Best and Worst Performing Funds in February

Depsite fears around the Coronavirus, Chinese funds were among the best performers of the month, while UK special situations options were at the bottom of the pile

Annalisa Esposito 2 March, 2020 | 11:38AM
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Trophies

Chinese funds were among the best performers in February, even while investors grappled with a stock market meltdown over coronavirus. Bond funds were also well represented in the top 10 performers amid a flight to safety.

The Bronze-rated Fidelity China RMB Bond and Silver-rated Fidelity China Focus funds were among the strongest of all Morningstar rated funds in the month, up 3.8% and 3.7% respectively. The Fidelity China Focus fund has large stakes in big Chinese companies including telecoms firm China Mobile, internet giant Tencent and e-commerce business Alibaba. The bond fund, meanwhile, invests in the debt of Chinese companies including casino operator Sands China and aircraft leasing firm BOC Aviation.

The strong performance came despite the fact that Chinese equities fell sharply in January as the coronavirus outbreak first came to global attention. But shares in the region enjoyed a rebound in February after decisive action from the Chinese government including fast-tracking infrastructure projects, cutting taxes and banks' reserve requirements to spur the economy, all of which helped to reassure some investors. 

Ben Yearsley, director of Shore Financial Planning, thinks it is quite likely that spooked developed markets will follow a similar pattern of falling sharply and quickly recovering once the spread of the virus is under control. "In other words, a 'V' shaped market fall and bounce is quite likely," he says.

Fund Name

Morningstar Rating

Morningstar Analyst Rating

Return in February

Vanguard US Government Bond Index

 

Silver

5.8

Fidelity China RMB Bond

4

Bronze

3.8

Fidelity China Focus

3

Silver

3.7

Franklin Biotechnology Discovery

3

Neutral

3.6

Amundi Funds - Pioneer Strategic Income

3

Neutral

2.9

BNY Mellon International Bond

3

Neutral

2.8

Templeton Emerging Markets Bond

4

Neutral

2.6

BNY Mellon Global Bond

4

Neutral

2.6

Templeton Global Bond

2

Silver

2.4

Templeton Global Total Return

2

Bronze

2.2

Meanwhile, as often happens during periods of uncertainty and fear, investors poured money into lower risk  - and increasingly lower yielding - fixed income assets. It is unsurprising then, that six of the 10 best performing funds in February belong to this asset class - four of these are Neutral-rated by Morningstar analysts.

The best performing fund in the month is the Silver-rated Vanguard US Government Bond Index, which produced a return of 5.8%; US government bonds have been a safe haven for investors amid cascading losses on Wall Street. 

Worst Performing Funds

At the foot of the fund tables there was a mix of different sectors including energy, natural resources, Latin America and Russia, as well as value-focused UK equity funds. Still, four of the bottom 10 performers have a Silver Morningstar Analyst rating, suggesting they are likely to outperform their peers over the long-term, even if February was difficult month. 

Fund Name

Morningstar Rating

Morningstar Analyst Rating

Return in February

BGF World Energy

2

Neutral

-14.5

BGF Latin American

3

Neutral

-12.3

Liontrust Russia

4

Neutral

-11.7

JPM Natural Resources

3

Neutral

-11.6

Schroder Income

2

Bronze

-11.4

M&G Recovery

1

Neutral

-11.4

Fidelity Special Situations

3

Silver

-11.3

Artemis UK Smaller Companies

3

Silver

-11.1

JOHCM UK Equity Income

4

Silver

-11.1

Schroder Recovery

2

Silver

-10.9

The Neutral-rated Blackrock World Energy was the weakest rated fund of teh month, tumbling 14.5% amid fears of a plunge in the oil price. China is the biggest importer of the black stuff in the world and there are concerns that travel restrictions to and from the country as well as within its borders could significantly hit demand. The Neutral-rated Blackrock Latin America fund, meanwhile, was down 12.3%, in the month.

Among the UK funds showing a poor performance, M&G Recovery and the Fidelity Special Situations stand out - down 11.4% and 11.3% respectively.

Stock markets across the world had a poor month with the FTSE 100 falling around 9% and the Dow Jones suffering its greatest one-day fall in points terms at the end of February.At the other end of the spectrum, Gold rose over the first three weeks of February, hitting a record high in pounds, before falling sharply as confidence started to return to markets. Yearsley says: "The coronavirus is a short-term issue for markets but shouldn’t have any meaningful long-term impact."

He also believes that now could bea great buying opportunity for brave investors: "Obviously, the markets may well continue to fall until the spread of the virus has been brought under control but the negative impact on economies should be confined to the first half."

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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About Author

Annalisa Esposito  is a data journalist for Morningstar.co.uk

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