ACM International Health Care

The ACM International Health Care fund is one of the least volatile in the Life Sciences category in Europe but performance has not matched that of its more aggressive peers.

Niklas Tell, 16 June, 2004 | 7:35PM
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Norman Fidel, the manager of the fund, is a cautious skipper which helps explain the excellent relative performance in 2002. A diversified strategy and limited exposure to biotechnology shares helped the fund land near the top of its category. While good on a relative basis the fund still posted an absolute loss of 18.3% in dollar terms.

The fund has a four star rating as of the end of May but its cautious approach has hindered performance compared with others in the pan-European Life Sciences category. Over the past five years the fund ranks in the bottom half of the category.

As of the end of March the fund had no positions i

n smaller companies, which tend to be riskier, whereas the average fund in its category dedicated some 15.6% of assets to small caps. The ACM fund also has 87.3% in large firms compared with 65.9% for the average life sciences fund - a sign of its cautious approach. Another example of the manager’s cautious stance is that when Mr Fidel invests in biotechnology, he prefers companies which have established products as well as drugs in development stage.

This fund has managed to display lower volatility than its category peers over the past three years. Its standard deviation is 12.5 compared with 19 for the category average.

However, it is not a low risk fund as its concentrated portfolio exposes investors to significant company-specific risks. At the end of March Pfizer was the largest position of the fund taking up close to 10% of assets. Also 50% of the fund was invested in the top ten holdings. In April the positions in GlaxoSmithKline, MedImmune and Serono were eliminated and positions in AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson were reduced according to the latest manager comment.

Risk-conscious investors looking for diversified health care exposure might find the low volatility of this fund attractive. Investors looking for more potential upside could possibly find more suitable alternatives elsewhere.

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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