September was a very busy month for fund houses, with 11 new active open-ended UK-domiciled funds launched, according to Morningstar Direct data. The number of new fund launches was more than double that of August, when there were just five new products created. Here we look through some of the newest funds and their more established alternatives:
Name | Inception | Morningstar Category |
ES R&M European | 30/09/2020 | Europe ex-UK Equity |
AXA Diversified | 22/09/2020 | GBP Mod Cautious Allocation |
Janus Henderson Asset-Backed Securities | 15/09/2020 | Other Bond |
Premier Miton Financials Capital Securities | 14/09/2020 | Other Bond |
Premier Miton Strategic Monthly Income Bond | 14/09/2020 | GBP Flexible Bond |
IFSL Sanlam Conservative | 07/09/2020 | GBP Mod Cautious Allocation |
VT Freedom Balanced | 07/09/2020 | GBP Moderate Allocation |
VT Freedom Cautious | 07/09/2020 | GBP Moderate Allocation |
VT Freedom Defensive | 07/09/2020 | GBP Mod Cautious Allocation |
VT Freedom Growth | 07/09/2020 | GBP Moderate Allocation |
VT Freedom Growth | 07/09/2020 | GBP Mod Adventurous Allocation |
River and Mercantile launched a European ex-UK equity fund, the ES River and Mercantile European, on September 30 for new hire James Sym, who joined the firm from Schroders. The fund, which is designed to be a core portfolio holding, will comprise between 30 and 50 stocks, with no restrictions on sector weightings.
It will also have strong ESG credentials and include only companies contributing in a positive way to their customers and society. Sym says: “There is a great opportunity in Europe today: the region has gone through four massive crises in the last ten years, which has created many attractive investment opportunities. Additionally, we see Europe’s response to the pandemic as the genesis of a brighter future for the region.”
Meanwhile, Sanlam expanded its multi-asset fund range, launching the IFSL Sanlam Conservative Fund. Run by Sanlam's chief investment officer Phillip Smeaton, the fund will offer the lowest risk rating in the range, investing in a mix of equities, fixed income and real estate. The ongoing charge is capped at 0.79%
Smeaton says: “Amid the ongoing uncertainty around the world, clients are in need of a range of strategies that suit their differing, and often shifting, attitudes to risk.”
Aside from a plethora of multi asset options, September's new launches included three fixed income offerings: Janus Henderson Asset-Backed Securities, Premier Miton Financials Capital Secutiries and Premier Miton Strategic Monthly Income bond.
Morningstar Rated Alternatives
For investors looking for more established alternatives, we have picked some funds which have already been rated by Morningstar analysts, meaning they already have a track record of at least three years.
In the Europe ex-UK Equity Morningstar Category, iShares Continental European Equity Index fund and Artemis European Opportunities, are rated Bronze and Silver respectively by Morningstar analysts. They have produced an annualised returns of 9.5% and 8.5% respectively over five years. Morningstar analyst Dimitar Boyadzhiev points out that the iShare's ongoing charge is the lowest in its category at 0.06%. The fund tracks the FTSE World Europe ex UK Index, which comprises large- and mid-cap stocks across the continent including biggest holdings Nestle, Roche and Novartis.
The Artemis fund, meanwhile, takes a value approach, investing in high-quality stocks but only at what the managers deem a reasonable price. Biggest holdings including Heineken and Danone.
Elsewhere, an alternative fixed income option is Bronze-Rated BlackRock Global Funds Euro Short Duration Bond, which has produced five-year annualised returns of 5.25%. The portfolio, which invests in between 40 and 60 holdings, has at least 70% of assets invested in bonds whose average duration will not exceed three years.
Morningstar analyst Evangelia Gkeka praises Michael Krautzberger, who has managed the strategy since June 2006. She says: "Krautzberger's expertise lays in combining the team's views, analysts' relative value ideas, and inputs from BlackRock's wider resources into a portfolio that takes an appropriate level of risk for its performance objective."