By Annabel Brodie-Smith
This month we’re embracing the spirit of the FIFA World Cup with a global tour of the opportunities provided by investment companies. Personally, I have no interest in football, having grown up in rugby-loving Wales, but global investment – now you’re talking…
Alliance Trust plays ‘fantasy fund manager’ as Craig Baker from Willis Towers Watson explains their role as team manager in choosing the eight world class stock pickers who make up Alliance’s team of managers. He explains: “Our role as team manager of the stock pickers is then to keep a watchful eye from the touchline to ensure they play well together and don’t have too many overlapping positions…”
Ian Cowie explains how “investment companies bring a world of opportunity within the reach of the individual investor.” He delves into how his portfolio has performed looking at Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon investing in Japanese smaller companies, JPMorgan Indian, Fidelity China Special Situations, and BlackRock Latin American amongst many others.
Carrying on with the emerging markets theme, 150 years ago the first investment companies invested in the emerging market of the day, the US. So we asked Terry Smith, manager of Fundsmith Emerging Equities Trust (more commonly known at FEET) and other managers to tell us the emerging markets which could achieve similar growth to the US in the future.
Moving on to the world’s biggest health challenges, we look at the investment companies and VCTs which are investing in companies that are aiming to provide treatments to help people live longer. This innovative area includes treatments and diagnostics for cancer, Alzheimer’s, antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” and diabetes.
Finally, we examine the global financial sector with Nick Brind, Co-Manager of Polar Capital Global Financials Trust. He believes financials have been overlooked for good reason but there is an opportunity there. As Willie Sutton, a US bank robber, allegedly replied when asked why he robbed banks “Because that’s where the money is.”
Hope the football fans enjoy the World Cup. I will be trying hard to avoid it!
Annabel Brodie-Smith Communications Director, AIC
