which has delivered consistently strong performance at a time when it has been challenging for UK equities. The trust has grown its dividend for investors for almost 50 years and recently completed a merger with the Perpetual Income & Growth Investment Trust (PLI), which has resulted in greater scale and lower costs for investors.

TM RWC Global Equity Income

While this fund may be new, the team – led by Nick Clay – is highly experienced, and the investment strategy is well-proven. It has a true contrarian nature, backed up by a logical and disciplined philosophy. It will also provide an attractive level of income (every holding must yield at least 25% more than the broader market at the point of purchase). Having Rated Nick’s previous fund run with this process, we are happy to award this fund an Elite Rating.

Two new funds gain an Elite Radar

Aegon Strategic Bond

This fund is everything a strategic bond fund should be. It’s highly active and flexible and while other strategic bond funds often exhibit a permanent bias for a particular area of fixed income, Aegon Strategic Bond fund can and will quickly change its positioning to adapt to the prevailing economic environment. The two managers are experienced and complement each other extremely well – Alexander focuses on credit and Colin on government bonds.

Premier Miton Global Smaller Companies

Having recently joined Premier Miton from ASI, Alan Rowsell has just launched this fund. He will look for high quality and growing businesses that are exhibiting momentum to become either leaders of their niche or the large companies of tomorrow. He has many years’ experience and will use a screening tool to help with the initial phase of the portfolio building process. It is similar to ‘Matrix’ which Alan used at ASI but has been rebuilt and redeveloped to improve coverage in the US market.

Two funds with three year track records move from Radar to Rated

Jupiter Gold & Silver

A truly unique fund, Jupiter Gold & Silver invests in both physical gold and silver bullion, as well as gold and silver mining companies. We like this fund’s dynamism and the manager’s willingness to alter its positioning to best suit current market conditions. Most funds in its peer group are unable to own physical bullion, making this a very different proposition.

Sanlam Artificial Intelligence

Launched in 2017, this fund ‘eats its own cooking’ using an artificial intelligence (AI) system to help find companies whose business models are aligned to benefit from this growing theme. The fund is unconstrained in that it can invest in businesses of almost any size and in more than just technology stalwarts; around half of the portfolio can be found in the healthcare and consumer-related sectors.

Two funds losing their ratings:

Premier Miton Multi-Asset Growth & Income
David Jane and Anthony Rayner took over Premier Miton Multi-Asset Growth & Income from David Hambidge on 1 Feb 2021. The new managers will be making meaningful changes to the portfolio, bringing it in line with their own macro-driven thematic approach. Due the manager and process change, the fund must lose its Elite Rating.

Schroder Sterling Corporate Bond
After eight years at the company, manager Jonathan Golan has decided to leave Schroders and will be joining the fixed income team at Man GLG. Julien Houdain and Daniel Pearson will become co-managers of the fund. The fund loses its Elite rating due to this change.