Today is March 9th. A fairly unremarkable date (unless you're Ornette Coleman, Juliette Binoch or Barbie, in which case, "happy birthday"). Yet to the market-watchers it marks three years since the market bottomed out following the financial crisis of the noughties.
The FTSE 100 has rebounded 66% in those three years, but we investors are notorious for being sentimental and making ill-timed investment decisions so the chances of your portfolio also experiencing a 66% rise in that time is unfortunately slim. To illustrate this, we've highlighted the five top performing funds since March 9, 2009 and also the five worst performers. If you bought into the former at the right time, then congratulations on your foresight; if you bought into the latter, you have our deepest commiserations.
Such a wide spread of returns between the winners and the losers serves to highlight the importance of diversifying your portfolio. The Morningstar Direct data also suggests the risks of launching funds during a bubble...and of buying into these fashionable funds. Funds investing in property feature at both extremes, exemplifying how followers of fashion can either see their investments ramp up in value or plummet during bubble-and-burst scenarios.
The below lists represent the best and worst performing open-end, closed-end and exchange-traded funds (excluding venture capital trusts) available for sale in the UK, measured by three-year annualised returns (price) to end-February, 2012.
5 Winners: Investment Trusts Win This Race
Matrix European Real Estate Investment Trust (MERE)
3-year annualised return: 177%
Matrix European REIT is a European direct property fund launched in early June 2007. The timing of this launch will have given the fund something of a headstart on avoiding the worst of the financial crisis. It's interesting to note that while a property-related investment trust tops our list of winners, another features among the losers.
Greenwich Loan Income Fund (GLIF)
3-year annualised return: 136%
This fund was launched in August 2005 and aims to generate income by investing in the debt securities of small- to medium-sized tech companies--a lucrative strategy by the looks of it. The fund is highly leveraged, with current gearing of 288% (though this is a notable drop from the 800% it reached in the fourth quarter of 2008).
Marwyn Value Investors (MVI)
3-year annualised return: 109%
Launched in October 2006, this global smaller companies fund feeds directly into Marwyn Neptune and would have scored higher on our list if it weren't for the past two months, in which price performance has started to slide.
Carpathian (CPT)
3-year annualised return: 75%
A 75% price return is misleading as the last price of the fund on March 9, 2012 is just 2 euro cents. The fund invests in emerging Europe property.
Raven Russia Ltd (RUS)
3-year annualised return: 64%
Another property fund, this one was launched in July 2005 and invests in Russian property. Like Greenwhich Loan Income Fund, this offering is also highly geared, currently in excess of 180%.
5 Losers: Commodity Shorts and Tech
Low Carbon Accelerator (LCA)
3-year annualised return: -40%
This private equity fund which specialises in environmental companies producing low carbon products and services was launched in October 2006. It's likely been hit by the aversion to technology expenditure since the financial crisis as the fund is effectively a tech fund but with a specialist focus.
PSource Structured Debt (PSD)
3-year annualised return: -39%
Launched in August 2007, this fund invests in asset-backed loans and debt made predominantly to small- and micro-cap companies in North America. This type of lending has largely dried up post crisis.
ETFS Short Silver ETC (SSIL)
3-year annualised return: -38%
This exchange-traded commodity (ETC) tracks the Dow Jones-AIG Silver Sub-index. As a fund that shorts silver, it should have an inverse relationship to the commodity's price index. With a 3-year standard deviation in excess of 46%, this fund's volatility is not for the faint hearted.
Argo Real Estate Opportunities (AREO)
3-year annualised return: -35%
Launched in August 2006, this fund invests in emerging Europe property--Romania, Ukraine and Moldova. It's not just market perception of this fund that's slumped here: net asset value has plunged from near half-a-euro three years ago to just 6 euro cents today.
ETFS Short Cotton ETC (SCTO)
3-year annualised return: -35%
Another inverse commodity tracker, this ETC aims to track the Dow Jones-AIG Cotton Sub-index. With cotton prices going through the roof, it's little wonder a fund shorting cotton prices has suffered thus.
Jackie Beard, FCSI contributed to this article.